Michael Weingrad’s brilliant essay “Why There Is No Jewish Narnia” in the Spring 2010 issue of the indispensable Jewish Review of Books offered several reasons for the lack of fantasy writing among Jews:
• “[T]he conventional trappings of fantasy, with their feudal atmosphere and rootedness in rural Europe, are not especially welcoming to Jews, who were too often at the wrong end of the medieval sword.”
• The “still agonizing historical weight” of the Holocaust “must press prohibitively upon Jewish engagement with the magical and fantastical.”
As a consequence of their history, Jews find “the notion of magic and wizards existing in our own world — as in, for example, the Harry Potter books” — hard to accept. (Warning: Weingrad gives no evidence of having read all seven Harry Potter books before daring to say such a thing.)
The main reason that Jews have largely avoided the genre of fantasy, though, is religious. C. S. Lewis was the author of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956), perhaps the greatest series of fantasy novels ever written in English. Rereading the books as an adult, I was struck by what soared over my head as a boy: the Christian theology that organizes the series. But Lewis is not alone. J. R. R. Tolkien is now widely understood to be a Christian writer, and Christianity Today ranked his Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954–1955) among the top ten Christian books of the twentieth century. Even the Harry Potter books, if Bruce Charlton is to be believed, are works of “covert Christian supposal.” And no wonder.
Fantasy is ideally suited for Christianity’s kerygma, but it is a bad fit for Judaism. As Weingrad wonderfully puts it:
To put it crudely, if Christianity is a fantasy religion, then Judaism is a science fiction religion. If the former is individualistic, magical, and salvationist, the latter is collective, technical, and this-worldly. Judaism’s divine drama is connected with a specific people in a specific place within a specific history. Its halakhic core is not, I think, convincingly represented in fantasy allegory. In its rabbinic elaboration, even the messianic idea is shorn of its mythic and apocalyptic potential. Whereas fantasy grows naturally out of Christian soil, Judaism’s more adamant separation from myth and magic render classic elements of the fantasy genre undeveloped or suspect in the Jewish imaginative tradition.
Weingrad goes on to examine the differences between Christian and Jewish conceptions of magic and evil, which are essential to fantasy. But I’d like to draw attention to a third element.
Speaking as both an author and scholar of fantasy, Lewis said in a 1947 essay that “To construct plausible and moving ‘other worlds’ you must draw upon the only real ‘other world’ we know, that of the spirit.” No statement about the genre has ever been more definitive. The bedrock premise of fantasy, which cannot be waived without voiding the genre, is the existence of a spirit realm. Lewis’s Narnia, Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Rowling’s “wizarding world,” parallel universes of all kind are imaginative reconstructions of Christianity’s first principle: namely, that the “kingdom of heaven” is the only true world.
G. K. Chesterton illustrated the connection between fantasy and a belief in the spirit realm quite entertainingly in Orthodoxy (1908):
Fairyland is nothing but the sunny country of common sense. It is not earth that judges heaven, but heaven that judges earth; so for me at least it was not earth that criticised elfland, but elfland that criticised the earth. I knew the magic beanstalk before I had tasted beans; I was sure of the Man in the Moon before I was certain of the moon. This was at one with all popular tradition. Modern minor poets are naturalists, and talk about the bush or the brook; but the singers of the old epics and fables were supernaturalists, and talked about the gods of brook and bush.
But Jewish tradition stands at a right angle to “all popular tradition.” Jewish children’s literature has developed only since 1935. Traditionally, Jewish children were taught the stories of the Bible and the Midrashim that filled in the biblical gaps, but the clear emphasis was upon practical religious lessons.
More to the point, there is no spirit realm, no “other world,” in Judaism. There is no Ascension in the Jewish religion. On the contrary, there is God’s “moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day” (Gen 3.8), there is God’s decision to “go down to see whether [Sodom and Gomorrah] have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me” (Gen 18.21), there is God’s exposing his backside to Moses (Exod 32.23). The dualism of matter and spirit, shadow and fulfillment, is foreign to Judaism.
If some Jewish readers have been exempt from the public enthusiasm for J. K. Rowling and the Harry Potter books, the explanation may lie as much in religious instinct and training as in literary criticism.
I would translate "achoranit" as "back side," not "backside." n nIt's inaccurate to say that there is no spiritual world in Judaism. Midrashim speak about demons or Rabbis who are friendly with angels or Eliyahu (Elijah). It would be more accurate to say that the spiritual world is de-emphasized. n nMagic, however, is forbidden in Judaism. Its practitioners are in league with demons. (Interestingly, the magic in Harry Potter's world may not be in violation of Halacha, as it appears to be a natural ability of witches and wizards.) So the magical world of Judaism is not necessarily a heroic one (except for those who fight it). n nFinally, while there are numerous heroes in Tanach (the Bible), in the Midrashim it is more their piety that gets emphasized in the Talmud and Midrashim. David may have slain Goliath, but he is more often praised for being a scholar and Psalmist.
The word ahorai also appears at 1 Kngs 7.25 (oxen stand with “their haunches” [ahoreyhem “turned inward”), Ps 78.66 (“He beat back his foes” [NJV], or perhaps more literally, “He spanked his enemies in the rear”), and most tellingly Ezek 8.16, where the prophet comes upon 25 men bowing down low, their faces to the ground and their ahorai to the altar. When you bow down, you don’t show your back side but your backside.
Whoops, I used the wrong word. It's "achorai," (as you noted) not "achoranit." (Further proof I shouldn't work from memory.) But in the cases you cite there is additional language to justify the use of "backside." In the possuk (passage, sentence) about God's back, the first part of the sentence refers to "panai," (my face). n nThis brings us to the Midrashic interpretation, that Moshe (Moses) saw the knot of God's tefilin. If he were to see the back of the face, that is what he would have seen (though "perceived," is a better word.) n nThe Torah Temimah explains the reason the Midrash cited the knot of God's Tefilin because Judaism does not believe in God's corporeality. It is either a mistaken (Raavad) or heretical (Rambam) belief, so to say that Moshe saw the back of God's head is not possible. Therefrom the Midrash refers to the knot of the Tefilin. n nYou probably prefer to use a simpler line of reasoning, but according to traditional sources (if I've analyzed this correctly) "achorai" here, means back. Because of the previous reference to "panai," achorai here means more specifically, back of the head. Because of the problem with the corporeality of God, the Midrashic reference is to the knot of God's tefilin. n nI see little support in the text for "backside."
Initially, I wondered where Ozick's The Puttermesser Papers and some of I.B. Singer's short stories had disappeared to. But since they lack swords and dragons, perhaps they're better characterized as 'fantastic' rather than 'Fantasy'?
If Tolkein is "widely understood" to be a Christian writer
Tolkien's world was both monotheistic – Iluvatar as the One God – and heavily influenced by Norse paganism, with its fatalistic world views. Tolkien strongly insisted his works were "not an allegory", so if you take them on their own terms they are Christian, but not exclusively. n nscott ruplin
Oh please! Get thee to a Jospeh Campbell book! Gilgamesh, anyone? Mahabarata? Journey to the West? The Eddas? Beowulf (before Christian amendment)? All these insights and more can be yours if you do a minimal amount of research.
Fully agree. I can think of few times when I’ve read such manifest horsesh*t in a published article. As shocking as it may be to Myers, there are religions other than Judaism and Christianity; languages other than English; and literary periods other than late 19th and 20th centuries. The genre of fantasy spans all of them. He (and his editors) should be embarrassed that they published this specious, demonstrably incorrect drivel.
If Tolkien is "widely understood" to be a Christian writer, that understanding contradicts Tolkien's own opinion (for which see the North American introduction and much else), the understandings of Tolkien's associates, the opinion of his biographer, and almost every significant Tolkien critic from Auden down. Tolkien is no more Christian than Beowulf. n nThe primacy of Narnia is subject to debate, and is (I think) closely correlated with the desire for a Christian message. For a contrary view, see Philip Pullman's wonderful fantasy trilogy, _His Dark Materials_. I think you'll have a tough time looking at Pullman's Lyra as a Christ figure. n nEveryone knows the Yiddish expression "bubbe meise" — tall tale, fairy story. Most people assume that this derives from "grandmother's stories", but the etymology actually comes from medieval tales of knightly quests, especially the Percival/Parsifal legends. n n(Sorry for broken post)
Lewis's quote is nonsense. Where is the Christianity in the fantastical stories of Hindu and Buddhist Demi-gods and avatars, or in their complex metastrology? Where is the Christianity in the tales of Hercules, or the realms of Hades, Tartarus, or Olympus? Where is Christianity in the Nordic myths of the world tree, trolls, giants, dragons, and Ice witches? In what way are the centuries old folk tales of Indo-Europeans and Arabs involving the Fae, basilisks, elves, duergar, manticores, griffins, Jinn, Ifrits, Lamassu, and the hungry, vengeful dead, Christian? How are the tales of the Golem and the Demon Bag Christian? Where is the Christianity in Yokai and Ayakashi? What Christianity exists in Beowulf -the recognized grandfather of literary fantasy- we have long known was put there by monks attempting to usurp the story for their own uses. Do I even need to bring up Plato and his complex metaphysics of ideal realms, or the Olympian Greek concept of the Five Elements, from which so much of D&D's Planescape multiverse was carved? n nChristianity is no necessity for fantasy fiction. If you, or the writer of the essay you discuss, took three seconds to search the internet, you'd have found -as the second link under "Jewish Fantasy Writers"- a link listing, among similar breakdowns for other faiths, 50 sci-fi and fantasy authors of Jewish birth or faith. Fantasy is rooted in the most ancient superstitious traditions shared by all humans; in gods, in the dead, in animism, egotism, ritual, family, the power of names, and fear of the incomprehensible. Christianity has no monopoly on this anymore than any other religion, society, or culture. n nHonestly, you are a nationally syndicated magazine; how can you publish such obviously and simply disprovable arguments? How can you consider yourselves "Jewish" when you ignore the long history of fantastical story telling produced by Eastern European Jews? Any RPer worth his salt can falsify the entire edifice of your argument in the time it would take to pour himself some coffee. n n
Excellent observations, Argon. The Narnia series is certainly and important landmark in the history of fantasy, (though calling it the greatest fantasy series ever written is just silly) but given that Lewis set out to create an explicitly allegorical Christian tale, it's somewhat self-serving to proclaim that is representative of the entire fantasy genre. And it's not as though the Narnia books are lacking in Nordic and Germanic folkloric influence either, with their witches, trolls, and dwarfs, and other fantastical creatures. n nTolkien's Middle Earth clearly owes far more to Northern European mythology than it does to Christianity. Ilúvatar, the "one god" of Middle Earth is a much more distant entity than the God of the Bible. He remains aloof from the world while the immortal beings he creates run around acting like the Gods of the Nordic or Greco-Roman pantheons. Indeed, Tolkien was criticized by his fellow Catholics for that portrayal. From my experience, it was only much later, in the last 25 years or so, that Christianity has laid claim to Tolkien's work, particularly since the movies came out. n nAs for Harry Potter, well, yes, JK Rowling is on record as saying that the story of Harry Potter does have deliberate parallels with the life of Jesus, even if they are mostly understated. (Thus it's somewhat ironic that the Potter series has been the target of so much hatred and bile from "Bible-believing" Christians.) But resurrection stories are hardly the sole purview of New Testament Christianity. Some resurrection myths even pre-date Christianity, like that of Osiris. In any case, if Rowling had chosen to end her seven book saga another way, it would have hardly have destroyed the integrity of the story, and where would the Christian roots of the series have been then? n nIn truth, I think that Myers is guilty of examining the question of the roots of fantasy writing from a very Euro-centric viewpoint. Western Europe and especially the English-speaking world, led by the UK and the US have dominated much of popular culture since Tolkien and Lewis were writing their books. The dominance of English language and the Hollywood machine have made their writing, and much of the derivative stuff that came after it, a world-wide phenomenon. It's what we all grew up with, and it's what influenced many of today's authors to write using similar themes. n nHence, the fantasy landscape today is a lot to do with the dominance of the English-speaking world over the last half-century and, through Tolkien, Lewis and others, the same Northern European cultural traditions and mythology that the Brother's Grimm and other earlier talespinners tapped into. That's not to say that Christianity hasn't influenced it to some degree — there is little doubt it has — but to claim that modern fantasy is in some way uniquely Christian in origin is just nonsense.
Well, first, the new testament is not Jewish. nThe old testament is largely an interpretation of historical events. Yes, it's true that many of the events described may not have literally occurred, but they were read as though they had. There was no notion of spirit in these texts. I think that's the point the author was trying to make.
Leaving the bigger question of whether fantasy is an inherently Christian genre, i think Harry Potter is a good example of how a story can have deep spiritual resonances and yet be non-dogmatic. While (spoiler?) Harry’s experience in the netherworld of King’s Cross stamps the serues finale with powerful Christian imagery, Harry is not primarilly a Christ figure. What feels Jewish here, against a backdrop of other mythologies, is the way that the Wizarding world calls its inabitants to learn their craft while constantly struggle with the meaning of their power. There is no theme of individual salvation in those who rally behind him, no Aslan beyond sin and doubt, no restoration of the Kingship of Aragorn To replace the dark lord. Instead, the characters of Harry Potter combat a villain who has been drained of his humanity with very human acts of bravery. The heroes are saved not by a source of perfect Love, but by the strength of friendship… In the words of the Sages Chevruta omituta – Friendship vs. death.
Assuming for the sake of argument that “Hindu and Buddhist Demi-gods and avatars” as well as “Nordic myths of the world tree, trolls, giants, dragons, and Ice witches” are self-evident refutations of the proposition that fantasy is a genre of Christianity, how do they call into question the conclusion? — namely, that they are alien to Judaism and Jewish thinking.
Abigail, nThe fact that Myers calls Weingrad's essay "brilliant" and doesn't address Weingrad's own follow-up makes me think this argument by Myers is either (a) too dumb to respond to (which is a possibility, I think, considering the quality of past Commentary posts) or (b) a deliberate attempt to goose page-views by talking about nerd issues on the internet. n nOn the bright side, after reading this, I went and re-read several of the follow-ups, including your intelligent post on the issue.
I actually prefer Pierce's essay because she makes it clear that she's talking about Christian fantasy. "Christian fantasy is Christian" is a tautology it's hard to get annoyed with. Her writing there is much more about proving the Christian-ness of Tolkien and Lewis, which is okay by me. n nThe problem is when someone says that all fantasy is Christian, which is obviously nonsense. Even fantasy using Christian symbolism doesn't make it Christian, anymore than Narnia using Greco-Roman symbolism makes it non-Christian.
DG Myers, where would you put "The Lions of Al-Rassan", by Guy Gavriel Kay? Obvious allusions to Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Reconquista Spain, not a whole lot of magic at all. And considered fantasy by most categorizers.