Lewis vs Tolkien vs Pullman: Death Match in the Cage!

[inked]

Originally Posted by brownjenkins

How would you define classical allegory, and why do you view it as such an insult?

Wrong on both counts, BJ. Classical allegory is thoroughly discussed and defined by Lewis in THE ALLEGORY OF LOVE. It is not what most people think. In brief, very brief, genuine allegory requires the one-to-one correspondence(s) that enable to see the allegorical figure/person/place/activity as always the same and engaging under such terms the issue(s). It is a psychomachia to use the term Lewis discusses. Thus, just as an octagonal red sign in the USA always means "Stop," the figure in the true allegory always has a meaning. It is the interaction of the "figures" that portrays the events within the conceit of the author to represent particular events. The PILGRIM'S PROGRESS is the classical English allegory. If you have read this, you will see it is dramatically and remarkably and consistently different from TCON. And, if you have read Lewis' THE PILGRIM'S REGRESS, you will see how one author is utilizing two very different genres in his writing.

Allegory is not an insult. Neither is dicrimination between two different genres of writing. They are different. The fact that modern education cannot or does not or will not make the distinctions, well, that's modernity for you. And postmoderns are worse, of course, because they generally decry the intent of the author to communicate a message and insist that their own message-making is all that counts. That is demonstrably false in allegory, supposal, fiction, and didactic writing. The confusion of categories is a besetting modern/postmodern sin/error/delusion.

GM, "So you finally read him?"
Only his published writings on the nature his work and assumptions. I haven't wasted my time on the novels. But, you see, I believe the author when he says he has an intention and attempted to communicate it. Now, whether or not he succeeds (see, for instance, the discussion of JKR's alleged gayness of Dumbledore discussions elsewhere on this site) is a matter of another discourse. I make no such judgment. I honor the author's stated goals.

Besides, I've re-read THE PILGRIM's REGRESS and TCON and THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS in the interim. As probably shows................