The work of Yulia Voznesenskaya “Pilgrimage of Lancelot” is a continuation of the author's dilogy about the second coming of Christ, the second part of the sensational novel “The Path of Cassandra, or Adventures with Pasta”. The book has gained immense popularity among young people due to the intricate plot, beautiful descriptions, as well as the simple and understandable language of the story.
The novel describes several historical eras occurring in one another. Any action of the character in one of the historical periods can lead to completely unexpected consequences in another.
A similar concept in itself was unique during the writing of Lancelot's Pilgrimage. For this short story, Julia received several prestigious awards, as well as devotion to enthusiastic readers not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.
Writer
Julia Voznesenskaya is a talented contemporary author, one of the founders of the Orthodox fantasy genre. In her works, she often quotes the Bible or makes references to the works of various figures of spiritual culture. The writer's works are in the nature of a religious parable, however (unlike the same John Ronald Ruel Tolkien, who also liked to add elements of Christian culture to his works), Julia does not suffer from excessive dogmatism, preferring to explain immutable truths in the form of a fascinating and interesting story.
Voznesenskaya’s creative career began in the mid-eighties of the last century, when she got a job as a translator in one of the offices involved in publishing fantasy books. The writer was not satisfied with the fact that domestic authors prefer to copy already created rather than work on their original concepts. She decided to try to write her novel, in which she could put a personal view of the world.
Ideology
“Religion without religion” - this is how one can characterize the very concept of Ascension's work. The same meaning lies in the work "Pilgrimage of Lancelot." The main characters always live in good conscience, make moral choices without the influence of heavenly or miraculous forces. The work of Julia Voznesenskaya is characterized by the absence of the principle of duality of the character. All the heroes of her books are good or bad. This shows a great similarity between the style of the writer and the works of Clive Staples Lewis, author of the famous Chronicles of Narnia. Religious symbolism, viewed through the prism of the moral human principle, is what the ideology of Yulia Voznesenskaya manifests itself in.
“Pilgrimage of Lancelot”
This amazing novel for teenagers was written at the beginning of the 2000s, at a time when there was practically no high-quality literature for children. A skillful combination in the plot of chivalrous ethics, computer technology and Christian morality made the novel a real bestseller among young readers.
The book “Pilgrimage of Lancelot” has repeatedly received prestigious prizes and awards, and also won prizes in competitions of children's religious literature.
The author of the novel notes that her goal was only to write an interesting story in which she could share her own views on life.
Plot
In the “Pilgrimage of Lancelot”, Voznesenskaya creates a unique world, completely located on the Internet and called “Reality”. The future has changed the Earth and its inhabitants so much that all people prefer to live in a computer simulation of reality, in which you can choose any appearance, name and era for a comfortable existence. The planet is almost destroyed. The only opportunity for people to live for a while is virtual reality, in which they expect the end of the world and do what they want until it comes.
The novel is dedicated to a disabled boy Lance, who lives in distant Norway. He spends a lot of time in "Reality", living in the medieval town of Camelot. One day he meets King Arthur. During the correspondence, it turns out that Arthur is a girl named Jenny.
Having met in Norway, friends decide to go to the world capital Jerusalem.
Mythological basis
In the Pilgrimage of Lancelot, Julia Voznesenskaya tried to describe the second coming of Christ to earth. As a deeply religious person, the writer transformed biblical subjects and theses, turning them into parts of her fascinating narrative.
The whole novel is permeated with Christian ideology. For example, the plot is tied to the choice of Lancelot between Christ and the Antichrist, which were deduced by the writer in the images of the Healer and Source of Truth. The day and hour when Christ descends to earth depends on the mere mortal.
In addition to direct borrowings from the Old and New Testaments, Julia actively uses fragments from myths and legends of various nations and tribes in the Lancelot Pilgrimage. This makes the work deeper and more readable by thinking people.
Readers' Opinions
Since the publication of the novel, many readers have been enthusiastic about the Lancelot Pilgrimage. Of course, there are those who did not like the book. These people in their reviews pointed out that they were not comfortable with the religious subtext of the work, and not the literary skill of the author.
Readers of the Lancelot Pilgrimage noted the phenomenal artistic originality of the novel, its uniqueness and dissimilarity to similar works in the fantasy genre.
Also, many were struck by the complexity and complexity of the plot, its philosophical implication and at the same time naturalness.