Magic in Novels, Part II

All right, in my last post I had posed the question of the proper use of magic in fiction, and had established that magic is always wrong in the real world, since, as the Cathechism says, all real magic stems ultimately from Satan. I then asked whether it was permissable to portray magic in a good light in the world of imagination.

Magic has been a traditional part of storytelling for ages, from Gilgamesh consulting the oracle to Sindbad's encounter with the flowers of sorcery to Rumpelstiltskin spinning gold out of straw to a young girl stepping through a wardrobe into another world altogether. I have yet to run across anyone who genuinely believed that it is wrong to read "Sleeping Beauty" because the Lilac Fairy causes everyone to fall asleep by magic. But why not? Why does virtualy every Christian family introduce their children to fairytales when they contain the magic, which is condemned by the Church?

Why? Because fictional magic, properly portrayed, is not the occult. Rather, it is a reflection of the truth in a new, astonishing way. Take, for example, the Disney film of Sleeping Beauty. When Prince Philip is released from Maleficent's dungeons with the help of the fairies' wands, and manages to slay her in her dragon form with the Sword of Truth, it does not mean that he has turned to the power of the devil to acheive what he wants. Rather, this magic is in line with the miraculous power of goodness, and ultimately of God, that frees one from the prison of sin and allows us to triumph against evil, even if it be in the face of impossible odds. it is not a matter of an evil means acheiving a good end. It is a portryal of the truth in a fanciful manner.

Magic is used properly when it properly manifests reality and the natural order. This does not mean things must be portrayed exactly as they are, but in a manner that reminds us of what they truly are. Chesterton can express it in much better language than I can, so I quote from Chapter of 4 of Orthodoxy, "The Ethics of Elfland": "These tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water." It is just so with any manner of fictional magic. It is a literary device to show something astonishing and wonderful happening in a manner that could not be accomplished in day-to-day life, but resounds with truth.

Thus, if Pinnochio can magically transform from a puppet into a real boy, it is because the astonishing change emphasizes the love between him and his father, not dabbling in forbidden arts. The very thought is absurd. If Cinderella is able to don a beautiful gown that appears from no where, it is because she is beautiful in her interior humility. If Bastain can cross over from our world into the realm of Fantastica, it is because we are able to step into a whole new world by imagination and a good book. Granted, good magic is not usually directly allegorical (and it shouldn't be. Blatant symbolism can get on nerves as much as anybody's), but at its heart, it reflects the way things really are. Even "Guide my sword" is a faint affirmation of the power of prayer (Don't tell me I have to tell you what that's from. No, I didn't think so).

So why the great fluster about the appropriateness of imaginary magic? I would say it is because, for the first time in history, fictional magic is seldom used in accordance with the truth. In modern 'witchcraft and wizardry' fiction, magic is used more to violate the natural order than to enhance and glorify it.

Again. I'm just arriving at the beginning of an important point, and I need to go. Yes, I know I could just save it, finsih the post later and publish it to the web... But then again, people are more likely to read shorter blog items! Ha!