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Hey y’all!
So, I’m dipping my toes into allegories…
Who am I kidding, I’m diving right in!!
I would love all y’all’s input on this subject! Namely, what are some of your favorite Christian allegorical stories and what made them impactful? What parts drove to your heart? Narnia is definitely on the top of my list of Christian allegories, so if any of you have thoughts on it, I’d really appreciate them!
And, bonus question, what things do you think authors should avoid when writing allegories?
Tagging a bunch of people…
@godlyfantasy12 @daisy-torres @joy-caroline @autumn-rebecca @elfwing @unsung @kathleenramm @emilysf @elishavet-pidyon @koshka @faith-q @lydia-s @emily_d @keilah-h @elanor @anyone-else~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
Allegories!!! (As opposed to allergies which is what auto correct wants to change it to)
First off, hooray! Go for it!
But now on to business. (Or perhaps better described as a long rambling of my thoughts)
What are my favorite allegories?
I like Biblical retelling type allegories, but as I don’t know what specific type you’re doing, I think I’ll go with what I first think of at the word allegory.
Narnia, Pilgrim’s Progress, and the Knights of Arrethtrae. However, I think Jesus’ parables would also go on this list, because that is what they ultimately are: the best allegories of all.
What makes these impactful? Well, to me (because naturally, I can only answer for myself 😉 ) an allegory must have a message.
Now, the message isn’t always something as pinned down as “we must believe with all our heart” like in Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart. Sometimes the message is something as broad as “living for God is a long journey” like in Pilgrim’s Progress. However broad or pointed, it is vital. Without a message, the allegory becomes pointless. Jesus’ stories always had meanings.
The Allegory must be true.
Now, not many allegories get everything completely right. Arrethtrae has some flaws, as well as Narnia and the rest. Only The Author of Our Faith who is Truth can write a perfect story. (And I’m talking about more than plot holes here) However, if we study the reality our mirror reflects, we can tell where the reflection is flawed. If the mirror is kept as clean as possible, the allegory can still be true, despite a couple smudges.
(Of course, it is imperative that all our various tales be rooted in right, but allegories need this in particular. I think this is because allegories are specifically meant to teach a lesson, an egregious mistake can taint the message more easily. [But don’t get discouraged, as long as the basis is true, fumbles shouldn’t do too much harm.])
It should be, uh, relatable.
The message should be presented in a way that the reader sees himself in it. It’s a slightly different form of relatability and one that can keep the work from getting “preachy”. (I mean, I love sermons, but unless I’m mistaken, people often receive a parable better than a lecture.) I have often heard that Jesus pointedly used settings that his audience could, and can, see themselves in.
Okay, that’s probably about all in what I can think of off the top of my head. Now for your bonus question! (Yay!)
What do I think authors should avoid using in allegories?
Ooh, good one. I know I have a whole list somewhere in my head, but I don’t remember it right now. I’ll get back with you on this one. 😉
So, what sort of allegory are you diving into? (If you don’t mind sharing)
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
Yay!!! Allegory is one of my favorite genres!
Ok, what are some of my favorites…
A series my sister is writing, which is totally AWESOME!! She doesn’t have a set title yet, but whenever it gets published it will definitely be my go to recommend!
Narnia. Every time I read them I find another something deeper. The other works of his I’ve read were good also, including Screwtape.
Chuck Black’s Knight’s of Arrethtrae, especially Sir Dalton. I didn’t like his Kingdom series as much, (mostly because some doctrinal differences between me and Chuck Black felt more apparent), but they’re still pretty good.
And for some reason I can’t think of any others.
What should be avoided…I’m not sure. Definitely Biblical inaccuracies, but other than that I don’t know.
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
@madelyn
I really like allegories that are subtle. Where the story alone stands strong by itself and the allegory just adds a layer of depth and core themes.Mainly because, if the story I am reading is very obviously an allegory, all I can think about is the story its an allegory of instead of the story itself, which gets in the way of me getting immersed and enjoying it.
I think Narnia does this really well. While being an allegory its still its own very distinct thing with many new characters and plot threads. If Narnia wasn’t so famous for being an allegory, you could almost miss that it was an allegory if you weren’t paying close attention, but you’d would still come away with the same core message of the original story the book is an allegory of.
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A Christian allegory I recently read that riveted me to my core was The Vault Between Spaces by Chawna Schroeder. If you’re diving into allegories, I would highly recommend that one. Too few people talk about it, and it’s one of the most incredible allegories I have ever read. It has a few similarities to Narnia, too!
Aside from the magic system being incredible and the world having these awesome dystopian-historical-fantasy vibes, something specific that the author did in a mind-blowing way was making the villain the best character in the whole book. XD Granted, I’m not sure if other readers felt this way, but I fell in love with the villain, Agent Juliet Kasam. She had a tragic backstory that made me completely empathetic, even though she was supposed to represent a servant of the devil. I really wanted a happy ending for her and was more invested in her story than in any of the other characters’. A villain has never been my favorite character before, but it sure was in this story. I even saw myself in her.
I’m not saying you’ve got to make your villain like this, haha, but personally I would really like to see more allegories that portray villains like this. On the whole, other genres have really picked up the sympathetic villain thing, but allegories pretty much still stick with having completely evil villains and completely good main characters. I think giving your bad guy (or gal) sympathetic traits in an allegory is really powerful because it shows that very few people are nothing but pure wickedness. Also, Juliet’s story really made me think about how Satan takes the opportunity to corrupt people in terrible situations, because he sees how helpless and grieved they feel and recognizes an easy chance to convince them with empty promises. I don’t think the novel would have been nearly as powerful as it was if Juliet hadn’t been written the way she was.
Anyways, so those are my thoughts. I don’t know if I helped you much, lol, but I hope I did a little bit! I love allegories, so I’m excited to see what you come up with. Best of luck!
@kathleenramm I definitely agree that a subtle/covert allegory is far more powerful than an overt one, simply for the reason that in reading an allegory that is more difficult to discover (in the older sense of the word), the reader is forced to think through it far more deeply than an obvious, surface-level allegory. (There is also a unique beauty in subtlety of metaphor that makes such an allegory more powerful.)
@Madelyn The best allegory (or, at least, story with allegorical elements) I have ever read is Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. It is far less famous than his Narnia books, but in my opinion it is even better than them. For one thing, it is far more mature (partially because it was intended for an older audience) and I have heard that C.S. Lewis considered it to be his best work. I won’t ruin the story for anyone on here, because I think everyone should read it, but it will suffice to say this: you don’t think it’s an allegory when you start reading it. You think it’s a pagan myth. It is not until the end that you understand how skillfully Lewis has revealed the truths of the gospel through the plot and through the characters. The very fact that they are compelling makes the truth behind them compelling.Something I think that authors should avoid when writing allegories is making their Christ-figure too apparent, at least from the beginning. I think that if it is obvious who a character is intended to be from the start, the reader will assume they already know everything about him. He becomes predictable, and the reader won’t waste time trying to get to know him. But if you keep his allegorical identity hidden until the end (and perhaps, don’t even reveal it then; let your readers guess at it) they will see him as a person that is worth getting to know, and if they want to get to know him, you have more opportunity to reveal truth through his actions.
Anyway, I hope this helps! (Also, I would definitely recommend you read Till We Have Faces!)
My life is hid with Christ in God
Hey! How’s your allegory going? I’ve begun writing one of my own, an autobiographical biography– that makes writing easier because I know what God has taught me and then I just have to translate what that looks like for my characters and setting.
My favorite allegory would be Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I’m actually rereading it right now. I love how she is writing almost autobiographically of her following the Chief Shepherd but it’s still applicable to so many lives– I see lessons ring true in my own life.
The only other allegory I know of is Pilgrim’s Progress, which, actually I’ve never read. I know what it’s about and have heard/seen many adaptations. When I first tried to read it, I wasn’t solid in my faith and being saved through Christ from hell, and Apolyon and the fires and the burden were terrifying. It made me fear I wasn’t a Christian.
I feel like that’s a great thing, though, getting your readers thinking and applying what they read to their own lives. God using your writing to affect people’s eternities.
What should allegory writers avoid? Well, I’m going to try, especially since it’s autobiographical, to not brutally beat up my main character and her weaknesses; and also not water down or heretically mis-portray the Guide’s (character resembling Jesus) true impact, mercy, and call to godliness in her life.
Hey! How’s your allegory going? I’ve begun writing one of my own, an autobiographical biography– that makes writing easier because I know what God has taught me and then I just have to translate what that looks like for my characters and setting.
My favorite allegory would be Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I’m actually rereading it right now. I love how she is writing almost autobiographically of her following the Chief Shepherd but it’s still applicable to so many lives– I see lessons ring true in my own life.
The only other allegory I know of is Pilgrim’s Progress, which, actually I’ve never read. I know what it’s about and have heard/seen many adaptations. When I first tried to read it, I wasn’t solid in my faith and being saved through Christ from hell, and Apolyon and the fires and the burden were terrifying. It made me fear I wasn’t a Christian.
I feel like that’s a great thing, though, getting your readers thinking and applying what they read to their own lives. God using your writing to affect people’s eternities.
What should allegory writers avoid? Well, I’m going to try, especially since it’s autobiographical, to not brutally beat up my main character and her weaknesses; and also not water down or heretically mis-portray the Guide’s (character resembling Jesus) true impact, mercy, and call to godliness in her life.
Hi there! It’s been a minute since I’ve been tagged on KP!
Before I respond to your post…
@ampeterson03 @elishavet-pidyon @kathleenramm @koshkaThank you all for your incredible and insightful answers to this thread!! I apologize for not responding sooner (*cough* like a year sooner *cough*), and I figured that a long overdue thank you is better than none at all!! Your advice and comments are so helpful to my writing journey! So thank youuu!!!!!
Okay, back to replying to Janellebelovedpig…
Anddd before I respond your awesome post, I’m gonna sidetrack again into an introduction because I don’t believe I’ve met you before… so hi!!!! I’m Madelyn, I pop on and off this forum (thus, I’m secretly hoping to be called “the phantom of Kingdom Pen”… but we’ll see if that catches on). I love writing, reading, creative lettering, decorating, baking, medical science, etc etc. Right now in my Bible I’m reading Numbers, 2 Corinthians (which I just finished, but now I’m starting over again because it’s so amazing), and memorizing Psalm 73.
How about you? What are your hobbies and interests? What are some of your favorite Bible verses or hymns?
Ok, NOW I’ll actually reply to your actual post 😉
How’s your allegory going?
It’s good! I mean, I still haven’t started writing it… but it’s good!! Because of the complexity of the plot, I want to get a clear idea of the story, the world, the characters… so right now I have 33 pages of notes XD. It’s pretty slow going in that I don’t work on it every day (or even every week) but I am committed to this story so I think I have a good chance of actually, like, starting it 😉
Plus, I’ve never been this excited about a story!
I’ve begun writing one of my own, an autobiographical biography– that makes writing easier because I know what God has taught me and then I just have to translate what that looks like for my characters and setting.
That sounds like an amazing idea for a story!!! And to make it an allegory of your own story… honestly, I can see that being so incredibly impactful. How’s the writing process for that going?
My favorite allegory would be Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I’m actually rereading it right now. I love how she is writing almost autobiographically of her following the Chief Shepherd but it’s still applicable to so many lives– I see lessons ring true in my own life.
I haven’t heard of that, but I’ll look into it! Sounds awesome 😀
The only other allegory I know of is Pilgrim’s Progress, which, actually I’ve never read. I know what it’s about and have heard/seen many adaptations. When I first tried to read it, I wasn’t solid in my faith and being saved through Christ from hell, and Apolyon and the fires and the burden were terrifying. It made me fear I wasn’t a Christian.
Though I didn’t read Pilgrim’s Progress before I was saved (and I still haven’t finished reading it now XD), I remember similar experiences of terror when faced with stories and descriptions like that… so I can see why that was a difficult read for you at that time! God was truly so good to me in using experiences of fear like that to cause me to seek Him… but in the end, it was simply His work in my heart that caused me to understand and believe in the cross and His grace.
But I digress 😉
Suffice to say, your description of the fearful impact of the book rang very true in my own past. It’s a good book though! I haven’t been able to finish it (I always get distracted or forget I’m reading it), but it has some strong and encouraging messages.
I feel like that’s a great thing, though, getting your readers thinking and applying what they read to their own lives. God using your writing to affect people’s eternities.
Absolutely!! Some of the most impactful books I’ve read were allegories. And that’s really most of the reason I decided to make my book an allegory, because after much internal debate, I couldn’t see a way to point readers to God without an allegory. Because without Christ, morality is legalism, happiness is fleeting, love is self-serving, and peace and hope are unfounded.
But again I digress, and I’m sure this topic could be debated to no end. I do not doubt that it is possible to point other to Christ with your writing without an allegory or something like that, but I felt that an allegory was clear and sure route to go.
What should allegory writers avoid? Well, I’m going to try, especially since it’s autobiographical, to not brutally beat up my main character and her weaknesses; and also not water down or heretically mis-portray the Guide’s (character resembling Jesus) true impact, mercy, and call to godliness in her life.
All wonderful points!! Over-emphasizing things, under-emphasizing things… so easy to do but so detrimental. But I have confidence that, if the Lord wills, He will use your story to His glory because of the truth of His Word that shines through it 🙂
I wish you the best on your writing journey! May your words lead other to Christ! <3
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
Pilgrim’s Progress is probably my favorite and the most classic of all Christian allegories, although it contains a few teachings I don’t agree with. @elishavet-pidyon had some really good points. I don’t read a lot of allegories, but my main requirement is that whatever allegorical stuff is in there accurately reflects biblical truth. An interesting one I read a while ago was The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal. It’s a full-fledged thriller that’s also a loose allegory of the book of Job, though a lot of people said they didn’t realize that until they read the author’s note. But the thing that seemed off to me was that the agency director who was supposed to represent God never showed any concern or care for the agent who represented Job. It was more like, “Just do your job and who cares if you almost die, I’m the director so don’t complain.” And sure, there are elements of that in God’s message to Job, but in a different spirit, I think. I also remember seeing an allegory (one I didn’t read) where the Messiah/Savior figure was female. That just seemed wrong to me. So no, I don’t think the allegory has to be obvious, but whatever is being allegorized needs to be biblically sound. Speaking of which—I read and enjoyed Hinds’ Feet on High Places when I was younger too, but I’ve done some more reading since then and just want to point out a caution: The author believed some pretty New-Agey things, including reincarnation and other forms of Hindu philosophy. The Good Shepherd is essentially a good teacher, not a sacrificing Redeemer who never leaves his people alone. So if you read that one, be aware of that and crosscheck it carefully with Scripture. There’s a review on Goodreads that sums it up pretty well: goodreads.com/review/show/640093986
Jayna Baas
Christian Author/Editor
www.booksbyjayna.comThank you so much!
Yeah, those are great points about Hind’s Feet on High Places that I hadn’t thought about. I’m so thankful our Lord doesn’t just pop on the scene when we’re desperate, but He’s there every step– joy or trouble. I’m excited for the scene in my allegory where Little One realizes she was never as alone as she felt. I don’t want to spoil it yet because it’s farther down the road (literally), but the truth in John 14:6 hits home in a powerful way.
In one of my church’s Gospel classes, my pastor pointed out there are three parts of the Gospel that make up the true Gospel: justification, sanctification, and glorification. He has us think about what it would be like if one was omitted or one was overemphasized. If justification was everything, there’d be no need to do any of the good works prepared for us; why would we try to be like Jesus if we’re good to go? If sanctification is everything, that’s works based salvation and we forget about grace and the blood of the Savior we are actually saved by. And if glorification is everything, what we do in this life is irrelevant because heaven is an open door with no belief prerequisites.
Hind’s Feet on High Places focuses on a bit on sanctification and largely on glorification, but misses justification and the sacrifice of the Chief Shepherd by which we have hope and life.
Jayna, you also made me consider how I write my allegory and who I have that will critique it’s biblical soundness. My family, pastors, maybe some Christian coworkers, and the KeePers. If the Lord wills it to be published, it’s got to be solid.
I wanted to thank you for your comment. ❤️
@madelyn aka the Phantom of Kingdom Pen
Also, hello! I’m Janellebelovedpig, a new creation in Christ. I am also the youngest of 11 homeschooled siblings, salesclerk, and a writing Christian. Writing is one of my hobbies. Obviously. 😉 I keep up a blog and tiny YouTube channel with songs, poems, and a few stories. Crafts are also a fond past time for me, recently getting into woodworking–using what I’ve learned from my job. Also, Jesus was a carpenter, so that’s cool to think about as I work.
My favorite Bible verse is the one stretching from “In the beginning…” to “… Amen.” 😁 But one that I frequently come back to is 2Corinthians 12:9. The first time I read it, it felt like this was the corner of the Bible written just for me. For 18 years I had read the Bible, but never heard of that verse. Now it seems to be everywhere.
As for hymns, I’d Rather Have Jesus has been really sweet lately, mainly because I can play it on the dobrolin and I’m growing in faith and truly living for Jesus in deed. Maybe it’s my love of words or love for Christ or both, but hymns have such a deeper beauty and meaning than I realized as a young girl, mouthing the words with the crowd and not understanding what I was singing. They’re epic rich poems about the Christian life. Christ’s life and love. The strengths of today by His grace and the bright hope of tomorrow by His reign and gift of eternal life to those who believe.
On my allegory, I’ve got the beginning installments posted here on KP. It’s sweet getting input from the KeePers. I’m excited to keep going! 📖 And it’s cool to go back through old journals to see where my character was at in the points I’m writing her. God has brought me so far and answered so many prayers I had forgotten about.
You’re welcome! I’m glad my comments were helpful to you. I know some people who spend a lot of time hunting for “dirt” on Christian classics or other classic works, and I don’t want to be one of those people, but Hindu philosophy and self-improvement posing as Christianity is kind of a big deal to me. 🙂 It’s so true that things become terribly imbalanced if we focus too much on one aspect of the gospel to the exclusion of others—especially when they’re all so interrelated. I love the idea of your character realizing she was never alone, even when she felt that way. Life can be so like that sometimes! Sounds like you have some good people in mind to help check your work along the way.
Jayna Baas
Christian Author/Editor
www.booksbyjayna.com
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