The guy at Shackblog laments:
It seems telling that there are no voices of reason and intelligence standing out in all of the Christian publishing industry like Lewis or Chesterton did at one time. If there were somebody out there smart enough and reasonable enough to actually have something to say, he/she is constantly feeling pressure to "write more little books about Christianity", which, of course, will never make any impression on anybody outside of the Church's walls.
I think he's right, but it's more the fault of the reading audience than a lack of ability among the writers. The folks at Touchstone tread in this tradition, as do a number of blogs. Believe it or not, I intend my other blog, The Daily Eudemon, to do so, but it would be difficult to discern it from day-to-day. If I were to attempt (attempt!) to write like Lewis and Chesterton, I would lose readers faster than a stripper loses clothes.
IN OCTOBER
5 years ago
2 comments:
I would suggest that, in the arena of fiction/fantasy, there is one writer who is carrying the inklings torch ... dare I even mention her name? maybe just her intitials ... JKR.
I realize that there is much controversy over her writing but I would also suggest a very good author who has some serious work in the area and defends her, his name is John Granger.
I would also offer my own thoughts on her work as well as on thtat of the inklings, as a contributor to www.babettesfeast.blogspot.com
Lastly, I would suggest that one not reject literature solely on the basis of its being popular, and run the risk of turning Chesterton into a cult figure like the idols of the "literati" he so disagreed with
Not saying your site strikes me as having done that necessarily, just a genral danger for all us Christians and inklings fans alike.
Merlin: Thanks for your comments on this. Rowling was obviously heavily influenced by the Inklings. So far I have been pleased with HP, but will have to see how the story ends to make a judgement. Hopefully she is just beginning her writing career and will continue to give us much to read.
Today Chesterton is not "popular" though his popularity may be rising. My purpose here at C&F is to help make him more widely known. I do not know what Eric's purpose is here but I assume it is similar.
Yesterday Chesterton was an immensely popular man and writer: his Illustrated London News column and Father Brown novels are testimony to that.
Your blog looks very good, and I have linked to it from my own (Splash About!).
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