The relationship of religion and fantasy: The influence of Christianity on the fictional religion in the fantasy genre

• Název práce v češtině: Vztah náboženství a fantasy: Vliv Křesťanství na fiktivní náboženství v žánru fantasy.
• Název v anglickém jazyce: The relationship of religion and fantasy: The influence of Christianity on the fictional religion in the fantasy genre
• Klíčová slova: fantasy, náboženství, Křesťanství, Tolkien, Martin, Donaldson
• Klíčová slova anglicky: fantasy, religion, Christianity, Tolkien, Martin, Donaldson
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2015/2016
• Typ práce: bakalářská práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Ústav anglofonních literatur a kultur (21-UALK)
• Vedoucí / školitel: Colin Steele Clark, M.A.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno a potvrzeno stud. odd.
• Datum přihlášení: 12.09.2016
• Datum zadání: 12.09.2016
• Schválení administrátorem: zatím neschvalováno
• Datum potvrzení stud. oddělením: 21.09.2016
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 11.09.2017 00:00
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 15.08.2017
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 11.09.2017
• Odevzdaná/finalizovaná: odevzdaná studentem a finalizovaná
• Oponenti: PhDr. Zdeněk Beran, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

Abstract: The aim of this thesis will be to identify and analyse the relationship between religion, specifically Christianity, and the genre of fantasy; mostly in terms of utilization of the structure of biblical theology, language of worship, similarities between Christianity and fictional religions, and specific manifestations of Christian values, beliefs and dogmas in the texts. Methodologically, the thesis will provide an in-depth discursive analysis of themes on a sample of selected works of post WWII fantasy. It will primarily focus on a contrastive comparison of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and Donaldson’s The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, while also considering authors as Pullman, Rowling, L’Engle or Garner. The texts are chosen to illustrate the chronological development of fantasy genre in this field during the second half of 20th century up to present, and to identify a trend. Hypothetically, the thesis will identify a specific Tolkien’s model regarding fictional religion, which - while lacking a distinctly defined worship system - works a lot with biblical values, language and structures. On the other hand, Martin’s and Donaldson’s works, although also utilizing those, incorporate other, more practical aspects of Christianity.
The first chapter will provide an introduction of the aim and the definition of terms as well as brief introduction of the authors. Furthermore, it will focus on the general correlation of religion and Anglo-Saxon fantasy as a genre. The consecutive chapters will than explore each of the works, analysing the structure in comparison with the biblical one and focusing on the language of worship (or lack of worship) and established fictional religions in them. Special attention will be payed to the concepts of Good and Evil in Lord of the Rings and the subsequent character traits and aspiration attributed with it in relation to Christianity, the similarities of Faith of Seven and Christianity in A Song of Ice and Fire, and the role of Creator in Thomas Covenant. Next chapter will set the previously described Tolkien’s model in context of the fantasy genre and consider other fantasy writers (apart from Martin and Donaldson e.g. Pullman, Garner, Rowling or L’Engle) in terms of the degree of derivation from this model, looking for a trace of development in the genre. The last chapter will follow as a conclusion.

Seznam odborné literatury

Primary sources:
1) Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Fellowship of the Ring. New York: Mariner Books, 2012.
2) Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Two Towers. New York: Mariner Books, 2012.
3) Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Return of the King. New York: Mariner Books, 2012.
4) Martin, George R.R. A Game of Thrones. HarperVoyager, 2011. Ebook.
5) Martin, George R.R. A Feast for Crows. HarperVoyager, 2011. Ebook.
6) Martin, George R.R. A Dance with Dragons. HarperVoyager, 2011. Ebook.
7) Donaldson, Stephen R. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever: “Lord Foul’s Bane”, “Illearth War” and “Power That Preserves”. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.
8) Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials: The Complete Trilogy. Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2015. Kindle edition.
9) Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2015. Kindle edition.
10) Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2015. Kindle edition.
11) Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2015. Kindle edition.
12) Garner, Alan. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.
13) L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time Trilogy. Square Fish, 2013. Kindle edition.
14) The Holy Bible: King James Version. Montecristo Publishing, LLC, 2011. Kindle edition.

Secondary sources:
1) Campbell, Joseph. Creative Mythology. Penguin Books, 1991.
2) Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. Routledge, 1981.
3) Kelso, Sylvia: “The God in the Pentagram: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Fantasy”. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2007), pp. 61-82.
4) Metzger, Bruce Manning a Michael David Coogan. The Oxford companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
5) Woodhead, Linda (2004). Christianity: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

1) Barkley, Christine. Stephen R. Donaldson and the Modern Epic Vision: A Critical Study of the “Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” Novels. McFarland&Company, 2009.
2) Bruner, Kurt and Jim Ware. Finding God in The Lord of the Rings. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 2001.
3) Carpenter, Humphrey; Tolkien, Christopher, eds. (1981). The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. London: George Allen & Unwin.
4) Ed. Jess Battis and Susan Johnston. Mastering The Game of Thrones: Essays on George R.R.Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire”. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015.
5) Freitas, Donna. Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman’s Spiritual Imagination in “His Dark Materials”. Jossey-Bass, 2007.
6) Hein, Rolland. Christian mythmakers: C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L`Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams, Dante Alighieri, John Bunyan, Walter Wangerin, Robert Siegel and Hannah Hurnard. 2nd ed. Chicago: Cornerstone Press, 2002.
7) Kreeft, Peter. The philosophy of Tolkien : the worldview behind the Lord of the rings. London: Ignatius press, 2005.
8) Neil, David Isaac and col. Tolkien and the Critics; Essays on J. R. R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings. Paris: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968.