META!!! This is great. I may come back later, and have more to say. Looking forward, if you get round to it. :)
I will say, that I've had bits of a meta essay in my head for a while about the Doctor as Trickster for um, years now. This does not surprise me AT ALL! And I would love for you to write it, it's such a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, Western storytellers have had an tendency to equate trickster characters with the Devil. I have theories as to why that is, but they aren't exactly flattering to mainstream Christian theology, in my mind. (Sorry.) No apologies needed - Christianity unfortunately has a tendency to be difficult and prejudiced in things like this.
This is also why I think trying to put monotheistic imagery in Doctor Who, or analyzing it on that basis, doesn't really *work*. This is a good point, and probably why so much of 'the Doctor as God' stuff is such an awkward fit. Interesting, but awkward.
Jesus's parables in the Gospels and his behavior in the Temple, otoh, fit the Trickster archetype well. But then, he *was* subverting the dominant cultural narrative. *nods a lot*
I have crankiness with how the Gospels have come to be viewed through the lens of the writings of Paul, but that's another matter. One of my favourite things of all is where Peter in one of his letters writes 'Our dear brother Paul writes many things which are difficult to understand'. (From memory - but that's the gist. *g*)
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Looking forward, if you get round to it. :)
I will say, that I've had bits of a meta essay in my head for a while about the Doctor as Trickster for um, years now.
This does not surprise me AT ALL! And I would love for you to write it, it's such a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, Western storytellers have had an tendency to equate trickster characters with the Devil. I have theories as to why that is, but they aren't exactly flattering to mainstream Christian theology, in my mind. (Sorry.)
No apologies needed - Christianity unfortunately has a tendency to be difficult and prejudiced in things like this.
This is also why I think trying to put monotheistic imagery in Doctor Who, or analyzing it on that basis, doesn't really *work*.
This is a good point, and probably why so much of 'the Doctor as God' stuff is such an awkward fit. Interesting, but awkward.
Jesus's parables in the Gospels and his behavior in the Temple, otoh, fit the Trickster archetype well. But then, he *was* subverting the dominant cultural narrative.
*nods a lot*
I have crankiness with how the Gospels have come to be viewed through the lens of the writings of Paul, but that's another matter.
One of my favourite things of all is where Peter in one of his letters writes 'Our dear brother Paul writes many things which are difficult to understand'. (From memory - but that's the gist. *g*)
(And I think our icons go rather well together!)