I would like to discuss magic and its place in literature. Here are some quotes I've chosen:
I confess that Magic teacheth many superfluous things, and curious prodigies for ostentation; leave them as empty things, yet be not ignorant of their causes. But those things which are for the profit of men -- for the turning away of evil events, for the destroying of sorceries, for the curing of diseases, for the exterminating of phantasms, for the preserving of life, honor, or fortune -- may be done without offense to God or injury to religion, because they are, as profitable, so necessary.
HEINRICH CORNELIUS AGRIPPA, Three Books of Occult Philosophy or Magic
Magic and all that is ascribed to it is a deep presentiment of the powers of science.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Essays
Arthur C. Clarke
Image by Okinawa Soba (In Asia and Africa until August) via Flickr
The trouble with magic is that there's too much it just can't fix. When things go wrong, glimpsing junkyard faerie and crows that can turn into girls and back again doesn't help much. The useful magic's never at hand. The three wishes and the genies in bottles, seven-league boots, invisible cloaks and all. They stay in the stories, while out here in the wide world we have to muddle through as best we can on our own.
CHARLES DE LINT, The Onion Girl
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Arthur C. Clarke
My questions:
- Does magic in books disturb you in any way?
- Do you think that children and their parents should avoid reading books which feature supernatural world and demons/witchcraft/spiritual entities/ magic spells ?
- Why, in your opinion, so many children's books like Harry Potter or the Bartimaeus series have been lately accused of spreading unchristian ideas and e.g removed from school libraries as a result ? Do you think the protection of children has been really the main reason behind such actions ?
Image by Okinawa Soba (In Asia and Africa until August) via Flickr
There is always that longing for a rescue. Just like King Arthur is sleeping in Avalon and will come to save us when we need him.
ReplyDeleteIf parents prevented children from reading books that featured the supernatural world, that would really severely limit the fiction they could read or the movies they could watch. And not just the obvious ones. No Peter Pan, no Cinderella, no Sleeping Beauty, no Hansel and Gretel, forget anything by Hans Christian Andersen. And what about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy?
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like about magic in books is a) If people really did have magic powers, they could get out of any scrape - end of story. b) So arbitrary limits of some kind are invariably put on that magic - the genie only grants 3 wishes, there's invariably some kind of magical corollary to Newton's third law (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction) etc. So, my first wish with the genie is I wish the genie could grant unlimited wishes! Magic in books can become a 'get out of jail free' card and often does.
But the worst one is time travel - because if you can travel in time, what is to stop you from altering events? The time-traveller's equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath? As Douglas Adams said, situations where you go back in time and end up killing your great-grandfather and marrying your great-grandmother are nothing the well-adjusted family can't cope with.
There is always that longing for a rescue. Just like King Arthur is sleeping in Avalon and will come to save us when we need him.
ReplyDeleteVery true. In my opinion magic in fairy tales and other novels serves just one purpose: it shows that if you really want to find a solution to your problem, somehow you will finally succeed. Children need some magic to tame the reality around them but they usually are pretty good at telling you what is fictional and what is not.
a) If people really did have magic powers, they could get out of any scrape - end of story
Not in good books, though. In good books magic comes always at a price, as everything else - you might use a magic wand or have a genie at your service but it doesn't mean you will get out of any scrape and solve all your problems - far from it. If you are reckless with magic you will find yourself in worse situation than you've ever imagined. It does teach a lesson.
But the worst one is time travel - because if you can travel in time, what is to stop you from altering events?
Oh one of my favourite topics! I have a theory about it: yes, you can travel in time but no, you can't change the past events in any way; you can only witness them, not seen by anyone (or almost anyone). Any other solution creates more problems than it would be reasonable (so pass that Occam's razor, quick!)
By the way I've never heard about a child becoming e.g. a satanist because he or she has read fairy tales and fantasy novels when they were young. Have you?
I have never heard of anyone turning to Satan because of books. I think it is usually blamed on heavy metal music or Marilyn Manson.
ReplyDeleteThere are always rules about what magic can do and can't do. Even magic has to be guided by physics.
I'm a little late, but I would love to share my thoughts on this.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I have no problems with reading books about magic in them. I love the creativity that the author put into their own fantasy world.
Second, do I think children or adults should steer clear of books with magic or other supernatural elements? Absolutely not. Everyone is gifted with an imagination and it is a shame not to put it to use. I think that not being allowed to read a book because it has some sort of fairy tale type matter in it is more harmful to the development of the imagination and also to keeping an open mind. When I was growing up my parents and grandparents encouraged me to read as much as possible, and they never tried to stop me from reading anything. I think that that has played such a big part in the type of person I have become. I wouldn't have wanted to be sheltered from books with magic or monsters in them.
Lastly, and it might seem harsh, but I think a big part of censorship is control. People challenge books all the time based on certain materials, and those people want to believe that they are helping or maybe even protecting the kids, but what I think is that they are denying students the chance to read something that they could learn a real lesson from. And that, is not fair to anyone.
Thank you Hannah for your input - it is never late here!
ReplyDeleteLastly, and it might seem harsh, but I think a big part of censorship is control. People challenge books all the time based on certain materials, and those people want to believe that they are helping or maybe even protecting the kids, but what I think is that they are denying students the chance to read something that they could learn a real lesson from. And that, is not fair to anyone.
A very pertinent remark!
I would also add that, in my opinon money plays also a role in the process; if a book is successful much more people tend to criticize it for being inappropriate e.g. because of its demonic content. I suppose they are simply jealous or/and they want part of the success for themselves.