The Gwethil Public Websites - Darknight's Place

Monica Bellucci as Elizabeth Studdock (nee Agnoli) These stories were written by Darknight with inspiration from Almyra The so-called “Elizabeth Trilogy” was never intended to be a trilogy – and it might never actually become a trilogy, instead remaining as simply a story and its sequel. When “King Edmund's Crusade” was originally conceived it was never intended to be the first part of a two-part tale (and didn't even really have a name, or a plot, and certainly not the ones it ended up with!) But, the story has now grown to encompass at least two stories, and quite possibly a third.

The “Elizabeth Trilogy” is, at its heart, the tale of an woman who journeys from secular humanism and the modern “feminism” of our anti-Christian world to the place where God absolutely wants her to be. All of the adventures – and there are many, in Narnia, in space, in weird science-fiction versions of the real world – are secondary to this story. Elizabeth begins as a flawed and broken woman who is, on the surface, successful but is simply hollow inside and ends up wielding the power of an apostle and with the faith of a saint.

Of course, the stories do address many other things – they are a rollicking good adventure, there are elements of parody and other comic elements, and there is a fair degree of philosophy and theology.

Perhaps the most obvious element of the stories is the metafiction – the worlds Elizabeth ends up in are worlds which she knows to be stories. There is always the level of unreality which is suited so well to fanfiction, and the stories themselves make frequent references to fanfiction “in-jokes”. Additionally, a number of problems specific to fanfiction are addressed in the tales.

The stories attempt to “layer” metafiction – Elizabeth herself is portrayed as real but, of course, she is not. The author of the stories is identified as Peter d'Iago – a name I have used myself in the past – and his family is modeled after my own. Even the Gwethil themselves get a mention in “The Redemption of Sulva” and many characters are named after real people.

I am not sure what to say about these stories – this little introduction has been somewhat rambling and not at all focused. But, the stories themselves grew organically and there is no clear ending for them in sight. I daresay that the best understanding can be had by reading the stories.