PHENOMENOLOGY OF RELIGION AND THE STUDY OF MODERN FANTASY LITERATURE

The aim of the following paper is to prove that the tools applied by phenomenology of religion to the study of sacrum, i.e. various religious phenomena and manifestations appearing in our world, can be successfully applied to the study of sacrum present in the secondary worlds of modern fantasy fi ction. When applied, the phenomenological approach will contribute to a better understanding of the imaginary world and of the spiritual dimension of the heroes’ adventures, and reveal the author’s inspiration with particular religions/mythologies. The following paper, fi rst of all, provides a brief summary of phenomenology of religion as a discipline; secondly, discusses this discipline’s applicability to fantasy literature, and fi nally provides a sample study of a fantastic religion present in Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry.