Chronicles of Narnia
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hitmouse
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did you ever read these? What did you think?
did you ever read these? What did you think?
chongjasmine
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I did read them. Like them very much.
pogopossum
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Read them all. There it wasn't even symbolism, they were Christianity laid bare.
Lewis had too much skill to write total clunkers, but I did not like them as the intent seemed to be to sandwich Christianity into a educate, not to tell a story or even to inspire.
Lewis had too much skill to write total clunkers, but I did not like them as the intent seemed to be to sandwich Christianity into a educate, not to tell a story or even to inspire.
Extollager
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Pogopossum wrote, "Wife (she is 75 now) wrote a fan letter to C.S. Lewis in which she asked him a couple of questions. He responded and and spoke to her questions. This was somewhen in the 50s. Times were simpler then. She does not remember the questions or the answers. Just the gentle tone of Lewis' response."
Yes, that was Lewis's way, to write back to the children and adults who wrote to him.
He was a great letter writer. There are three thick volumes of his letters and the set doesn't include all of his surviving letters. One of the elements of his letters that I relish is his accounts of his walking tours. Though most of his life he was a sedentary scholar, he relished his long walks and the rambles around the then-somewhat rural region of his residence, The Kilns. This love of the British countryside and of County Down permeates his fiction. I am sure that I am indebted to him and to Tolkien for my developing, as a boy, an imaginative responsiveness to the woods of western Oregon where I lived. These two authors must have subtly influenced many people who, as adults who might even have forgotten them, became defenders of green places. In this connection one should read Dickerson and Evans's Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien (a book better than its title). Dickerson and David O'Hara have written a comparable book about Lewis.
Is Tolkien still relevant? | Page 3 | Science Fiction & Fantasy forums (sffchronicles.com)
Amazon.com: Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: The Environmental Vision of C. S. Lewis (Clark Lectures) (9780813125220): Matthew T. Dickerson, David L. O'Hara: Books
Yes, that was Lewis's way, to write back to the children and adults who wrote to him.
He was a great letter writer. There are three thick volumes of his letters and the set doesn't include all of his surviving letters. One of the elements of his letters that I relish is his accounts of his walking tours. Though most of his life he was a sedentary scholar, he relished his long walks and the rambles around the then-somewhat rural region of his residence, The Kilns. This love of the British countryside and of County Down permeates his fiction. I am sure that I am indebted to him and to Tolkien for my developing, as a boy, an imaginative responsiveness to the woods of western Oregon where I lived. These two authors must have subtly influenced many people who, as adults who might even have forgotten them, became defenders of green places. In this connection one should read Dickerson and Evans's Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien (a book better than its title). Dickerson and David O'Hara have written a comparable book about Lewis.
Is Tolkien still relevant? | Page 3 | Science Fiction & Fantasy forums (sffchronicles.com)
Amazon.com: Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: The Environmental Vision of C. S. Lewis (Clark Lectures) (9780813125220): Matthew T. Dickerson, David L. O'Hara: Books
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Extollager
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Perhaps a thread identified as being on the Narnian books is not the place where I should mention my enthusiasm for the three science fiction novels; but let me just say they are (nearly) lifelong favorites. Some years ago I reckoned up the books I have reread the most times, and Out of the Silent Planet was the leader, at 16 readings.
Thiswriterinme
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I've read all the Chronicles of Narnia books many times over, and I highly recommend them. When I heard people claiming that the books were a Christian allegory, I was actually pretty surprised. There are dozens of references to all kinds of religions, cultural myths, and belief systems apart from Christianity.
Some of them are actually very far removed from Christianity, stemming from Buddhism, Ancient Egypt, and even some lesser-known tribal beliefs. In fact, a lot of Christian and Evangelist book reviews have stated the series is too heavy in the occult. In my research, Lewis himself refuted claims that they were written as a Christian allegory. He says he wrote them with the intention of answering the question "What if there was another world that Jesus decided to save." In writing the Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis says he used symbolism to answer that question.
It is compared to other stories inspired by the "what if" question - "what if the main characters of Hamlet were lions? What if Abraham Lincon hunted vampires?" The same question a lot of writers ask when coming up with a story idea. Some interesting information from Lewis, the actual definition of allegory, comparisons to other literature, and thoughts on his writing process about the Narnia books can be read here
There's no denying that there is Christian symbolism in the books, but there is also symbolism for a lot of other religions and beliefs as well. Maybe Christianity is the most prevalent, but I have trouble lumping all the books into the "Christian allegory" group when there is so much more going on that is unrelated.
Some of them are actually very far removed from Christianity, stemming from Buddhism, Ancient Egypt, and even some lesser-known tribal beliefs. In fact, a lot of Christian and Evangelist book reviews have stated the series is too heavy in the occult. In my research, Lewis himself refuted claims that they were written as a Christian allegory. He says he wrote them with the intention of answering the question "What if there was another world that Jesus decided to save." In writing the Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis says he used symbolism to answer that question.
It is compared to other stories inspired by the "what if" question - "what if the main characters of Hamlet were lions? What if Abraham Lincon hunted vampires?" The same question a lot of writers ask when coming up with a story idea. Some interesting information from Lewis, the actual definition of allegory, comparisons to other literature, and thoughts on his writing process about the Narnia books can be read here
There's no denying that there is Christian symbolism in the books, but there is also symbolism for a lot of other religions and beliefs as well. Maybe Christianity is the most prevalent, but I have trouble lumping all the books into the "Christian allegory" group when there is so much more going on that is unrelated.
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I’m a huge fan of his space trilogy. They’re a harder read than Narnia but well worth the effort. Whatever else he wrote about, Jack was a spec writer to his core.
I liked Out of the Silent Planet and liked Perelandra even more, but I did not care for That Hideous Strength. It didn't seem to fit with the other two books somehow. But it wasn't the best time in my life when I read it, and maybe I didn't give it my full attention.
Extollager
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Teresa, I hope you will at least read the lovely description of Bragdon Wood in the first chapter of That Hideous Strength -- it's the third section of the chapter, five paragraphs, and one of my favorite passages in any work I've ever read.
I see THS as Lewis's wonderful book in which he put in "everything but the kitchen sink" that he loved. There are a hundred leads for reading, walking, listening to music, conversation in the kitchen, etc. Of course it's also about things that threaten all of them. It's a book about what we mean, or should mean, when we talk about civilization, about being a civilized person, etc. I want to know people like some of these people and to be someone like some of them -- and never to be like some of the other characters!
I see THS as Lewis's wonderful book in which he put in "everything but the kitchen sink" that he loved. There are a hundred leads for reading, walking, listening to music, conversation in the kitchen, etc. Of course it's also about things that threaten all of them. It's a book about what we mean, or should mean, when we talk about civilization, about being a civilized person, etc. I want to know people like some of these people and to be someone like some of them -- and never to be like some of the other characters!
Well, as I said, it was a difficult time in my life when I read it—in fact, a time that provided me with the stuff of nightmares for over fifty years. (For those who wonder, no, nothing happened, nothing from the outside.) But since I am going through something similar at the moment, I don't think this would be a good time to read it and compare.
Extollager
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Of course! Though if and when the time comes round to pick up THS again, maybe you’ll comment on those five paragraphs. 
Of course! Though if and when the time comes round to pick up THS again, maybe you’ll comment on those five paragraphs.
I will try to remember to do so.
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