Stories work because they tap into fundamental truths of human nature. Different authors realize different truths at different moments in time; reading widely across the centuries, as C.S. Lewis famously argued, helps propel us out of any remaining “chronological snobbery.” Our moment in 2022 lives in the aftermath of postmodernity. Dr. Bruce Little argued back in 2011 that the postmodern movement in philosophy was dead. In terms of academic philosophy, I think he was right both then and now. In terms of cultural productivity, readers are reaping decades of postmodern creep in contemporary authors.
Perhaps the most obvious of such “postmodern creep” is the loss of the metanarrative, the explanatory framework within which our lives make sense. The biblical redemptive-historical narrative, the myth of evolutionary progress, Marx’ story of revolution leading to utopia—all of these tap into the human desire for an explanatory story. Postmodern thinkers attacked the precepts of modernism, and in so doing proclaimed far and wide that anyone who claimed to have an answer to the ultimate questions was just a charlatan.
That’s where the work of David and Leigh Eddings comes into this week’s essay. The Eddings’ wrote a series of novels called collectively The Belgariad (see them all listed on David Eddings’ Amazon Author Page). These short, mass-market novels embrace all the tired tropes of sword-and-sorcerer fantasy, and were republished in a variety of collections. Honestly, these novels—not that great. They are fun, but I don’t return to the tired round of the Hero’s Quest they trod. Instead, it’s the two volumes written after The Belgariad that fascinate me.
Belgarath the Sorcerer tells the same story as The Belgariad, but from the perspective of the titular Belgarath. We quickly learn the basic frame: Belgarath is the leader of the disciples of Aldur, one of the gods overseeing the development of life. Aldur follows one of two Purposes, and he, and his fellow gods, are trying to have their Purpose win, resulting in a universe where life flourishes. The other Purposes would destroy all life. Humanity is the stage upon which this divine drama is enacted. The plot of Belgarath covers several millenia, and it situates the historical drama within this prior, spiritual drama.
The Eddings wrote a sequel: Polgara the Sorceress. Polgara tells the same story, but from the perspective of Belgarath’s daughter. Her story progresses further than Belgarath takes his tale, and fills in some narrative gaps.
I would not point to either novel as examples of scintillating prose, nor novel plot devices. Both novels are very traditional, and at times they try the reader’s patience as they repeat the same story from multiple angles. But I read them again every 2-3 years.
These novels remind me that the world as I see it depicted in the morning headlines is not all there is. The material world is the place for human action, but the human mind and spirit both indicate there is far more to reality than we perceive through the physical senses. And that prior reality determines the ultimate meaning of human life. I love the Eddings’ goal: instead of staying in the mundane, they use the mundane details to highlight the existence of deeper meaning in the world. In so doing, they push back on the disenchantment of our modern malaise.
If you haven’t read them before, keep an eye out for David and Leigh Eddings’ books at yardsales, used bookstores, library sales, and the fantasy shelves at your local library. They are the perfect reads for a rainy day when you just want to climb into a good story. At the same time, they remind the reader that life is more than the physical, and our actions as human beings carry far more significance than we usually recognize.
My next post will be a subscribers-only post examining Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice - I want to explore how her commitment to radical feminism derails her ability to tell her story. To read that one when it comes out, please subscribe! On the positive review side, I’m working through Josiah Bancroft’s Books of Babel, and want to write a 4-part positive review series once I’ve finished the whole.
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