Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)

[Kerensa]

Recently the Narnia books came up several times in a discussion about Tolkien elsewhere on CF, and as it looks like there are quite a few fellow Narnia fans around here, I thought it might be nice to have a dedicated Narnia book club thread. So here's one.

The Chronicles of Narnia (as they're officially called) have been among my absolute favourite books ever since Mum and I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe together when I was 5 years old. I discovered the rest of the series two years later and read them all avidly — I just felt there was something very special about these books and especially about Aslan, but it wasn't until I got to the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Aslan says that he is in our world too but with another name, that I fully twigged...

I "rediscovered" the books much later as an adult (having re-found Christianity after years as an agnostic) and could soon see just how much from them had stayed with me since childhood and become part of me, so to speak. So they are very close to my heart to this day, and they make a great point of commonality with many other Christians and indeed people of other faiths who've read and appreciated them (and/or the several film and TV and stage versions as well).

I'd love to be part of discussions with anyone else here who's also familiar with the Narnia books and would like to join in... over to any of you!

 

[DeerGlow]

Recently the Narnia books came up several times in a discussion about Tolkien elsewhere on CF, and as it looks like there are quite a few fellow Narnia fans around here, I thought it might be nice to have a dedicated Narnia book club thread. So here's one.

The Chronicles of Narnia (as they're officially called) have been among my absolute favourite books ever since Mum and I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe together when I was 5 years old. I discovered the rest of the series two years later and read them all avidly — I just felt there was something very special about these books and especially about Aslan, but it wasn't until I got to the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Aslan says that he is in our world too but with another name, that I fully twigged...

I "rediscovered" the books much later as an adult (having re-found Christianity after years as an agnostic) and could soon see just how much from them had stayed with me since childhood and become part of me, so to speak. So they are very close to my heart to this day, and they make a great point of commonality with many other Christians and indeed people of other faiths who've read and appreciated them (and/or the several film and TV and stage versions as well).

I'd love to be part of discussions with anyone else here who's also familiar with the Narnia books and would like to join in... over to any of you!

I read the whole series, but I only remember the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe well.

 

[Dale]

Recently the Narnia books came up several times in a discussion about Tolkien elsewhere on CF, and as it looks like there are quite a few fellow Narnia fans around here, I thought it might be nice to have a dedicated Narnia book club thread. So here's one.

The Chronicles of Narnia (as they're officially called) have been among my absolute favourite books ever since Mum and I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe together when I was 5 years old. I discovered the rest of the series two years later and read them all avidly — I just felt there was something very special about these books and especially about Aslan, but it wasn't until I got to the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Aslan says that he is in our world too but with another name, that I fully twigged...

I "rediscovered" the books much later as an adult (having re-found Christianity after years as an agnostic) and could soon see just how much from them had stayed with me since childhood and become part of me, so to speak. So they are very close to my heart to this day, and they make a great point of commonality with many other Christians and indeed people of other faiths who've read and appreciated them (and/or the several film and TV and stage versions as well).

I'd love to be part of discussions with anyone else here who's also familiar with the Narnia books and would like to join in... over to any of you!

I haven't read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but I have seen the movie. Maybe you can tell me if the movie measures up to the book.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I love this series. I read it for the first time as an adult at 34/35.

I used to watch an animated version of the movie when I was a kid all the time, and actually prefer that version to the live action newer movies.

I prefer to read the series in the order of publication as the UK did it and not the Americanized way of publishing in order of events.

My favorites are Lion Witch and Wardrobe, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and the final book. I know views on the final one are a bit mixed but I adored it. Will have to refresh my memory on each book by looking at them

 

[Christie insb]

I love this series. I read it for the first time as an adult at 34/35.

I used to watch an animated version of the movie when I was a kid all the time, and actually prefer that version to the live action newer movies.

I prefer to read the series in the order of publication as the UK did it and not the Americanized way of publishing in order of events.

My favorites are Lion Witch and Wardrobe, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and the final book. I know views on the final one are a bit mixed but I adored it. Will have to refresh my memory on each book by looking at them

I read the Chronicles of Narnia to my son when he was five. All was well until the last one. He understood perfectly well that they died, and he was very upset.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I read the Chronicles of Narnia to my son when he was five. All was well until the last one. He understood perfectly well that they died, and he was very upset.

Death is hard but I enjoyed that the series showed the full evolution of the Narnia world where at the end Aslan (Jesus) brought them to Him when the world ended. It is hard for a child to understand especially though. I read some reviewers on a book site didn't like the last book because of this, especially those who weren't Christian.

 

[Christie insb]

Recently the Narnia books came up several times in a discussion about Tolkien elsewhere on CF, and as it looks like there are quite a few fellow Narnia fans around here, I thought it might be nice to have a dedicated Narnia book club thread. So here's one.

The Chronicles of Narnia (as they're officially called) have been among my absolute favourite books ever since Mum and I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe together when I was 5 years old. I discovered the rest of the series two years later and read them all avidly — I just felt there was something very special about these books and especially about Aslan, but it wasn't until I got to the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Aslan says that he is in our world too but with another name, that I fully twigged...

I "rediscovered" the books much later as an adult (having re-found Christianity after years as an agnostic) and could soon see just how much from them had stayed with me since childhood and become part of me, so to speak. So they are very close to my heart to this day, and they make a great point of commonality with many other Christians and indeed people of other faiths who've read and appreciated them (and/or the several film and TV and stage versions as well).

I'd love to be part of discussions with anyone else here who's also familiar with the Narnia books and would like to join in... over to any of you!

I read them all when I was in my early teens . Read them to my brother going through again. Then when I was in college I would read one of the books every quarter during finals week. So I have read them all over and over. I really liked Eustace's transformation in the Dawn Treader.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I haven't read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but I have seen the movie. Maybe you can tell me if the movie measures up to the book.

The movie is pretty faithful to the book, but again I personally prefer a particular animated version - this one:

I wasn't as crazy about the other cartoon version

I will say I was very disappointed with the other two movies, Voyage of Dawn Treader and Prince Caspian. Dawn Treader they left the main purposes in but left out some of the cool, surreal stuff from the book. Prince Caspian they changed a lot for politically correct reasons and to add what they saw as more interest like internal battles in the group, which wasn't needed or written in the book.

 

[Christie insb]

Death is hard but I enjoyed that the series showed the full evolution of the Narnia world where at the end Aslan (Jesus) brought them to Him when the world ended. It is hard for a child to understand especially though. I read some reviewers on a book site didn't like the last book because of this, especially those who weren't Christian.

Yeah. It didn't occur to me that it would bother him. I had been raised with scary ideas about the Second Coming, and the Narnia version was very good for me. Further up and further in!

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

I read the whole series, but I only remember the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe well.

I used to be a primary (elementary) school teacher and often read this book aloud to students aged 9 or 10.

 

[DeerGlow]

I used to be a primary (elementary) school teacher and often read this book aloud to students aged 9 or 10.

I like the movie. The rest of the series I think I got from a library.

 

[kittysbecute]

The Horse and His Boy is my favorite in the series.

 

[JCFantasy23]

My Ratings of the Series when I read and reviewed them

(Out of Five Star Rating System)

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe ★★★★★
Prince Caspian ★★★★★
Voyage of the Dawn Treader ★★★★
The Silver Chair ★★★
The Magician's Nephew ★★★
The Horse and His Boy ★★★★
The Last Battle ★★★★★

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

There is a scene in the Silver Chair, where the Lady of the Green Kirtle tries to convince Eustace, Jill and Puddleglum that their world is an illusion made up from her subterranean one. That the sun was merely invented, based on the candle writ large for instance. It has always been a favourite scene of mine, a sort of reverse Allegory of the Cave.

Narnia is rich with such subtext and allusion. We see Aesop's fable of the Ass in the Lion's skin in Last Battle, or the Voyage of the Dawn Treader with its dufflepods (Monopods from Pliny) and its mirroring of Irish Immram or fantastical voyage stories.

Even deep controversies are touched upon, like Emeth being saved in spite of his worship of Tash, or the dwarves in the hut perishing in blindness. They are not my favourite CS Lewis works, but I enjoyed them immensely nonetheless.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

There is also an interesting theory that the 7 books mirror the seven classical planets. In the defence thereof, Lewis was a mediaevalist and well read on the subject.

Jupiter: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Mars: Prince Caspian
Sol: The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader“
Luna: The Silver Chair
Mercury: The Horse and his Boy
Venus: The Magician’s Nephew
Saturn: The Last Battle

The character of the books supposedly mirror attributes associated with these planets, like Martial Prince Caspian; or the End of Winter, return of the King, theme in The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe; or the Moon and the dark perpetual night of the underland in Silver Chair.
There are also colour associations and even name ones, like Silver Chair and the Moon, Dawn Treader and the Sun.

Quite fascinating. Lewis never said anything of the sort, but the speculation around it seems intriguing and certainly not beyond his fertile mind to do.

 

[fantascey]

I was reading the magicians nephew, but somehow it is just harder for me to get into than the lion the witch and the wardrobe was. I realize that understanding the origin of the evil ice witch is important, but something about it just made it less than what i would call an easy read. anyone else feel that way?

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

I was reading the magicians nephew, but somehow it is just harder for me to get into than the lion the witch and the wardrobe was. I realize that understanding the origin of the evil ice witch is important, but something about it just made it less than what i would call an easy read. anyone else feel that way?

I know in general people prefer the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the Magician's Nephew, but I buck the trend a little bit.
I really like the idea of the Wood between the Worlds, the origin of the Lamppost, the parallels to Genesis. Where Aslan 'sings' the world into existence, a sort of Music of the Spheres or universal Order, as opposed to naturalist chaos, I find a hearty episode.
Even the lesson of Charn, how Jadis' hubris and pride destroyed her world, its destruction in an instant, with Aslan's warning that ours may follow suit, is very topical and salutary.

That being said, it is more an adventure story than the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which broaches themes of repentence, atonement and betrayal. The latter is where the heart of Narnia lies, its true art as a supposition of the Christian faith, and along with the Last Battle, are the most important parts of the series. I look forward to introducing my children to these books and hope it will help them grow in faith, of which the Magician's Nephew likely will be of lesser import.

 

[DeerGlow]

I know in general people prefer the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the Magician's Nephew, but I buck the trend a little bit.
I really like the idea of the Wood between the Worlds, the origin of the Lamppost, the parallels to Genesis. Where Aslan 'sings' the world into existence, a sort of Music of the Spheres or universal Order, as opposed to naturalist chaos, I find a hearty episode.
Even the lesson of Charn, how Jadis' hubris and pride destroyed her world, its destruction in an instant, with Aslan's warning that ours may follow suit, is very topical and salutary.

That being said, it is more an adventure story than the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which broaches themes of repentence, atonement and betrayal. The latter is where the heart of Narnia lies, its true art as a supposition of the Christian faith, and along with the Last Battle, are the most important parts of the series. I look forward to introducing my children to these books and hope it will help them grow in faith, of which the Magician's Nephew likely will be of lesser import.

Is Jadis the witch? I can't remember it's been a while.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

What order would others recommend the series be read in? The Chronologic order or the order in which it was published, or another order entirely?

The previous post made me wonder, and I think it should start with the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, followed by Horse and his Boy, Prince Caspian, then Dawn Treader, the Silver Chair, Magician's Nephew and ending with Last Battle. This allows the characters to build upon one another, so that they aren't out of narrative sequence, but largely maintaining the themes. Putting Horse and his Boy earlier also helps set the tone for the mythical nature of Caer Paravel for Prince Caspian. Magician's Nephew is then read completely out of chronological sequence, like a flashback before the end of Narnia.

Any thoughts?

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Is Jadis the witch? I can't remember it's been a while.

It is implied she is, although she is never mentioned by that name in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She is only called the White Witch there.

Some also think the Lady in the Green Kirtle is the same figure or an embodiment of her, but I disagree.