That’s the topic of a much-discussed essay by Michael Weingrad in the new and first issue of The Jewish Review of Books. The subject matter is pretty far outside my wheelhouse, which might surprise some since I’m a minor sci-fi/fantasy geek who grew up on Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, D & D, etc.

Ross Douthat has a pretty good round-up and reaction to the essay, including this fairly brutal rejoinder. Beyond Tolkien and Lewis, I’m actually not well-versed enough in the genre to offer too much of an opinion, but it sounds like the critics have the better of the argument(s). What immediately came to my mind when reading Weingrad’s essay was the golem (no relation to Gollum . . . or is there?) story and its massive influence on science fiction, starting, of course, with Frankenstein. I was surprised that Weingrad doesn’t mention the golem in his essay, given how it so perfectly exemplifies the archetypal Jewish contribution to the genre. The Christian narrative does focus on Satanic and otherworldly forces and realms, while the golem storyline focuses on how man himself, through hubris, can create evil rather than succumb to it. I think this tracks some of the deep and important theological, literary, and cultural distinctions between Jews and Christians that are essential to the whole discussion.

But then again, what do I know?