Queering Faith in Fantasy Literature

Taylor Driggers holds a PhD on English Literature from the University of Glasgow, UK, where he teaches fantasy literature and gender theory.

• Series Editor PrefaceAcknowledgements Introduction: Worlds of Difference Structure and methodology Against apologetics Deconstruction, theology, and feminismFantasy: definitions, critical approaches, and figurationsChapter One: Saving Face?: Fantasy, Ethical Alterity, and Deconstruction Defining deconstruction, deconstructing definitions Vive la différance Theological deconstruction Deconstructive theology The call to advent-ure; or, Derrida among the dragons Deconstructing Christianity in The Passion of New Eve ‘Holy places are dark places’: facing the other in Till We Have Faces Breaking the circle: religion without religion in The Left Hand of Darkness Conclusions Chapter Two: Dragons in the Neighbourhood: The Fantastic Discourse of Femininity ‘A world all her own’: Hélène Cixous and écriture feminine Is fantasy feminine? The laugh of the dragonMère Christianity: women’s language and holy wisdom in Till We Have Faces ‘The fecund darkness’: ‘bisexual’ religion and society in The Left Hand of Darkness Conclusions Chapter Three: Hetero-doxies: Fantasy and the Problem of Divine Womanhood Riddles in the dark: Luce Irigaray’s feminist mysticism Becoming Psyche: identity and Eros in Till We Have Faces ‘Her own mythological artefact’: The Passion of New Eve and the theatre of divine womanhood Conclusions Chapter Four: Drag(on) Theology: The Queer Strangers of Fantasy Queer(ing) definitions Queering theology Undressing orthodoxy: Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology Theology of failure: Tonstad’s queer messianismDrag(on) theology: queer incarnations and fantastic embodiment Double drag: sacred parody in The Passion of New Eve Queer failure in/as worldbuilding: mystical perversions in The Left Hand of Darkness Walking the Dragons’ Way: sacred multiplicity in Earthsea Conclusions Monstrous Messianisms: Conclusions Divine speech and matter: Ann Leckie’s The Raven Tower Swimming against the tides: Neon Yang’s Tensorate series Gods and seduction: N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy Awaiting eucatastropheNotesBibliography Index

In Queering Faith in Fantasy Literature, Taylor Driggers begins with the idea of “undressing” theology through fantasy, then applies this practice to rich and varied texts within the genre of the queer fantastic. Through sharp, heartfelt analysis of work by Ursula Leguin, Samuel Delany, and Angela Carter, among other compelling fantasists, Driggers reveals how the intersection of fantasy and theology celebrates the very best of queer and trans futures. There’s something for everyone in this book: dragons and drag, nonbinary aliens, polyamorous theology, and deep dives into gender studies and poststructuralist theory. Driggers’ own passion for the texts is visible in every chapter, and this book reminds us that LGBTQ2+ folks “living outside the gates of normative Christianity” deserve a queer, dragon-blooded spirituality. This is one of the first substantial treatments of queer desire and theology in fantasy fiction, and it opens up enchanted doors for readers who may have found it difficult to reconcile their faith with their queer and trans embodiment. We can all share in the dragon’s laugh as we rediscover works of fantasy by this book’s wonderful light.