Tents Before Temples - Chapter Summaries - 29-34
The first of several "cultural building blocks"
The second half of my book, Tents Before Temples: Rough Drafts on Building a Culture That Lasts delves into what I call “cultural building blocks” - a list that is by no means exhaustive, it covers my exploration of discovery into the areas of architecture, clothing, music, and professional wrestling (though I placed those chapters in their own discreet category). But the foundational “building block” is myth and story. Grok summarizes my exploration below.
Chapter 29: "Myths & Stories: Part 1 - Science Fiction" (Pages 405–425)
Summary: Chapter 29 opens Part 4, "Myths & Stories," by exploring the interplay between science fiction and fantasy, drawing heavily on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as foundational figures. It begins with a reflection on how 20th-century media shaped technological expectations, many of which materialized in ways unimaginable to earlier generations (e.g., touchscreen devices echoing Star Trek). The chapter argues that these genres, though aesthetically distinct, share a core purpose: using speculative settings—be it a distant past or future—to mirror human experience and address contemporary issues safely through allegory. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is celebrated for its depth, rooted in his philological expertise, while Lewis’s works, like The Chronicles of Narnia and That Hideous Strength, bridge Christian truths with imaginative narratives. Their friendship exemplifies a synergy of faith and creativity, countering Enlightenment reductionism by affirming myth’s truth-bearing capacity.
The chapter critiques Tolkien’s nostalgic agrarianism (e.g., the Shire’s restoration) as limited for modern challenges, contrasting it with Lewis’s forward-looking critique of technocracy. It introduces Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time as a superior evolution, with the Two Rivers embodying a practical, adaptable community that nurtures competence over escapism. This ties to Part 1’s focus on resilient communities and Part 3’s call for creative stewardship, suggesting stories should inspire action, not just reflection. Jordan’s cyclical worldview and emphasis on cultural diversity reflect a broader, American perspective, contrasting Tolkien’s linear, English nostalgia, and setting the stage for Part 4’s exploration of narrative’s role in shaping reality.
Chapter 30: "Someone to Root For - Myths & Stories: Part 2" (Pages 426–438)
Summary: Chapter 30 shifts to a personal lens, tracing the author’s entry into speculative fiction via Raymond E. Feist’s Magician and the game Betrayal at Krondor. It celebrates Feist’s accessible, trope-driven storytelling, which prioritizes relatable characters (e.g., Pug) over Tolkien’s mythic grandeur. Feist’s collaborative process—building on a role-playing game world—highlights storytelling as a craft, not an elite art, echoing Part 2’s emphasis on practical creativity over genius. His willingness to leave questions unanswered invites reader participation, contrasting with stalled series like Patrick Rothfuss’s The Kingkiller Chronicle. The chapter uses fractal patterns to liken narrative choices to natural divergence, suggesting stories thrive when authors explore rather than dictate.
This connects to Part 1’s organic community-building and Part 3’s adaptive creation, framing Feist as a model for sustainable storytelling. The chapter critiques over-ambition (e.g., George R.R. Martin’s unresolved A Song of Ice and Fire) and ties narrative success to truthfulness, echoing the Preface’s call for stories grounded in reality’s patterns. It concludes with a biblical nod to Solomon’s temple, suggesting lasting stories align with divine order, not human vanity—a theme that bridges to Chapter 31’s philosophical depth.
Chapter 31: "Realism & Nominalism - Myths & Stories: Part 3" (Pages 439–461)
Summary: Chapter 31 delves into philosophical underpinnings of storytelling, contrasting realism (experience reflects ontological truth) with nominalism (reality is a cultural construct). It argues that compelling stories resonate with a deeper truth, akin to God’s creative power, a concept rooted in Part 2’s divine imitation. Hollywood’s visual dominance (e.g., Dune’s adaptation) illustrates how imagination can be shaped or overridden, paralleling Part 3’s tension between tradition and innovation. The chapter critiques Star Wars’ commercial canon shifts, contrasting them with Tolkien’s immutable Middle-earth, reinforced by his self-insertion as Bilbo, the reliable narrator.
Lewis’s That Hideous Strength exposes nominalism’s flaws (e.g., the “objective room”), affirming realism’s grounding in order (e.g., the cross’s geometry), tying to Part 1’s stable foundations. The chapter traces worldview evolution—pre-modern chaos, monotheistic order, modernism’s materialism, postmodern subjectivity—to propose a “metamodern” synthesis, where multiversal narratives (e.g., Doctor Strange) reflect reality’s complexity. This aligns with Part 4’s aim to use stories for meaning-making, culminating in Star Trek’s “Darmok” as a metaphor for shared narrative transcending division, echoing the Preface’s hope for unifying truth.
Chapter 32: "Story Adaptation - Myths & Stories: Part 4 - A Rose by Any Other Name" (pp. 462–484)
Summary: Chapter 32 explores adaptation’s challenge of preserving a story’s essence amid nominalism’s reductive lens. It opens with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where Juliet’s “rose by any other name” (p. 462) rejects tribal labels, yet the story’s tragedy hinges on unchangeable rivalries—a cross of fate (p. 463). Complexity obscures truth in real life, driving tribalism (p. 463–464), while biblical translation reveals interpretation’s limits (p. 464–465). Film adaptations (e.g., Lord of the Rings, p. 465) balance fidelity and essence, but postmodern trends—diversity casting and subversive twists (p. 466–467)—risk warping narratives, echoing Lewis’s critique of nominalism in The Abolition of Man (p. 467). This culminates in cultural absurdities like “transwomen are women” (p. 468), reducing reality to subjective categories.
The chapter contrasts this with realism’s narrative truth, using The Pilgrim’s Regress (p. 469) and a Song of Solomon/Proverbs comparison (p. 473–474) to show essence unfolds over time. The Loathly Lady tale (p. 475–477) and a kintsugi bowl (p. 479–481) illustrate beauty as a story, not a static image, affirmed by a husband’s love for his cancer-ravaged wife (p. 483–484). Beauty, like faith, requires eyes to see beyond appearances, resisting nominalism’s lie.
Key Themes: Adaptation’s essence, realism vs. nominalism, narrative truth, beauty through time, love’s transformative vision.
Chapter 33: "Magic - Myths & Stories: Part 5 - Disenchantment and Re-enchantment" (pp. 485–506)
Summary: Chapter 33 examines enchantment as a lens for beauty and truth, using The Prestige (p. 486–491) to contrast skepticism (Borden) and wonder (Angier) in a disenchanted modernity. It redefines disenchantment as liberation from false spells (e.g., fairy tales, p. 488), not wonder’s loss, citing Bacon’s mystical science (p. 487) and Latour’s hybrid reality (p. 488). Paul’s Damascus road (p. 488) and Lewis’s The Last Battle (p. 496–497) show truth dispelling lies, where service to false names (Tash) aligns with the true (Aslan) if virtuous (p. 497). Nihilism, born of skepticism (p. 493–494), is countered by testing narratives over time (p. 498).
A modern fairy tale of Nikolos and Asa (Lex and Nick Rennick, p. 501–506) mirrors this: two outcasts, enchanted by cultural lies, find redemption through God’s truth, transforming Lex back to Eula and birthing a family. Enchantments—ideology, tradition (p. 499)—blind us, but simple acts (e.g., sharing food, p. 500) reveal sacred roots, reawakening wonder without nostalgia’s spell.
Key Themes: Enchantment as spell vs. wonder, skepticism vs. faith, narrative redemption, truth’s persistence, real-world miracles.
Chapter 34: "Starships - Myths & Stories: Part 6" (pp. 507–516)
Summary: Chapter 34 concludes “Myths & Stories” with science fiction’s hopeful myths, contrasting The Prestige’s endings: Nolan’s materialism (clones, p. 491) vs. Priest’s soul-driven teleportation (p. 509). Angier’s faith in Tesla’s “magic” (electricity, p. 510) reflects science fiction’s religious core—resurrection, paradise (p. 509–510). Starships symbolize humanity’s trek from tents to cosmic exile (p. 510–512), yet physics limits (FTL’s impossibility, p. 511–512) shift narratives to fantasy. Walters’s “Starships will never exist” (p. 512) meets resistance, as the symbol embodies hope against darkness (p. 512–513).
The New Jerusalem (Revelation 21, p. 513–514) fulfills this, a city of anisotropic gems and transparent gold (p. 514), marrying heaven and earth (p. 515). From Genesis’s garden (p. 515) to a terraformed cosmos (p. 516), stories drive exploration, powered by God’s glory (p. 516), not science alone. Starships bridge faith and imagination, dispelling despair.
Key Themes: Science fiction’s faith, starships as hope, exile to homecoming, divine reality, narrative’s cosmic scope.
While I have not yet recorded any audio for these chapters, Gavin Palmer did share a few quotes (including a sentence that really needs some reworking!) in his review of chapter 29. You can watch it below: