Surreal spiritual pilgrimage

[Bainespal]

It seems to me that at least two of the beloved Christian classics, The Pilgrim's Progress and Phantastes, have a sort of surreal, dreamlike atmosphere, somewhat like Alice in Wonderland but more serious. They do this by using symbolic abstractions. In The Pilgrim's Progress, this is achieved by allegory and Biblical elements; in Phantastes, fairy-tale elements and more general symbolism create a beautiful waking dream.

Don't let me sound like an expert. I haven't read much classic literature or contemporary speculative fiction, but what I have read has left a great impression on me in both cases. I've never read Peretti or Dekker, so I wouldn't know what Christian spiritual warfare novels are doing. However, I would love to read an abstract story about the Christian experience in the spirit of John Bunyan, occurring in an alternate reality or fantasy world where everything has a deeper meaning beside the literal meaning in the context of the plot.

In fact, there would be no need for an anchor to real life. The story can start with surrealism from the very beginning, without describing any literal background for the main character. I think the novel should be written in first person, and the protagonist should not be clearly defined. This will allow the reader to see himself or herself as the struggling saint, progressing by God's grace to glory. There will, of course, be plenty of opportunities for encounters with angels and demons. Various fantasy creatures can act as personifications of sins and virtues. I'm thinking there should be plenty of terror and suffering for the protagonist in the story, revealing the greatness of victory through Christ in the happy ending. Of course, there will have to be a redemption analogy somewhere.

I would guess, though of course I don't know, that something along these lines would have next to no chance of being published. I remember learning in my English class that dreamlike stories were common in medieval literature. I think the dreamlike setting has potential for Christian speculative fiction today. At least, I would read it.

[Christian Soldier]

It's an interesting concept, and one that should be explored. Why don't you write, edit it, and send it to TC2?

[waldenwriter]

Interesting idea! I'm actually re-reading The Pilgrim's Progress right now. I first had to read it in 12th grade English and I like it a lot. I've never read Phantastes, though I've heard of it.

I think whether the protagonist was clear or not, readers could identify with him or her in some way if the story was done well.

One novel that plays with the The Pilgrim's Progress idea is Quest for Celestia: A Reimagining of The Pilgrim's Progress by Steven James. According to James, his approach is to look at Bunyan's work "through the eyes of the storyteller." The book reads more like a typical young adult fantasy novel, though elements of Bunyan's original story remain (though you probably wouldn't catch them unless you'd read The Pilgrim's Progress first, as I did).

There are three things I really like about it: 1) It focuses on the story, rather than interrupting the story so characters can have long, complicated theological dialogues, as in the original; 2) It combines parts one and two of Bunyan's work into one story; and 3) The characters are given names that sound like real names, rather than purely symbolic names - like Christian, Ignorance, or Mr. Worldly Wiseman - used for allegorical purposes.

I haven't read Ted Dekker, but I'm a rather big Peretti fan and I can tell you, most of his novels are about spiritual warfare, the notable exception being his recent novel Monster, which focuses on the creation vs evolution question. (Technically, The Oath doesn't feature spiritual warfare, either, but I suppose it could be viewed as such).

[rhiannon]

A great Christian allegory in the spirit of "Pilgrim's Progress" set in an alternate reality is "Arena" by Karen Hancock. I found it in the Crossings Book Club closeouts a few years back. So far I have read it 5 times and will doubtless read it again in the near future. I think it is out of print now but you can still find it at Alibris and Abebooks sometimes.