Why Is There No Jewish Narnia? [Updated]

In the latest issue of the Jewish Review of Books, Michael Weingrad asks just this question. He notes that although C. S. Lewis was a Christian, his wife was a converted Jew and one of his stepsons is now an observant Jew.

So why don’t Jews write more fantasy literature? And a different, deeper but related question: why are there no works of modern fantasy that are profoundly Jewish in the way that, say, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is Christian? Why no Jewish Lewises, and why no Jewish Narnias?

Weingrad proceeds to speculate on these questions. He says “the conventional trappings of fantasy, with their feudal atmosphere and rootedness in rural Europe, are not especially welcoming to Jews, who were too often at the wrong end of the medieval sword.” He says Jews, pressed by the historical weight of the Holocaust, are more interested in “history, rather than otherworldliness,” and modernity. Weingard does note two recent exceptions: Lev Grossman’s The Magicians (2010) and Hagar Yanai’s The Water Between the Worlds [translation] (2010). You can read his review here.

The feast of Purim, which celebrates the Jews’ victory over Haman as recorded in the book of Esther, begins at sunset tonight and ends tomorrow night. In a conversation with Mark Sommer, Hollywood Jesus editor Greg Wright, borrowing Tolkien’s word, calls Purim a “eucatastrophe, a sudden turn for the good.” And it’s not the only instance. God’s provision of a ram in place of Isaac on Mount Moriah and the events surrounding Hanakkuh are also examples of a “eucatastrophe.” But as Wright notes, “the overall Jewish story reflects a tragic view of history, as talked about in Fiddler on the Roof.”

UPDATE: some Jewish reviewers are taking issue with Weingrad’s stance on “no Jewish Narnia.” Click here for Samuel Goldman’s response at FirstThings, and here for Ilya Somin’s response at The Volokh Conspiracy. Thanks to Boke_Wyrm for sending us the latter website.

UPDATE #2 [March 4]: The New York Times reviewer Ross Douthat offers his thoughts on Weingrad’s “no Jewish Narnia,” positing that Weingrad’s desire for one makes elements of the fantasy genre itself appear Christian.