In Susan Howatch's mainstream Church of England novels, the characters experience life as if God is actively present in it.
In CS Lewis fantasy Narnia series, God is actively present as Aslan.
In Lewis's theological sf Ransom Trilogy, God is actively present as Maleldil.
In James Blish's post-Lewis fantasy novel, Black Easter, demons are unleashed and God is dead.
In Poul Anderson's sf novel, The Game Of Empire, a Catholic priest seeks for evidence of an extraterrestrial Incarnation.
There is a fictional spectrum here.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I believe God is actively present in the world, with the miracles recorded at Lourdes being signs of His activity. To say nothing of me also believing God acts in the world thru His Church.
Should I assume Susan Howatch is more a high church Anglican, not low church?
And for a man who called himself an agnostic, we see a surprising amount about God in the works of Poul Anderson. Ranging from sympathetic treatment of honest believers to certain passages in Anderson's works that makes me wonder if he at least wanted to believe in God.
One example I thought of being Anderson's sympathetic treatment of Cardinal Richelieu in THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I am not sure of Howatch's position. Her characters represent the Anglican spectrum.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Meaning her novels have low, broad, and high church characters?
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Very.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Considering how confusing I find Anglicanism, with different groups within it holding beliefsd contradictory to each other, it might be interesting to look up one of her books.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
The Starbridge series: GLITTERING IMAGES; GLAMOROUS POWERS; ULTIMATE PRIZES; SCANDALOUS RISKS; MYSTICAL PATHS; ABSOLUTE TRUTHS.
The St Benet's Trilogy: A QUESTION OF INTEGRITY/THE WONDER WORKER; THE HIGH FLYER; THE HEART BREAKER.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Thanks! I've also thought of Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire Chronicles. But Howatch's books might be easier to find.
Ad astra! Sean
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