Monday, August 31, 2009

Narrative shape in the new creation

What will it look like?

Basic old-creation narrative shape looks like this:
















Tension builds over time. The climax comes about three quarters of the way through, then things are resolved and the story ends pretty fast. Trouble is, with this narrative shape increases in tension are generally created through danger or sin or unfulfilled desire or sadness or something else distinctly old-creationy. In the new-creation we will, of course, hear and tell and re-tell The Great Story - which more or less follows old creation narrative shape (and maybe for old-time's sake we'll read Pride and Prejudice occasionally), but what will new stories be like? Will a whole new mode of writing be required to match the new world that we'll be living in?

Perhaps tension could be created by a how-much-better-can-things-get kind of suspense. But how would resolution be achieved? Perhaps there would be no resolution. Such a narrative shape might look like this:

















But I can't imagine that being so satisfying. Nor this tensionless model:
















What do you think?

Basic old-creation narrative shape matches our humanness. We (men especially) look at that first graph and find it very familiar. It makes sense to us. I wonder how God will manage the new-creation narrative shift without changing our essential humanness.

As you can see, I'm concerned with the real issues here!

Theologians, get thinking on this one.

[I'm pretty sure that God has it sorted and it's just my imagination that's lacking, but... It's interesting.]

3 comments:

  1. my fear is that heaven will be a bit like the last half hour of the Lord of the Rings movie when the ring is destroyed the ship sailed off in the distance. Please God, no.

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  2. Could it perhaps be a straight line right at the top of the measurable area of excitement?

    I hope heaven is like one big Jason Statham action scene. Just without the violence, bad guys or Jason Statham.

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  3. I loved the LOTR movies. But the last half hour was awful.

    Nathan - I'd be good with the straight line at the top... not sure everyone would, though.

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