T
Thomas_Jennings
Guest
In The Great Divorce, The Weight of Glory and Surprised By Joy, C. S. Lewis explained the concept sehnsucht, this mysterious desire for something we-know-not-what, something beyond this world. As it pointed us towards heaven, he reasoned, it must be of God. He felt it rarely but sometimes before a great landscape or reading a book.
But what does C.S. Lewis counts as an ‘evil desire’?
I’ve heard it said there are no evil things to desire, only evil desires…aka wishing for lesser goods or in the wrong way (selfishly, for instance).
As an example, I love the cybermen in ‘Dr Who’ and gangster movies. Would Lewis count that as an evil desire (you can only desire what genuinely draws you) or sehnsucht that points towards heaven? It would be prudish in an unhealthy way to toss away such enjoyments…And yet (whilst I would never emulate villianous characters!) if there are no evil things, sometimes there is something that draws us to ‘bad guy’ fictional characters? It is not just their ‘other qualities’ (strength. intelligence etc.) that can appeal. If the cybermen stopped being a menace, I would be sorely put out!
Now the cybermen are emotionless (utterly-so maybe they’re not a good example as that makes them about as ‘evil’ as any predator in the wild) so perhaps not a good example…but (and I hope this question doesn’t seem silly to you) as actual sin is not a good thing to support, what of ‘pretend sinners’ (that you do NOT intend to replicate)?
If it is wrong to like fictional baddies, then we have a little dilhema for book readers and film viewers like me…there aren’t actually that many entertaining good guys in fiction, that aren’t, say, anti-heroes. Aslan, Gandalf and The Doctor are the only utterly lovable goodies I can think of, offhand…that aren’t, well, boring!
Sorry if this is all very silly.
But what does C.S. Lewis counts as an ‘evil desire’?
I’ve heard it said there are no evil things to desire, only evil desires…aka wishing for lesser goods or in the wrong way (selfishly, for instance).
As an example, I love the cybermen in ‘Dr Who’ and gangster movies. Would Lewis count that as an evil desire (you can only desire what genuinely draws you) or sehnsucht that points towards heaven? It would be prudish in an unhealthy way to toss away such enjoyments…And yet (whilst I would never emulate villianous characters!) if there are no evil things, sometimes there is something that draws us to ‘bad guy’ fictional characters? It is not just their ‘other qualities’ (strength. intelligence etc.) that can appeal. If the cybermen stopped being a menace, I would be sorely put out!
Now the cybermen are emotionless (utterly-so maybe they’re not a good example as that makes them about as ‘evil’ as any predator in the wild) so perhaps not a good example…but (and I hope this question doesn’t seem silly to you) as actual sin is not a good thing to support, what of ‘pretend sinners’ (that you do NOT intend to replicate)?
If it is wrong to like fictional baddies, then we have a little dilhema for book readers and film viewers like me…there aren’t actually that many entertaining good guys in fiction, that aren’t, say, anti-heroes. Aslan, Gandalf and The Doctor are the only utterly lovable goodies I can think of, offhand…that aren’t, well, boring!
Sorry if this is all very silly.