The Fate of Fortune is now posted.
Part 03 of 03.
Sometimes writers are simple in our motives. The unfortunate scholar here is named “Fortune” for a simple reason: he is Faust which is Latin for “fortunate.” Fortunatus of the Ever-full Purse from the Grey Fairy book of Andrew Lang has a name of similar meaning, though he comes to no bad end.
I wrote this story when I was an atheist, but, looking back, it seems to me to be nonetheless theologically sound.
As when the White Witch offers to make Edmund a king of Narnia — without telling him that, as a Son of Adam, he is already rightfully a king of Narnia — or the Green Witch offers the same to Prince Rilian, or when the Devil offers Christ the kingdoms of a world he already owns, or to be fed of bread when he is already himself the bread of life, it amuses me how the creature grants, and grants easily, the fateful, final wish, asking only a single drop of blood in return.
Devils in literature have been portrayed a pagan heroes or statesmen, as in Milton’s PARADISE LOST, or a petty and vicious bureaucrats, as in CS Lewis’ THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS. As best I can tell from real reports from real exorcists, the portrayal is more accurate of the Devil in Dante’s INFERNO, where is a creature of pure misery, weeping and gnawing on the damned, trapped in ice at the core of the world, awaiting judgement — in this tale, the creatures of hell are likened to prisoners behind bars, hoping to lure the innocent into reach.
AND WITH THIS
I reach the last page of my unpublished stories. Whether and how I shall continue to post a Wednesday sample of my wares is get to be decided.
But I certainly enjoy posting yarns I have written. I may continue, merely with snippets of some previous work, such as excerpts from MOTH AND COBWEB.
