They Broke Upon This Fortress Like Waves Upon Rock
Jun 13, 2025
Delve into Ursula K. Le Guin's compelling defense of fantasy against modern mediocrity. Explore the tension between authentic imagination and corporate imitations like 'Rings of Power' and the decline of classics. Uncover the psychological depths of Hans Christian Andersen’s 'The Shadow' through a Jungian lens, revealing the journey of self-confrontation. Discover Mikhail Bulgakov's critique of creativity under bureaucratic oppression and examine the ethics of fantasy in children's literature, emphasizing the need for rich, moral storytelling.
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insights INSIGHT
Fantasy's Changing Defense
Fantasy's defense shifted from a binary of good vs. bad to ersatz vs. genuine in modern culture.
Series like Rings of Power represent ersatz fantasy that tries to neuter authentic imagination.
insights INSIGHT
Bulgakov's Cultural Critique
The Soviet-style creative orthodoxy mocks authentic imagination, as portrayed in Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.
The novel intertwines several narratives, including the story of Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ, and the adventures of the devil Woland and his entourage in Moscow. The Master, a writer who has been driven to insanity by the rejection of his novel about Pontius Pilate, and his mistress Margarita, who remains loyal and determined to save him, are central characters. Margarita's journey involves becoming a witch and hosting Woland's midnight ball, where she uses her newfound powers for altruistic ends. The book is a critique of Soviet society, exposing corruption, moral decay, and the repression of artists and dissidents. It blends elements of satire, fantasy, and philosophical inquiry, reflecting Bulgakov's personal experiences with censorship and societal pressures.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, is an epic high fantasy novel set in Middle-earth. The story follows Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo. The Ring, forged by Sauron, holds the power to control all other Rings of Power and must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom to prevent Sauron's return. Frodo is joined by a fellowship of other characters, including Gandalf the Grey, Samwise Gamgee, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir, as they embark on a dangerous quest across Middle-earth. The novel explores themes of good vs. evil, the corrupting influence of power, and the struggle between fate and free will[3][4][5].
I've been revisiting Ursula K. Le Guin's brilliant essay "The Child and the Shadow". Le Guin was defending fantasy against the sterile modernism of her era—but what happens when that defence needs to evolve? We're no longer fighting a battle between "good" and "bad" fantasy. Instead, we're caught in something potentially more insidious: the tension between authentic imagination and the ersatz.
From the disaster of Rings of Power to the destruction of Star Wars, from AI-generated Jung content flooding YouTube to the Soviet-style creative orthodoxy dominating our cultural institutions—we're witnessing the systematic neutering of the imaginal. But here's the thing: they can't actually touch the real. They break upon authentic creativity like waves upon rock.
Through Le Guin's profound analysis of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Shadow" and Jung's psychology, I explore why confronting our shadow isn't just personal development—it's the key to understanding why authentic fantasy endures while corporate imitations crumble. Plus, I reveal how Bulgakov got there first in The Master and Margarita, showing us exactly what happens when the vital imaginal meets bureaucratic control.
This isn't just about books or movies. It's about the difference between surface-level engagement and the depths where real creativity lives.
Chapter Timestamps:
0:00 - Opening: The Shift from Good vs. Bad to Ersatz vs. Genuine 3:45 - Le Guin's Defence of Fantasy in the Modern Era 8:20 - The Rings of Power Problem: When Creators Think They're Fans 12:15 - AI Jung Slop and the Corruption of the Imaginal 16:30 - Bulgakov's Prophecy: The Master and Margarita's Cultural Critique 22:10 - Reading "The Child and the Shadow": Andersen's Dark Fairy Tale 28:45 - Jung's Psychology: Ego, Shadow, and the Collective Unconscious 35:20 - The Ethics of Fairy Tales: Why Gretel Can Push the Witch 42:15 - Tolkien's True Complexity: Frodo, Sam, and Gollum as Psychic Journey 48:30 - Why Fantasy is the Language of Moral Truth 52:40 - The Problem with "Realistic" Children's Literature 57:25 - Luke in the Cave: Star Wars as Genuine Imaginal Work 60:10 - Closing Thoughts and Shadow Project Tease
Rune Soup 
