Anathema

Many of the thematic interests of Anathema are derived from real-world issues, past and present, specifically in the context of European imperialism and the economic systems of the last few centuries. Various issues in the text reflect issues faced in reality, such as the hoarding of wealth, the concentration of power among the few, and the discrimination faced by marginalized and disenfranchised groups. Notably, the novel’s use of vivicantem could be seen as a representation of life-saving medications, which are often kept from patients who need them because of financial concerns. In addition, the linking of vivicantem and the ability to use magic makes vivicantem a representation of wealth accumulation, to which it is tied closely in the novel. Without wealth or power, people lack efficacy and control in their own lives, which is manifested in Aethyria as the Nilivir, or spindlings. The Nilivir have lost their ability to use magic over generations, representing the real-life issue of generational wealth and poverty, in which impoverished families tend to become even more impoverished, while wealthy families continue to amass more wealth.

Another prevalent issue in the text is gender discrimination and antigay bias, which is most dominant in Vonkovya. In Foxglove Parish, the religion revolves around the worship of the Red God, a monotheistic religion that parallels the real-world Puritans and, more generally, Christianity. Elements like banishing and burning women for practicing witchcraft, excluding women from public life, and enforcing rigid sexual and gendered norms through public punishment are all reminiscent of the witch hunts and religious persecution of the late 17th and 18th centuries in Europe and North America. Maevyth is restricted to wearing specific clothing, and she is regularly beaten and assaulted for being different from others; however, this ostracization is also closely tied to her fierce independence. As such, Maevyth’s struggle is that of a woman facing a strict patriarchal, religious hierarchy, in which she is undervalued and oppressed.