The Pondering Haggis Series:
A Study of Metaphysical Ideas in Select Literature

Great Stories Subtly Teach Metaphysics

I’ve always loved stories.

Tobit. Genesis. The Lord of the Rings. Star Wars. Frankenstein. Robert Burns. Countless others.

Over the years I realised something.

The stories that stay with us aren’t just exciting—they’re quietly teaching us how to see reality.

That’s why my next writing project, following Musings of a Dafty, Delinquent Papist, is a series of books exploring the metaphysical themes hidden inside great literature.

My basic conviction is wonderfully simple:

“Good literature invites metaphysical exploration.”

Every memorable story asks the same questions in different ways.

What is power?

What is truth?

What is love?

What kind of person should I become?

When I read a novel now, I find myself looking beneath the plot. The dragon, the empire, the monster, the marriage, the hero’s journey—these aren’t just entertaining events. They’re symbols pointing towards deeper realities.

As I write elsewhere:

“The truth’s immensely, sublimely nuanced.”

That’s why I don’t think literature should be reduced to political commentary or historical criticism alone. Those have their place, but the greatest stories reach much deeper.

They explore the invisible architecture of reality.

A sword can change history.

An idea can change civilisation.

A lie can enslave.

A truthful act can set people free.

Those are all forms of power.

Over the coming years I’ll be sharing a series of books exploring these themes through some of my favourite works—from Scripture and Tolkien to science fiction, Scottish literature and beyond.

My hope isn’t simply that readers enjoy the analysis.

It’s that the next time they read a great story, they’ll notice another layer hiding in plain sight.

Because sometimes the greatest adventures aren’t happening on the page.

They’re happening in the reader’s mind.

The Pondering Haggis Series shall explore these ideas.

Coming soon!