By Paula Moldenhauer
http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/books/young-readers-and-the-allure-of-fantasy-part-i-1387201.html
What is it about fantasy that draws our youth en masse?
Many a reluctant reader has spent hours curled up with headphones listening to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy on CD, despite the difficult language. Children all over the world still declare The Chronicles of Narnia their favorite book series years after the first release of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the first children’s book to hit the bestseller’s list since Charlotte’s Web in 1952, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire sold an astonishing 3 million copies in the USA in one week. Some parents even camped outside bookstores to guarantee a copy for their child.
On the big screen, fantasy flicks have dominated sales for the last five years. Beginning in 2001, with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, ranked number one and two respectively, a fantasy film has held the first or second position every year since, with the except of the year 2004, when Shrek 2 and Spiderman reigned.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, which released on DVD on April 4, ranked 2nd last year for top theater sales, followed closely by Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire.
Why has fantasy made such a strong impact on our culture in recent years? Is it simply a response to marketing or does the phenomenon go deeper?
According to youth fantasy writer Bryan Davis, a Christian and homeschooling father of seven who writes the popular Dragons In Our Midst Series (http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com), fantasy reaches a hidden place inside each of us.
“I believe God has instilled in us a craving, a deep desire to run with Him on a fantastic adventure, yet many of us crawl along in life without even a glimpse of our hidden passion,” says Davis. “There has to be a reason for living. There must be a Camelot, a hidden Utopia where we can rest from our personal campaigns. Fantasy opens our eyes to a better place, a shining city we do not yet know. And these stories provide a mental bridge to that city as we pursue horizons we could never distinguish with our physical eyes.”
Davis believes that young people are especially attuned to fantasy’s allurement. “Boys and girls, still unjaded and brimming with ideals, feel their God-given programming . . .When a young man watches a wide screen and sees a hero draw steel from scabbard, displaying a bright sharp sword as his biceps bulge, the boy feels valor, the bravery of a knight. He becomes the champion he has never been, copying the role model he may have never witnessed in real life . . . When a young lady sees a heroine . . . crash a jar over the villain’s head to save her fallen hero, a girl’s heart leaps. The courageous helpmate has used whatever strength she had, at risk of her own life, to prevent disaster. Without her, all would have been lost.”
Donita Paul, author of the DragonKeeper Chronicles (http://www.dragonkeeper.us), concurs, “Fantasy is basically the story of good conquering evil under seemingly insurmountable odds. Look around our world today and see that unconscionable evil permeates our culture. The news brings tales of evil from all around the world to our living rooms via the TV. We need heroes. We need the reestablishment of honor. I think the youth of today have a longing for goodness and light . . .fantasy defines the concept.”
Davis, who began writing fantasy when his teenage son told him that if he wanted to reach today’s youth he needed to publish within the genre, writes, in part, to help kids see that they can be heroes (or heroines) for God. He hopes to illustrate what it means to follow God in faith and obedience, stepping out and conquering life through faith, hope, and love.
“Fantasy stories open our eyes to an unseen world and train our minds to see beyond the visible. In the New Testament context, this is where our real battles are fought,” says Davis. “Good fantasy will reveal the hidden powers of evil that threaten the hero’s life and upset his journey. Good fantasy focuses on how a hero finds victory when he learns that he can’t win by himself, so he submits to the higher power in faith and obedience.”
Author Randall Mortenson of the Landon Snow series, written for children ages 9-12, (www.landonsnow.com), compares fantasy to the teachings of Jesus, “As Jesus told parables to get across spiritual points, I think fantasy can also make clear some Scriptural truths that may otherwise be hard to comprehend.”
Davis agrees. “Children these days who ride in SUV’s might not relate to stories about camels. And their parents buy fish at the supermarket, so they might never realize what it means to cast a net to gather in a harvest from the sea. These symbols might be foreign and strange. But if we give them illustrations they can relate to, we can use them to hearken back to the Scriptural stories.
“For example, in The Lord of the Rings, we see Gandalf standing at the bridge, using the power of light to prevent the evil beast from crossing to attack the others. As the kids say ‘Wow!’ it is so easy to then point to a Bible reference and say, ‘You know, in a similar way, the Holy Spirit protects us from evil powers we can’t see.’”
Davis, Paul, and Mortenson agree that one of the greatest strengths of fantasy is its ability to illustrate the spiritual, unseen world. “This world around us is not all there is,” says Mortenson. “There is another world, God’s eternal kingdom, which is so much greater than what we see here. There is an ongoing spiritual battle between good and evil, and we experience tension because of this battle even in seemingly small and subtle things. The Tempter is real, though we do not see him. The powerful presence of good from God is also real. Fantasy allows us to show these invisible powers in a more visual, concrete way.”
Response to these fantasy books, written with a Christian worldview, would seem to verify their value in sharing Christ with today’s youth. The Dragon In Our Midst series has prompted messages from young readers sighting everything from simple encouragement in the Christian faith to conversion to Christ and prevention of suicide and depression. Paul has also received such feedback, including one young reader who said reading DragonSpell helped her “stay in church” and kept her from “returning to old habits.”
Still, some Christians have concern about this genre that has taken our youth by storm in the last five years. Part II of “Why Fantasy?” will explore some of these concerns as well as give parents food for thought when determining which fantasy books are appropriate for their young reader.
Why Fantasy? Part II
Your daughter immerses herself in a fantasy novel. Her dinner conversations revolve around an imaginary world that focuses on the fantastical, including dragons and wizards. Your son buys the latest fantasy movie, watching it again and again, acting out its plot with imaginary swords.
Literary greats like Lewis and Tolkien are known for creating a fantasy world that epitomizes Biblical truth, but you feel uneasy with all this talk of special powers. And part of what your children choose isn’t Tolkien—in fact, the Lord of the Rings and Narnia fuel a hunger in them for more fantasy. You’re not sure how you feel about that.
You research the issue and find that Christians and non-Christian alike disagree on the merits of fantasy. Specific books and movies, like any of the Harry Potter titles, seem to cause especially heated debates, with one respected Christian leader expressing concern, and another saying they’re okay. What’s a parent to do?
According to Bryan Davis, Christian author and homeschooling dad of seven, who writes the fantasy series, Dragons In Our Midst, (http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com), there is reason for concern. “Good fantasy,” says Davis, “begins with an unlikely hero who sees himself as good and decent, yet is lacking in complete submission to the higher power. Part of his journey lies in discovering that truth, and giving himself over to God after realizing his need.”
“But, there is fantasy that promotes evil thinking and practices,” adds Davis. “Still, it is far too valuable of a genre to reject and toss away simply because some use it for the forces of darkness. That would be like giving up singing because so many people sing evil songs.”
Davis suggests studying the attributes of the specific work to distinguish good fantasy from bad. According to him, in good fantasy the heroes and heroines are good or learn to be good. Right decisions are rewarded, and deception, disobedience, and dishonesty have consequences. God is good and powerful, not evil, weak, or capricious, and adults are balanced. Violence has a definable and justifiable end and is not gratuitous.
“Once parents learn how to distinguish good from bad fantasy, their concerns can be eliminated,” says Davis. “They can feel equipped to hand their kids a great fantasy book without any qualms or say ‘no’ to inappropriate books and give solid reasons for rejecting them.”
In regards to the concern of fantasy’s use of supernatural powers, Davis points to Christ. “Through His miracles Jesus brought fantasy to life, using His supernatural power to bring us fantastic, unforgettable illustrations that would never have happened had He not intervened against the natural forces of this world. And what is fantasy but a story that cannot be true if not for supernatural power?”
Davis believes that in good fantasy special powers have their origin from a higher power of goodness, and be used as a symbol of spiritual power that we receive from above. “In my books,” explains Davis, “my hero obtains Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur, but he is unable to use its power until he submits himself to God. Then, the sword flashes with light, and the light cuts anything in its path. This is a superhuman power that no one really has, but it is a symbol of the power that God can give, the power of the sharp, two-edged sword, God’s Word.”
Still, Davis has a code of ethics when dealing with the supernatural in his writing. “In my Dragons in Our Midst series, I had real kids in real time with a real Christ, so blending reality with fantasy and staying within a biblically allowable framework was very difficult.” Davis chose to follow stringent guidelines as he developed the supernatural elements of the plot, a decision he felt was especially important because he mixes a “real” world with a fantasy world. *
Davis asserts that writers who create a completely imaginary world have more freedom with fantasy content. He uses Donita Paul, author of the DragonKeeper (http://www.dragonkeeper.us) series as an example. “Donita wrote in a completely different world with a different set of rules, so she didn’t have to wrestle with the issues I did. She maintained biblical morality and worldview, but she could be freer with a number of fantasy elements. She could have a good wizard and magic within the guidelines. I could not.”
“A simple test of good fantasy is whether or not it reflects established truth,” adds Davis. “The fantasy story is a conduit. It doesn’t pretend to be true or the source of truth; it only wants to paint a picture of truth in a symbolic format.”
Sharing symbolic truth is a goal for Randall Mortenson of the Landon Snow series (www.landonsnow.com), written for children ages 9-12. “I wanted to combine my two greatest loves, the literature of the Bible and the literature of fantasy.” The Snow books, which tackle such theological issues as sovereignty, grace, good, and evil, portray the young protagonist, Landon, as he is called into adventure after reading Scripture.
“The adventure for the Christian begins when we heed Jesus’ call to ‘follow me,’” says Mortenson. “My books illustrate that there is One who is above our adventures who knows the bigger purpose.” In Mortenson’s series, the protagonist, Landon, also confronts evil and learns that part of the journey is seeking to follow God’s path even amid shadows. “To follow God’s path, we need His light to show us the way,” adds Mortenson, who seeks to point kids back to the Bible when he writes.
Paul’s book, DragonSpell, follows its main character, Kale, as she discovers the love of her creator, and the acceptance of her savior—but it’s all in symbolic language. “I don’t spell out the Gospel or preach through my stories. I want to stir up an interest and send the reader on his own quest to find God through Jesus Christ,” says Paul.
Of course, not all fantasy is written with Christian symbolism. That doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t redemptive themes within the story. Davis encourages parents to test the literature against the principles he’s mentioned and talk about its themes with their children. “A parent who is well-versed in how to explain fantasy concepts can help children discern between fantasy magic and magic that is condemned in Scripture.”
According to Davis, the parent’s role in all of life includes giving their children to vivid illustrations that relate to the bedrock of spiritual truth, the Bible. “It is up to the reader and his or her parental guides to relate the images of fantasy to reality. The fantasy story is powerful because it paints indelible pictures that might not readily appear in other writings. As the reader remembers the pictures of good fantasy, he remembers the spiritual connections and the reality behind it. Since Jesus used this kind of teaching, it would be a tragedy to abandon the genre simply because it has been taken into dark places. I believe it’s time to redeem fantasy from the darkness and bring it back to the light where it belongs.”
Author, speaker, and mom of four, Paula Moldenhauer has published over 300 times. Her first two novels released in 2012. She serves as the Colorado Coordinator for the American Christian Fiction Writers and homeschools. Paula loves peppermint ice cream and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to breathe His fragrance. Visit her: www.paulamoldenhauer.com.
To reference an interview with Donita Paul, visit http://gracereign.blogspot.com/2006/04/interview-with-donita-paul-author-of.html
For kids’ book reviews of the books mentioned and interviews with the authors, visit http://writebrothers.blogspot.com/2006/03/nick-11-raising-dragons-by-bryan-davis.html; http://writebrothers.blogspot.com/2006/03/landon-snow-and-auctors-riddle-book.html, http://www.soulscents.us/sarahsays.htm and http://writebrothers.blogspot.com/2006/03/interview-with-author-bryan-davis-i.html
*The boundaries Davis follows for writing fantasy can be viewed at: http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/magic.html. For an in depth article which compares The Lord of the Rings with Harry Potter visit: http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/articles/2567. For further study of Bryan Davis’ thoughts on fantasy, see, “Fantasy and the Heart of the Child” at: http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/fantasy.pdf