Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 We've had a few threads on the topic of why reading fiction is worthwhile, especially if it is a worthy passtime for Christians. I've been listening to a series of lectures on J. R. R. Tolkien from iTunes called The Tolkien Professor. The lecture "How to Read Tolkien and Why" spends about ten minutes discussing Tolkien's view of the role of an author as sub-creator and how this reflects truth even when it is completely made up. Tolkien especially felt that a story didn't have to be a specific allegory (like The Chronicles of Narnia) to reflect creation and truth. The comments by the lecturer, Corey Olsen, are really interesting. I think that he is pulling from several sources, but especially Tolkien's essay On Fairy Stories (which seems to be found in The Tolkien Reader). I thought that this would be of interest considering how often we discuss what books are worthy of reading and why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 We've had a few threads on the topic of why reading fiction is worthwhile, especially if it is a worthy passtime for Christians. I've been listening to a series of lectures on J. R. R. Tolkien from iTunes called The Tolkien Professor. The lecture "How to Read Tolkien and Why" spends about ten minutes discussing Tolkien's view of the role of an author as sub-creator and how this reflects truth even when it is completely made up. Tolkien especially felt that a story didn't have to be a specific allegory (like The Chronicles of Narnia) to reflect creation and truth. The comments by the lecturer, Corey Olsen, are really interesting. I think that he is pulling from several sources, but especially Tolkien's essay On Fairy Stories (which seems to be found in The Tolkien Reader). I thought that this would be of interest considering how often we discuss what books are worthy of reading and why. I should add that the Tolkien Professor lectures would also serve as a great structure for a literary study of the Hobbit and Lord of the Ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalphs Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 (edited) Thank you for posting this! I've been looking for a new format for my class for 2011. I think this will be a welcome change from the Progeny Press Guides. I highly recommend Tolkien's Essay on Fairy Stories (The essay can be found in the book, "The Tolkien Reader.")! Perhaps I am biased because I teach literary analysis/apologetics on the works of Tolkien and Lewis. ;) I am amazed at how many adults do not understand the how/why of fairy stories. This past term I've dealt with parents who have an unhealthy fear of fairy stories and any story which contains "magic" in them, especially the Harry Potter books. They fear the magic will corrupt their children and lead them to join the occult. A good book to read HP is John Granger's "Looking for God in Harry Potter." I fondly remember reading the classic fairy stories/literature/fantasy genre and learning many moral lessons from them and discovering the Biblical themes within the stories. Edited November 23, 2010 by kalphs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I had a teacher in seminary who would show movies in class and have us dissect it from a Christian point of view. However, given all that, I also wonder (at least for myself) -- I don't need to justify fiction reading. I do PLENTY of that already. Instead, I need to intentionally read more that is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 It is hard to find good fiction that does not contradict torah values, and it's nearly impossible to find good movies that do not contradict torah values! :) And sometimes religious fiction isn't the highest quality of writing. OY! I don't have time now as we're about to leave for a vacation, but I do have a list of books we've read so far. Seems like most of our fiction comes from 1960 and before. I'll be back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalphs Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I had a teacher in seminary who would show movies in class and have us dissect it from a Christian point of view. I've thought about teaching a class like this.;) When I started teaching the literary analysis/apologetics class I was surprised how many home educated students had not been exposed to literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalphs Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 It is hard to find good fiction that does not contradict torah values, and it's nearly impossible to find good movies that do not contradict torah values! :) And sometimes religious fiction isn't the highest quality of writing. OY! I don't have time now as we're about to leave for a vacation, but I do have a list of books we've read so far. Seems like most of our fiction comes from 1960 and before. I'll be back... Bump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 It is hard to find good fiction that does not contradict torah values, and it's nearly impossible to find good movies that do not contradict torah values! :) And sometimes religious fiction isn't the highest quality of writing. OY! I don't have time now as we're about to leave for a vacation, but I do have a list of books we've read so far. Seems like most of our fiction comes from 1960 and before. I'll be back... I'd love to see the list of books you've enjoyed. I'm also curious about what torah consistent would look like in literature. I imagine that you're not looking just for characters that are all observant, but traits and actions and consequences that are consistent with torah. I do understand what you're saying about reading older books. I think that contemporary fiction is especially likely to be dissatisfying because it seems like many contemporary literary writers feel that they have to tell a story that is lurid or that focuses on disfunction. I did a semester of contemporary lit in my undergrad English degree and they were some of the most tedious, overblown books that I've ever written. I was struck by Tolkien's thoughts on the author as sub-creator vs creator. He made the distinction that only God truly creates. That what an author can do is be sub-creator. He also thought that there was a drive to create in part because we were created. I remember a retired Christian professor who taught a children's literature class that I took. One of her points was even though a work might not contain all of The Truth, that it often still reflected Truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 I should add that the Tolkien Professor lectures would also serve as a great structure for a literary study of the Hobbit and Lord of the Ring. Thanks for this great recommendation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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