Greg Garrett’s Entertaining Judgment: The Afterlife in Popular Imagination, is not a religious tome, even though the title might suggest that it is. Of course, there are numerous references to the Bible and religion, but there are also many (perhaps more) references to literature, folklore, and popular culture. Garrett will typically quote from such diverse works as Hamlet, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, even within a single chapter. This is not to imply that he focuses solely on fantasy works, though the connection there is obvious. In fact, a number of mainstream fictional and film works, such as The Silence of the Lambs and The Lovely Bones, also make appearances. What emerges from this mixture is a well-argued and well-informed discussion that, despite its scholarly pedigree, is downright entertaining,
The book has five chapters, an introduction, and a conclusion. Surprisingly, given its title, the first chapter, “In Between: Death and the Undead,” does not focus solely on zombies. The discussion also encompasses, among other things, ghosts and vampires. But this chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book. Each idea is explored in depth. Not only does the author provide literary and popular culture references, but he also blends these with formal religious ideas, which never come across as preachy. The second chapter tackles otherworldly entities such as demons, angels, and the devil, while the final three chapters explore Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, respectively. Purgatory is the most complex case to discuss, so not surprisingly Garrett saves it for last. He begins with the most obvious example in recent popular culture, the ABC series Lost, but somehow manages to bring in such works as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Schindler’s List, and Daredevil.
This combination of seemingly only tangentially related examples that work to pull together complex ideas is used throughout the text. For instance, Garrett introduces the concept of heaven using quotes from C.S Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series and the comedy film Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. He then engages in a discussion of the biblical Zion and Heaven, discussing sources such as The Matrix and Field of Dreams. He discusses the Gospel of Matthew and Paradise Lost to make some points, and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue to make another. He closes the chapter with a discussion of utopias and dystopias, using The Hunger Games as an example. By the end of the chapter, it is clear that these examples all point to a human yearning to discover Heaven in the world in which they live. Moreover, Garrett does not restrict himself to mainstream literature, television, and film to make his points. Quotes from songs, such as Pat Benatar’s “Hell is for Children” and Coldplay’s “42” are integrated, as are discussions of video games such as Call of Duty, Bioshock, and Diablo. By the time I finished the book, I felt I had had a grand tour of a fascinating cultural concept and not just a lecture focused on religious dogma per se.
In addition to the primary text, the book includes ten pages of black-and-white images which appear at the end of chapter 2. These are not really essential but they do a good job of showing visually what the author does so well in his writing, namely, offering diverse artistic examples to make his point. These include artwork based on Dante’s Inferno and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol; an image from 1931’s Dracula; a poster of a zombie released by the Center for Disease Control; a picture of Jack and Kate from Lost; screenshots from Diablo III. These images show the widespread integration of Garrett’s afterlife themes in various forms of media. The book concludes with a very thorough and lengthy index, which readers are likely to need to consult frequently.
Overall, Entertaining Judgment lives up to its title, providing a thoroughly researched and amply supported discussion about a topic that is often controversial. This book avoids pretense by presenting these ideas in diverse and familiar contexts, rather than simply pointing to religious sources. Yes, he does use these sources to teach, but he also uses South Park, Dr. Who, and The Dark Knight as well. One does not have to know the Bible to understand these ideas. Garrett seems to understand that, and he fashions a text that will appeal to just about anyone.
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[Review length: 722 words • Review posted on March 1, 2017]