Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Visionary Fiction

I was looking inside the Writers' Journal, and started to read an article by Jodine Turner, titled Visionary Fiction-The New Kid on the Block. I tend to disagree with the second part of the title since the concept is rather ancient, existing since Gilgamesh and the Iliad, and it could even be older. Except, the author has given it a name now.

On the other hand, the article was very well written and brought a few interesting ideas to my mind.

The author defines visionary fiction as:

"Visionary fiction is like the legendary Celtic Imram. (The stories the writer's grandmother told her in front of the fireplace in their cottage in Ireland) Drama and tension of the characters' adventures is one layer of the tale. All the usual elements of suspense, conflict, even romance and mystery, are interwoven in the plot. The other layer, deeper and more archetypal, is that mystical journey of spiritual awakening. In visionary fiction, esoteric wisdom is embedded in the story so that the reader can actually experience it instead of merely learning about it.
"When written well, visionary fiction does not proselytize, evangelize, coerce or feel dogmatic. Often relegated to the genre of fantasy, inspiration or spirituality, it contains elements of all three. But the story line is generally more concerned with the protagonist's internal experiences where nonlogical methods --such as visions, dreams, psychic phenomena, past-life remembrances, or forays into noncharted planes of existence-- are the unique catalysts for radical shifts in perception. Characters explore alternative dimensions, sometimes willingly and sometimes not. They break from our everyday conditioned reality to glimpse a mere enlightened doorway into unconventional perspectives."

Then the writer gives examples, such as Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman and her own work, a trilogy, The Awakening, Rebirth of Atlantis, and The Keys to Remember, as she explains the concept further.

I wanted to mention the article here because, from what I have been reading on the site, our WdC writers are already writing this type of fiction. Except, what they are writing has a name now.