2 thoughts on “Thinklings Podcast – Episode 8 – “What Makes a Book Good?””
Timothy Dehne
Hey Thinklings!
I just wanted to further the discussion of Harry Potter being a good book but for more than just entertainment. I really appreciate how you brought out the truth that reading is a moral activity because thinking is fundamentally moral. Thus, reading is either objectively good or evil. Anyway, I would like to add another facet or take the next logical step of what was said in the podcast to what makes a good fiction book. While the world-view of an author will always come through in some ways, fundamentally, a good book will have to borrow from the Christian world-view in order to be a good book based on the criteria of Stearn’s two points. I think this is what makes Harry Potter a good book for thinking purposes because to say it is good entertainment it must also be good in a few fundamental ways (Stern’s two points). The author of Harry Potter has to borrow from a Christian world view in at least three categories: themes, objective reality/truth, and the idea of what happens now affect life after death. First, the main themes are bravery, loyalty, friendship, death, and love. Moreover, I would argue that the main theme of the book is that sacrificial love defeats death/evil, which is borrowed from a Christian world-view. The power to overcome evil is not from within Harry but though sacrificial love and other supernatural means. This is very close to the part of the heart of the Christian message. Second, the author has to speak of objective good and evil to frame the story and make it worth reading. Third, the idea that what I do now affects what happens after death is a concept that is borrowed and is connected to the objectivity of good and evil. All of this makes Harry Potter a great start for discussions on some realities of real life. Anyway, it is an interesting facet of what makes a good book because for a non-christian author to write a good book he or she cannot write in a consistent way with his or her world-view.
Thank you for the podcasts and I would love to know if you have further thoughts or if you disagree with this post.
Dehne
thinklingspodcast
Great input; we definitely didn’t want to “pigeon hole” Harry Potter into one category. As with many literary works, Rowling has many themes at work! What is interesting is that I (which thinkling this is you may never know…) was thinking about this as we talked about Harry Potter. I distinctly remember thinking, “I’m sure a listener will comment about how there are some Christian motifs in this book!” So, Tim, you win the prize as the first to make the thought a reality!! Thank you so much for listening!
Hey Thinklings!
I just wanted to further the discussion of Harry Potter being a good book but for more than just entertainment. I really appreciate how you brought out the truth that reading is a moral activity because thinking is fundamentally moral. Thus, reading is either objectively good or evil. Anyway, I would like to add another facet or take the next logical step of what was said in the podcast to what makes a good fiction book. While the world-view of an author will always come through in some ways, fundamentally, a good book will have to borrow from the Christian world-view in order to be a good book based on the criteria of Stearn’s two points. I think this is what makes Harry Potter a good book for thinking purposes because to say it is good entertainment it must also be good in a few fundamental ways (Stern’s two points). The author of Harry Potter has to borrow from a Christian world view in at least three categories: themes, objective reality/truth, and the idea of what happens now affect life after death. First, the main themes are bravery, loyalty, friendship, death, and love. Moreover, I would argue that the main theme of the book is that sacrificial love defeats death/evil, which is borrowed from a Christian world-view. The power to overcome evil is not from within Harry but though sacrificial love and other supernatural means. This is very close to the part of the heart of the Christian message. Second, the author has to speak of objective good and evil to frame the story and make it worth reading. Third, the idea that what I do now affects what happens after death is a concept that is borrowed and is connected to the objectivity of good and evil. All of this makes Harry Potter a great start for discussions on some realities of real life. Anyway, it is an interesting facet of what makes a good book because for a non-christian author to write a good book he or she cannot write in a consistent way with his or her world-view.
Thank you for the podcasts and I would love to know if you have further thoughts or if you disagree with this post.
Dehne
Great input; we definitely didn’t want to “pigeon hole” Harry Potter into one category. As with many literary works, Rowling has many themes at work! What is interesting is that I (which thinkling this is you may never know…) was thinking about this as we talked about Harry Potter. I distinctly remember thinking, “I’m sure a listener will comment about how there are some Christian motifs in this book!” So, Tim, you win the prize as the first to make the thought a reality!! Thank you so much for listening!