bcedaifu wrote:theomise wrote:
Imagine that - apart from both mythic fantasy and literal history - there emerges a pseudo-history (written early-mid-2nd-century) in which the intertestamental period is characterized via non-mystical yet allegorical narratives along the lines of:
"The Crucible" (Miller)
"Animal Farm" (Orwell)
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (Baum)
"Faerie Queen" (Spenser)
"Pilgrim's Progress" (Bunyan)
I cannot write anything about the other titles listed here, theomise, but Wizard of Oz is 100% supernatural, not just simple fiction. It is based on pure imagination, and describes various violations of natural science, including overt repudiation of physics, chemistry and biology. I cannot imagine how you consider this title to belong to a group of “non-mystical” writings. It is obviously hostile to reality. There is no such thing as “pseudo-history”, here. The bible is pure fantasy, with myriad stories elaborating one denial of the laws of science after another. Yes, it may contain a hint of genuine figures, like War and Peace, but it is none the less absolute fiction. Do you regard Tolstoy as an historian of Napolean?
Maybe I wasn't clear what "political allegory" means here?
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not about "flying monkeys" - it's about the 19th century Bimetallism debate - the gold standard vs the Silverites, etc.
The Crucible is not about witchcraft - it's about McCarthyism.
Animal Farm is not about talking livestock - it's about the Russian Revolution.
Whether or not the surface story contains supernatural elements is beside the point. We are talking about
fables or
parables in which the political concerns of the day are reflected in the sayings and doings of deliberately two-dimensional characters.
Now, can you learn history from "Animal Farm" or "The Crucible"? In a limited way, yes.
The allegorist offers a highly interpretive ("biased") presentation of the issues that can only be understood on the deepest level given the reader's pre-existent familiarity with the historical context. Of course, the surface level of the work can also be enjoyed for its own sake as a children's story.
Hope that helps.