What can Christians glean from the genres of myth and fantasy? How do specific fantasy novels showcase certain worldviews? Where does the fantasy genre come from historically? And how should Christians view the use of magic in stories?
These are some of the many questions that Matthew Dickerson and David O’Hara tackle in their work, From Homer to Harry Potter. Dickerson and O’Hara write from a perspective similar to Lewis and Tolkien’s, and they explain how this perspective enlightens the genre. The first half of the book largely focuses on exploring fantasy works that were written before Tolkien and Lewis redefined the genre. Then, post-Lewis and Tolkien, the writers move on to evaluate four different contemporary fantasy authors (Ursula LeGuin, Philip Pullman, Walter Wangerin, and J.K. Rowling) and how Christians ought to interpret their works.
The book can feel a bit disconnected between these two halves, but the writers do an excellent job in both categories. They have a clear understanding of how Lewis and Tolkien viewed myth and fantasy, which places many of the mentioned books in their proper context. The authors show how this view enhances not only our comprehension of the different works we read, but also our lives.
Additionally, they thoroughly analyze contemporary fantasy writers, drawing the authors’ worldviews out of their works and critiquing them. This was probably my favorite aspect of the book and the part that I recommend the most. Although I didn’t agree with all their conclusions (I thought they were too harsh on LeGuin, and I differ slightly on how to view the magic in Harry Potter), I appreciated and learned from their thoughts.
For lovers of myth and fantasy who want to dig deeper into the roots of the genre and how to view these kinds of works from a Christian perspective, this book would be a great addition to your shelf.
Discussion Questions:
How do Lewis and Tolkien define the genre of fantasy? Why do they think this genre is beneficial for readers?
How do the earlier forms of fantasy before Tolkien and Lewis differ from the fantasy we see today?
Do you agree with Dickerson and O’Hara’s conclusions on magic in their chapter on Harry Potter? Why or why not?
Oh wow, this sounds like an awesome book. I love picking works of fiction apart and analyzing the author’s worldview. I must admit I’ve never seen an entire book on the subject though. 😛
I don’t think I have either! It’s one of the reasons I appreciated this book.
I’m going to have to check this out. Another great review 🙂
Thanks Christi! Hope you do!
I’m going to ask my library to get this. And if they don’t I’ll probably get it anyway. Thanks for the recommendation.
Absolutely! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
This sounds like a GREAT book. I need to read this over Christmas break!
It’s pretty fantastic; you definitely should!
Harry Potter is one of the Christian allegories I learned most from before NARNIA and The Hobbit. I’m also a “Greek geek”, so of course I like Homer. Hopefully I can check this out sometime, thanks for the review! 😀
You’re welcome! Always good to hear from another fan of Greek literature!