In direct contravention of my wife's explicit instructions, herewith I inaugurate my first blog. Long may it prosper.

For some reason, I think I have something to say to you. You think you have something to say to me? Email me at: gideonsblogger -at- yahoo -dot- com

 
I enjoyed this article from First Things on Tolkien and the genre of the serious fantasy novel. Obviously, this being First Things, we're getting a very Christian perspective on these books, which is not at all inappropriate. I've noticed the persistent "end of magic" theme in these books myself; it always seemed to me about the end of childhood ideas about good and evil and the beginning of adult moral responsibility. The connection with the renunciation of power is psychologically very interesting, but I obviously hadn't thought about it in a Christian sense. I don't think she says anything very interesting about Narnia, though, which really doesn't fit her model of how these books work. One thing I didn't know is that the Earthsea novels - which I loved as a kid - are based on a Taoist mythology. Anyhow, enjoy (I hope).
posted by Noah at 4:35 PM