“Yes,” said Queen Lucy. “In our world too, a stable
once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”
I feel terribly inadequate as
I attempt to express my thoughts and feelings of The Chronicles of Narnia.
“thoughts and feelings” being
the key phrase, since for me, they are the measure of a great book. Did the author
evoke profound thought or powerful emotion?
Yes! Both!
The Chronicles of Narnia is C. S. Lewis’ timeless masterpiece – timeless is
probably a good third criterion for literary greatness – and again it passes
the test. It may be characterized a number of ways: children’s fantasy – yes,
though countless adults have enjoyed it; High Fantasy – mostly; Christian
allegory – at least in part; symbolic; beautiful; frightful; joyful; powerful;
triumphant – yes and yes!
This was my first read, though
as a Christian, I was vaguely familiar with the allegorical theme. I have often
been surprised, in the past, when I’d encounter non-Christians who enjoyed –
even loved – The Chronicles of Narnia.
It surprises me no longer; it
is testimony to the greatness and versatility of the author.
And to his love. Please forgive
my maudlin sentiment, but I felt Lewis poured a lot of love into The Chronicles of Narnia.
In the only other work I’ve
read by C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity,
I marked his ability to make complex ideas simple, and then to make the simple
incredibly profound. There’s more of that in the Chronicles. I am far from
being an expert on Lewis, but I have concluded he possessed an extraordinary
mind.
The Chronicles of Narnia is
composed of seven distinct novels – any of which can be enjoyed on its own –
though I highly recommend reading them together, and in publication rather than chronological
order. Reason? Simple, it is the order Lewis intended. He presumes the reader
to know later Narnian history, when reading an earlier story.
(It’s a little like watching
Star Wars in chronological order: you don’t get the stunning reveal that Darth
Vader is Luke’s father.)
Wanderer’s commentary on the primary
Christian themes of the seven tales (in publication order):
The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe – Redemption of the lost
Prince Caspian – Corrupt religion restored to truth and purity
The Voyage of the Dawn
Treader – The spiritual life
The Silver Chair – Good vs
evil
The Horse and His Boy – The
calling and conversion of the lost
The Magician’s Nephew – Creation
of the world and the entry of evil
The Last Battle – Evil’s
imitation of the benevolent creator, the final conflict, end of the old world,
beginning of the new
Individually they are
marvelous. Collectively they are beautiful and masterful. The Last Battle moved
me to tears. Have you read The Chronicles of Narnia? In whole or in part? What
did you think?
My rating: 5 of 5 Stars
…Polly Added, “But we’re not quite as bad as that
world, are we, Aslan?” “Not yet, Daughter of Eve,” he said. “Not yet. But you
are growing more like it. It is not certain that some wicked one of your race
will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy
all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old
woman, great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more
for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware.
That is the warning. ~ Excerpt from The Last Battle
I’m currently reading Planet Narnia by Michael Ward which
offers a compelling argument that Lewis hid more meaning in the Chronicles than
most have surmised. Lewis may have been laughing down his sleeve at those,
including his good friend Professor Tolkien, who thought the Chronicles were
simple and incongruous. Planet Narnia
is fascinating, and I’ll give a few, more technical, thoughts about both the
Chronicles and Planet Narnia when I finish that book.
