Wolfe Getting More Christian?
The Urth list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 08 Mar 2010
https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/5552

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James Wynn — 08 Mar 2010, 11:44

> (I'll note in passing the other day I saw a blogger mention that he
> didn't enjoy recent Wolfe books as much because he felt the
> Christianity was getting too strong.)

I think the blogger should read MORE of Wolfe's more overtly Christian
stories, starting with the old "The Detective of Dreams", in order to
develop a thicker skin. In my literary and cinematic SF, I tolerate
--mostly with aplomb-- a constant barrage of (what I consider)
nonsense regarding anthropologic climate change and (IMO) derangement
regarding the last Presidential administration. So I'm not sympathic
of someone who gripes about a teensy bit of religious friendliness in
order to enjoy the top 5% of SF fiction that Wolfe consistently
delivers.

I reiterate: We're not talking about proselyzing. We're merely talking
about a writer who does not deal with religious characters with
cynicism or condesension. AND occassionally you'll see something that
*could* be analogous of a Judeo-Christian doctrine.

You didn't link to the post so I'm not sure what works this blogger
was thinking of, but I would suppose he was referring to Wizard Knight
and Pirate Freedom. Those works seem to have affected some readers the
way Neil Gaiman claimed to have been affected when he realized the
Christian elements in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Frankly, I found the Christianity in WK to have been not that
significant. It was there in the conclusion, but (once again) there's
a lot more Gnosticism in there, as well as a genuine joy of Norse
mythology and errant knight trophes. And the conclusion was certainly
rationalized. Pirate Freedom has a priest as a protagonist so what do
you want? Naturally, Roman Catholic Wolfe handled this character
differently than a non-believer would. Big surprise.

J.

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Dann Burdette — 08 Mar 2010, 17:29
  follows, by subject match James Wynn

While I haven't read the newer books you speak of, I've often felt like
Wolfe's religious elements or ideas that appear in his work are head and
shoulders above those of his peers.

As an entirely non-religious person, I've very rarely found an author that
can tackle these things without it feeling totally out of place or obvious
(like the aforementioned Chronicles of Narnia), but Wolfe does this very
well.

-Dann

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