The Anatomy of Criticism: Demonic Imagery

The Anatomy of Criticism: Demonic Imagery

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As I was reading the “demonic imagery” section from the Anatomy of Criticism I was reminded of something that I had learned from M.A. about goodness. Demonic imagery is about “the world of the nightmare and the scapegoat, of bandage and pain and confusion.” M.A. talked about how in cinema in order for something to be so destructive first you have to show the goodness. The opposite could be true as well. The goodness of God becomes more sacred when we see the failed demonic imagery.

I am reminded of the creation story from J.R.R. Tolkien. The creation story goes something like that it came out from singing, and the demon was interrupting that sacred song from the Creator and his angels. Then, the Creator said that because demon’s interruption is not going to make his creation to be flawed but rather, in the end, it’s going to make what the Creator made or his story that much more beautiful. Then, professor Dr. B. said that God tums evil into goodness. This reminds me the story of Joseph. Joseph said that what you meant for evil God meant it for good to redeem his people.

Then the book goes on to say that demonic imagery is world before “any of human desire, such as the city or garden.” In the past, I used to think only nature is the best. I thought city symbolized more of corruption and dirtiness. I thought garden was not authentic and fake. Until I was influenced by M.A. For example, the city and is no longer negative when we think of it as creator God inviting his creation to create together. Also, it is not because God needs the human help, but God is weaving his divine narrative building and making stories with the mortals.

The three kinds of fulfillment in human life according to the apocalyptical conception, the author writes, is individual, sexual, and social. I want to look into the sexual because sex is something that God created, and it is one of the first thing that God created after he said that all that he had made was very good. If God never commanded to be fruitful and multiply, it may be possible that sex never have existed. The book writes that the demonic erotic relations work against loyalty or frustrates the one that possess it.

Examples that Frye gave was hermaphrodism, incest, and homosexuality. I was surprised that he did not put having affair as one. Homosexuality could argue that it is being disloyal to the original design that God created, and incest is forbidden in Leviticus 18. I had to look up what hermaphrodism meant, and it means having both male and female reproductive parts. The grotesque part of this is that creatures that do have this is almost always worms. Also, it could refer bisexual, which is against the Bible.

I could not help but wonder why incest is considered as an example of demonic erotic relations. It happened a lot with the royals in all over world because they wanted to keep their blood line “pure.” Besides the consequence for the next generation to have many disabilities, my best guess is that it is because family unit is created to protect and especially protect that which is sacred. Perhaps the original design for family is for it to serve as a community that protects your faith and your body. However, if there is lack of self-control and sexual covetousness within your family that could very fast become an unsafe place for the community as a whole for both the body and soul.