tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16646992.post4468833831675572060..comments2023-10-14T23:56:22.016-10:00Comments on Reflecting Light: ZanoniRick Darbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02371910140619422820noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16646992.post-9300997486164471942007-06-05T04:20:00.000-10:002007-06-05T04:20:00.000-10:00very interesting post ...something rang a bell : s...very interesting post ...something rang a bell : somebody renouncing love and human feelings for the sake of something he deems more important ? It reminds me of "das Rheingold" by Wagner (1869)...Strange, isn't it ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16646992.post-82991477908101208762007-05-31T18:40:00.000-10:002007-05-31T18:40:00.000-10:00Rick, interesting post. I have not read Zanoni; it...Rick, interesting post. I have not read Zanoni; it sounds intriguing. <BR/>I have read a few works in the genre of 'spiritual fiction' such as the authors Mr. Spog mentions: Rampa et al. <BR/>The idea of 'Vril' was apparently something that was picked up on by a lot of people. I think Mme. Blavatsky was one of the first to write about it, in one of her works, which she said were based on esoteric Eastern traditions.<BR/>Another writer who dabbled in what might be part of the same genre might be Doris Lessing, with her 'Canopus in Argos' books. I found them very compelling to read; they seem like science fiction at first glance, but are much more allegorical. <BR/>-VAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16646992.post-53136112743709828772007-05-31T13:02:00.000-10:002007-05-31T13:02:00.000-10:00No, not really, and I'm probably not qualified to ...No, not really, and I'm probably not qualified to judge among them in any case ... <I>Vril</I> has some interesting ideas, such as the loss of imaginative power in a technologically advanced society, and the suitability of children as soldiers (Bulwer-Lytton thinks they would be fearless). <I>Mists of Avalon</I> (and probably its companion volumes) are worthwhile if you like retellings of the Arthurian legend. It has a thoughtful, ambiguous attitude towards Christianity, notwithstanding its feminist/neo-pagan orientation. If I were going to reread the books I might start with Joan Grant's stories of her alleged past lives in ancient Egypt and Greece/Rome. Some of her books, I forget which, also contain unusual descriptions of what came <I>after</I> those past lives ...Mr. Spoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10158551679946746825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16646992.post-68630977893640362572007-05-30T14:41:00.000-10:002007-05-30T14:41:00.000-10:00Mr. Spog,I am impressed with your knowledge! That'...Mr. Spog,<BR/><BR/>I am impressed with your knowledge! That's a very intriguing list. Do you particularly recommend any of them?Rick Darbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02371910140619422820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16646992.post-57409463652913307942007-05-30T13:23:00.000-10:002007-05-30T13:23:00.000-10:00I'm not sure what qualifies as "spiritual fiction"...I'm not sure what qualifies as "spiritual fiction" as opposed to science fiction/fantasy, but here are some more authors I have come across.<BR/><BR/>--<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Grant" REL="nofollow">Joan Grant</A>.<BR/><BR/>--Cyril Hoskin, a.k.a. <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Rampa" REL="nofollow">Lobsang Rampa</A>. He wrote allegedly factual books about Tibet that were exposed as fraudulent; nevertheless at least one real-life Tibetan monk considered his books to be interesting reads.<BR/><BR/>--Frederick S. Oliver. The text of "Dweller in Two Planets" is available at <A HREF="http://www.sacred-texts.com/atl/dtp/index.htm" REL="nofollow">sacred-texts.com</A>, so someone must think it's spiritual. I think the copy I used to have was published by Steinerbooks.<BR/><BR/>--More Atlantis fiction: popular novelist Taylor Caldwell wrote <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Atlantis-Taylor-Caldwell/dp/0449227480" REL="nofollow">The Romance of Atlantis</A> when she was 12 years old. Her writing was then so eerily mature that the publisher who saw the manuscript insisted that it must have been plagiarized. It was only published much later.<BR/><BR/>--The now-forgotten <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Corelli" REL="nofollow">Marie Corelli</A>, an English novelist of around the early 20th century, was despised by the literary elite but hugely popular. "A recurring theme throughout Corelli's books was her attempt to reconcile Christianity with reincarnation, astral projection and other mystical topics."<BR/><BR/>Another Bulwer-Lytton novel with spiritual overtones is <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vril" REL="nofollow">Vril: The Power of the Coming Race</A>. (I see from Wikipedia that this is the source of the trade-name of the English salty beef extract <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovril" REL="nofollow">Bovril</A>.)<BR/><BR/>In recent years there must have been many fantasy novels with spiritual themes, e.g. Marion Zimmer Bradley's <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0345350499" REL="nofollow">The Mists of Avalon</A>.Mr. Spoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10158551679946746825noreply@blogger.com