The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I was so busy reading comic books as a kid, I missed out on a lot of classic children's literature, such as this book about an annoying little drug addict teaming up with Elsa from Frozen to kill Mufasa from The Lion King. And they would have got away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids!

I have managed to avoid all Narnia books and movies for fifty-eight years (except for one short story by Neil Gaiman about Susan Pevensie), but I had sort of formed a notion of what it was about. And the book pretty much starts out as I had imagined, but boy does it get bonkers by the end.

For one thing, I had often heard it was a Christian allegory, but I always assumed it was referring to the Jesus I had grown up with -- you know: turn the show more other cheek, love thy neighbor, render unto Caesar -- not the Crusades Jesus, colonial Jesus, or the Facebook Jesus who sees some Muslim terrorists and yells, "Not on my watch," as tears off his robes to reveal a WWE wrestler's body and tasks an angel to hold his beer. Are we sure C. S. Lewis isn't American? Because this book smacks of White Christian Nationalism as it puts little white outsiders in power over the indigenous people they encounter on the other side of that innocuous wardrobe, fulfilling their manifest destiny as they destroy anyone in their way.

I also wasn't prepared for the meta narrator and his weird asides. And that Very Special Guest Star in the middle of the book? Hoo boy!

I don't see any reason to read any more books in this series. show less

I used to hate Edmund. Now I realize I am Edmund. (And I mean that at the same time as both a witty one-liner and a deep theological statement.)

I’m reading through The Chronicles of Narnia this December in a desperate attempt to increase my number of books read for 2023. (And also because I’m feeling Christmasy, whimsical, philosophical, and nostalgic all at the same time, and this series checks all of those boxes.) My goal is to eventually read through all of C.S. Lewis’ works, but I’m starting here. And I’m already having the time of my life.

These books are so easy to read, and so much fun to experience. Lewis’ writing pulls you into the story in such a rich way, yet the whole book reads like your dad telling you a show more bedtime story. It’s witty, epic, and sweet. And I can’t wait to read more.

I’ve was homeschooled all my life, so I’m well aware that these books (this one in particular) contain strong religious overtones. Being incredibly “religious” myself, I have no problem with this. In fact, it made the book that much more enjoyable because, being the theology nerd that I am, I realized this time that the parallels go deeper than I was aware of before. For me, that made this 1000x more fun to read. For those who aren’t religious/don’t want religious allegories in their books, it wasn’t overbearing (or in most cases, even noticeable enough) to affect your experience, I promise.

Great book, Charlie. 8/10 just because I’m feeling stingy today. Sorry not sorry. Better luck next time. I love you tho, my late brother. RIP✌ show less

1975
1988

The second grade teacher was reading this aloud to the Wolfchild's class, so I'm continuing it. Let me just say that C.S. Lewis is an excellent example of the follies of a white-male Eurocentric education. I picked up the story with Father Christmas's arrival. He's doling out weapons to children and he says he doesn't want the girls to use theirs because "war is an ugly thing when women fight". Give Tolkien his due, I doubt he believed it was the presence of women that kept war from being a pure and beautiful thing. The narrowness of the viewpoint is astounding to me. In the first place, Lewis has set up a civil war in which the bad guys are lead by a woman, so he's already gone the ugly route. In the second place, the show more principals here are four children. Who will be fighting monsters. The man feels no shame for setting up Edmund (who's what, eight or nine?) as the fall guy for an extremely powerful adult witch, so his pounding the Daughter of Eve drum isn't unexpected. Lucy is in turn blamed for not making the older ones believe her, because Lewis is the most victim-blamingest writer ever.

Truly, as an adult reading this stuff I'd wonder if Lewis wasn't suffering from some sort of tragic irony impairment, but he still manages to be amusing. As the narrator he has a really charming rapport with the children he's talking to. It's the charm that keeps you from noticing just how crazy the whole foundation is.

I used to love these books, but now I'm seeing it as a really creepy story. No wonder Pullman wrote [b:His Dark Materials Trilogy|18116|His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)|Philip Pullman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166856232s/18116.jpg|1943518]. show less

I read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series when I was in 6th grade, and only thought they were meh. The overhype around them puzzled me. I found the Chronicles of Prydain at the same time and adored those books and have them repeatedly over the decades. It was very interesting to return to this book in my forties, having published many fantasy books, and read a lot of middle grade.

My impression of the book is much the same--just okay, rather dull, and significantly overhyped. Note that I'm not holding back discussion of spoilers here.

That said, it's not a horrible book. Lewis is a fantastic writer--I've enjoyed a number of his books for adults. The dialogue between the siblings is great; he can write children well, especially the show more horrible Edmund. The setting creates an incredible mood.

What I couldn't articulate as a child is much clearer to me now: the children have almost no agency, and in fact, almost nothing happens in the book. Lucy, and the others, stumble upon Narnia by accident. The good creatures of Narnia do everything for them as stand-ins for adults. The witch's deep winter begins thawing without the children doing anything. The children are handed powerful gifts that they just happen to know how to use (I guess Peter has had swordfighting lessons?). Even at the end, they leave Narnia by accident. The only major choices they make are Edmund's major betrayal and the girls' choice to follow and comfort Aslan at a pivotal point. By modern standards, they are useless as main characters. I suppose someone could argue that everything is being left to God, but I find that a weak point, because as far as action goes, they aren't even at "thoughts at prayers." They simply drift along and the plot happens for them--but this wasn't uncommon for books in this period, either.

The symbolism around Aslan as Jesus is quite stark to me now but I don't mind how that was done. I really like the portrayal of Aslan as "good but scary." His sacrifice certainly is an intense moment. It would be interesting to see everything through his eyes; he's the major protagonist.

Honestly, if we're going to ignore the plot, I would've just loved a gentle book where I get to enjoy tea and a meal with Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers, because I could read pages and pages about their houses and their bright personalities. show less

Though I've read The Chronicles of Narnia multiple times, it's been years since I last read them, and this is the first time I've read it to my children. We finished The Magician's Nephew earlier this year, and last night we read the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Without a doubt, reading it with little people listening has reawakened me to the magic of C.S.Lewis' simple sounding tale, as well as to the layered depths within each. Indeed, reading the stories with my girls (ages 5 and 8) has shown me how the story plays for the target audience. These are stories written for children, and yet, it's often clear that Lewis, for all his efforts sometimes seems to forget who his audience is. But has he? Or is he, like show more a master teacher, layering multiple elements into his tale to allow each student to learn what he, or she, is ready to learn? Even as my girls lean forward eagerly as the Stone Table cracks and squeal in excitement as Aslan reappears, I see another lesson about Deeper Magic, the Emperor Beyond the Sea, the power of Aslan's breath on stone animals, and so many other plot points. They are only story--until they are not, until they are metaphor of something closer to home, closer to the transcendent.

So while my daughters hear story about an evil witch, an heroic lion, and an adventure to another world, I hear a parable about our journey here to Earth, a place where we learn and grow, face our fears and demons, and, ultimately, are redeemed by an act of sacrifice by one who is both innocent and does not merit the stripes he bears on our behalf. It's a multi-tiered story, one which unfolds only as look for the layers.

In short, I loved rereading what was only a straightforward adventure to me as a boy and finding, again, meaning that is not exactly hidden so much as in a language I had not yet learned to understand. Does nostalgia and resonance from my childhood experience play a part in this? Without a doubt--but I somehow wonder if this is exactly what Lewis was playing on as he wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. It is not a new story of his own invention; rather, it is a story as old as the Christianity that Lewis had discovered late in his own life and for which Lewis was an ardent apologist. His power was in finding ways to make the lessons of the gospel come alive to a world that no longer spoke the language of the Old and New Testaments, and yet needed them still.

I was surprised at the depths in The Magician's Nephew, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe did not disappoint either. It was more than an added bonus that my littles enjoyed the story for its ability to excite their imaginations, and I look forward to reading The Horse and His Boy with them soon. show less

I don’t have wonderful childhood memories involving Narnia like some people do—although I certainly heard about the series from other friends as I grew up (and, invariably, was able to shock them with my lack of knowledge about them!). But recently, when I saw friends had the complete boxed set of the books, I decided to borrow them to see what I think of them now.

Although they are clearly aimed at children, I can’t tell you how much some aspects of these stories delight me. I think I must have some whimsical bones in my nature, because the playfulness in some parts was just plain delightful. I loved the mystery woven into the story, as well as all the big and little things the animals were and were not able to do.

My favorite show more part, by far, as I’m sure is other’s favorites as well, was the allegorical portion. I loved seeing what Lewis did there!

A fun book altogether; recommended for those who love fantasy with a Christian slant. show less

Every time I read this wonderful story, it's like catching up with an old friend. I've read this particular Narnia book so many different times, but it never ever gets old. I love the fact that I can pick up this (or any of the other Narnia books, for that matter) and step into a whole other world. I also particularly enjoyed the fact that I found that I could relate with each one of the children, although I must say that I was partial to Lucy! Additionally, I love the role Aslan plays in this book because I think the ultimate sacrifice that he chooses to make shows how innately good he is. Even though this book is an easy read for me now at 18, this is one of those kinds of stories that you can never grow too old for. I really liked show more the line C.S. Lewis wrote in his dedication: "But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." Isn't that the truth? Overall, I'd definitely have to call this a classic that everyone should read at some point or another. show less