Thursday 17 June 2021

A Genres Spectrum

As a generalization, extraterrestrials appear in sf and supernatural beings in fantasy. Everyone immediately thinks of counterexamples: Heinlein's Martian Old Ones; CS Lewis's eldila; Brian Aldiss's Helliconian hereafter. Poul Anderson wrote both sf and fantasy but kept them apart although characters from both genres meet in the Old Phoenix. This post addresses the status of three works forming neither a trilogy nor a Hegelian triad but maybe a spectrum.

In Poul Anderson's The Game Of Empire, Axor, a Wodenite convert to Jerusalem Catholicism, believes in Christ but does not experience any direct communication with him. Thus, Axor is an extraterrestrial who believes in but does not encounter the supernatural. This novel is sf.

In Lewis's Perelandra, Elwin Ransom visits Perelandra/Venus and meets its inhabitants but is also directly addressed by Maleldil/Christ. Thus, Ransom meets extraterrestrials and encounters the supernatural. Is this novel both sf and fantasy?

In Susan Howatch's The Heartbreaker, Gavin Blake lives in the same world as the rest of us but recounts what he describes as a telepathic conversation between himself and "the Bloke"/Christ. Thus, Gavin meets only terrestrials but apparently encounters the supernatural. Is this novel mainstream with an element of fantasy?

Such questions transport us a long way from The Interstellar Medium but Poul Anderson is encyclopedic.

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Altho we don't see Fr. Axor celebrating Mass in THE GAME OF EMPIRE, it's reasonable to think he sometimes did so, in quiet, unobtrusive ways. One example would be when he visited a fellow Jerusalem Catholic priest on Daedalus. My point being that Catholics believe the supernatural is indeed encountered at every Mass celebrated by a validly ordained pries: because Christ becomes truly present under the accidents of bread and wine after the consecration.

And many people believe the supernatural is encountered at places like Lourdes, when God sometimes acts thru the Blessed Virgin to heal the sick.

And of course, in "A Chapter of Revelation," Poul Anderson discusses such issues as the Eucharist and miracles.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

However, we classify a fictional narrative as fantasy only if it shows the supernatural as overtly present.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I tend to think of dragons, werewolves, vampires, actual magic, etc., as being more "fantasy" than angels, miracles, apparitions of the saints, etc.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Blish's BLACK EASTER is fantasy because it treats demons (= fallen angels) as literally existent.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

But I too affirm and believe that demons, fallen angels, do exist. Again, if God exists, he could choose to create angels. And it is Catholic that all the angels had a moment in which they had to choose to hate or love God. The demons were simply those angels who rejected God.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

But there appearance in fiction is fantasy.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

True, I keep forgetting that was the point you were making. I was being too literal minded in interpreting what you wrote.

Ad astra! Sean