Robert Paul Blumenstein

WHY A TRILOGY? — Reflections on the Ascension Trilogy

One question that I am asked about my writing more often than any other question is, “Why did you write a trilogy?”  Looking back on this long and arduous task of having finally completed the Ascension Trilogy, I often ask myself a similar question along the lines of, “Just what in the world were you thinking?”  Joking aside, when I attempt to address my readers’ question, I often encounter a misconception about the nature of the trilogy.  I thought I might tackle this issue within my self-introduction to those of you who are now visiting my web site.  Also, I’ll make a stab at trying to answer that oft asked question of why I created the Ascension Trilogy.

I invariably find that many people believe that trilogies are merely sequels.  Though in a technical sense, three books written as sequels could stand as a trilogy, however, the definitive case for a trilogy is a group of three plays, novels, operas, or other works of art, although individually complete as a single and stand alone work, are closely related in theme, setting, sequence, characters, etc.  (Art especially has its own label, a triptych; however, I’m going to stick to novels since that’s what I’ve written.)  In an attempt to dispel this notion of a “sequel”, I purposely wrote the first book, Flirtin’ with Jesus, to occur in time after the second book, Snapping the String, which begins some twenty-three years prior to the first book.  The third and final book of the trilogy, Blood in the Ground, does occur in time sequentially after the second book.  The setting for all three books takes place in Richmond, Virginia, my current home for a long time now.  When the characters venture outside of Richmond, they often appear in previously visited locales.  I believe that helps the reader create a sense of identity for the trilogy as a whole.  Characters often meet in a serendipitous way, which heightens the importance of their relationship.  As the word ascension implies, there is movement (upward), so the reader can enjoy these evolving relationships amongst the central characters found in all three books.  However, for this writer, the single most important constituent of a trilogy is theme because I believe that is generally the uniting factor of a literary trilogy, as it is in the Ascension Trilogy.

Trilogies came to us by way of the ancients, ancient Greeks, that is.  Plays were always presented as trilogies (with an attached satyr play) during the Dionysian festivals.  The Oresteia is the only known surviving Greek trilogy from this era of time.  Well, I do have a graduate degree in theatre; specifically in play writing, so perhaps there’s a connection that leads to an answer of the question, “Why did you write a trilogy?”  All three books of the Ascension Trilogy are packed with action and are certainly theatrical in presentation, and uh, I’m improvising a little as I share these trifles with you.  The truth is that I was driven by the theme of ascension, spiritual ascension, when I wrote these books.  I did not have the storyline all mapped out before I began writing the three books to convey this story.  I did have a theme in mind; however, I knew that I could not forward this theme in a single book.  The trilogy seemed to be a natural choice for the vehicle upon which the theme of “ascension” could best travel.

I assume the religious symbolism of the Ascension Trilogy is obvious to the well-informed and widely-read modern reader.  So, I didn’t put symbols in the work for anyone’s benefit.  I’d like to think I didn’t “put” symbols in there at all, that they simply appear on their own merit.  I can’t imagine forcing symbols into any work of art; although, they surely appear in literature and art all the time because we find them.  The obvious symbol of the Catholic cosmology regarding hell, purgatory, and heaven is apparent in the trilogy and occurs sequentially from first book to third book.  I didn’t intend it that way, it just happened.  I’m not a Catholic and I’m not sure I believe in this particular notion of hell-purgatory-heaven.  But, it is what it is, as is said so often these days, and this framework could be aptly applied to the Ascension Trilogy if you so choose. 

An odd phenomenon arises today respecting the subject of discussing God publicly.  What appears odd to me is the level of discomfort one encounters when broaching the subject of spirituality.  Millennia ago people were not allowed to discuss God casually because it was a subject reserved for clerics.  The mystery of God was beyond the ken of ordinary man, a subject for reverence, not vulgarity, and so man was kept in the dark about such matters.  When the United States was created, by far, the greatest of all of our forefathers’ achievements has been that of free speech and religious freedom, so that we may discuss any subject we choose.  So, what’s with all the hush-hush concerning God?  I’ve actually been forbidden by a relative from even bringing up the subject.  Some children are taught that it’s “not polite” to discuss religion in public.  How is it that the one aspect of our cherished freedom, to openly discuss something as important as God, has been constrained by the tyranny of social censorship?  Yet today, spouting statesmen sound more like hooligans than anything else, and even worse, they are often publicly applauded as though they represent a higher order of intelligentsia!  But we can’t talk about God without blushing, without shushing, without fear of reprisal that we may appear primordial to the rest of the world?

The Ascension Trilogy is a reflection of my own personal experience with the Christian religion.  I was born and raised in the Deep South and exposed to fundamentalism at a very young age.  My father, especially, intended to keep me away from such influences.  So, he made sure I was raised as a Presbyterian.  Later, I attended a Presbyterian affiliated college, one with liberal views when it came to religion, which greatly pleased my father.  For a brief period during my college days, I joined the Christian charismatic movement from which I was later removed (excommunicated) for speaking heresy.  So it is that I have perpetually found myself drifting somewhere between the worlds of “speaking in tongues” and religious metaphor.  I suppose I wrote the Ascension Trilogy in an attempt to understand and reconcile these two opposing worlds.  I am still in want to find my answer.  But, if I have discovered any single resolution amid this conflict of fundamentalism and mainstream worship, it is that religion may indeed be dead, but not God. 

I offer no apologies for God representing the thematic element of the Ascension Trilogy.  I offer no apologies for this God being the God of Abraham.  I offer no apologies for quoting the Bible at various times throughout the three books.  Most of all, I offer no apologies for presenting the satanic workings that are found in all three books.  I detest any type of “up-in-your-face” religious proselytizing and have tried to avoid that method in all three books of the trilogy.  In fictional works such as those represented in the Ascension Trilogy, I believe the subject should be nothing more than food-for-thought; though I do hold strong spiritual beliefs, and they are founded upon my relationship with Christ, the last thing I intended when writing these novels was to preach to the choir.  In fact, I never intended to preach at all.  Peyton, the main character of the trilogy, has been accused of possessing a “didactic” personality, which a book reviewer related to Peyton’s author.  My only response is that’s merely who Peyton is and whether or not that is a good thing is left up the reader.

Another manifestation of symbolism that more than likely jumps out at the reader is anchored in the theme of good versus evil.  We as a species are obsessed with this one theme and have been so for centuries without end.  Certainly, the theme of good versus evil is deeply rooted in many religions as practiced throughout the world.  And it’s not such a bad thing.  What is of the greatest concern to me is when we as a people trivialize the notion of Satan:  That we offer anyone who might bring up that subject our pity because that particular person is so “out of time” and completely deluded by his or her primordial inclinations.  So, it is no accident that when evil acts appear anywhere in the Ascension Trilogy that these acts will engender utter disgust from the reader.  It’s supposed to happen that way.  I’ve always thought that of all the various labels that have been placed on the devil throughout our human history the most appropriate is the “Father of Lies.” 

Now you might find me railing a bit when I raise the subject concerning this father of lies.  What I’ve seen during my lifetime is a bona fide attempt to rationalize the affects evil.  If someone blows someone’s face off with a shotgun, it might be okay if he or she were “oppressed” in some manner.  If a mother loses a son to street violence, she’s expected to make a statement to the media within hours of the tragedy.  After all, we have to make sense of it, don’t we?  In our attempt to extract meaning from these acts of evil and to employ that misused concept of “closure”, we forget the true nature of reality:  That it is both determinate and random.  There is no soft landing for evil.  The reality of evil is that it is harsh, cold, and yes, it’s bloody and gory.  We can’t rationalize the pain away by making statements to the media and there is no glory in war.  Blood is still spilled upon the ground and it is upon this human stain of blood that we put one foot down after another as we make our way through life.  Evil is not symbolic, it is a very real force that every man and woman must deal with during his or her lifetime.  I hope I have not sugar coated evil anywhere in the Ascension Trilogy, but have faithfully represented it in all the truth that it dons.  The word ascend means to move upward, so then it can only be from the very bottom of our beingness that we may indeed ascend.

So, here’s the short answer as to why I wrote a trilogy.  I had something to say about the way a group of characters made their journey along this blood-stained path we call life.  Perhaps, there are readers who find this subject distasteful, uncomfortable, disturbing and even outrageous, but such is life.

© Robert Paul Blumenstein, 2012