The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. It was the first of The Chronicles of Narnia to be written, in 1950, and is the best known. The Magician's Nephew is thus a "prequel".

Commentary

The story takes inspiration from the Gospel themes of betrayal, death, resurrection and redemption. The "Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time," and "Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time" can be seen as similar to the Old and New Covenants of Christianity, respectively. There is a nod in the direction of the Trinity concept, with Aslan in the Christ-role and a passing reference to the "Emperor over Sea" as God the Father. The children form a disciple-group around Aslan, with Edmund as Judas and Peter the High King as St Peter. The two girls also follow Biblical precedent through being first to see the resurrected Aslan. The book is not intended to be a re-telling of Biblical stories in another form; it simply borrows ideas from them so as to illustrate basic conceptions of Christianity (and some other ideas as well — Platonic philosophy among them).

Related Topics:
Gospel - Resurrection - Redemption - Covenant - Christianity - Trinity - Christ - God - Disciple - Judas - Peter - Biblical - Plato

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Modern perspectives

Some view the values in Lewis's books as being in ways more traditional than modern or postmodern. The book, and the rest of the Narnia series, have been criticised for sexism, racism, and other offences against modern sensibilities. However the series, and this book in particular, remain popular with children and adults alike. At the end of this book, Lewis tells us that the four children grew to adulthood in Narnia, turning into a kind of Arthurian Camelot (complete with a semi-Shakespearean vocabulary), with their lives in England almost completely forgotten until they stumble back into the wardrobe, instantly shedding the years and turning back into schoolchildren. In Narnia, they had been on the verge of maturity, being courted by Narnian humans, and the subtext suggests that this was the reason they were ejected back into an earlier, more innocent stage of life. Some critics have suggested (from this and later material) that Lewis may have regarded some forms of sexual maturity as something of a fallen state, such as in "The Last Battle", when Susan is described with some disgust as having lost interest in Narnia and become more concerned with "lipstick, nylons and invitations". In later adventures in the Narnia series, the children do not visit for such a subjectively long time, returning home as soon as their immediate involvement is completed.

Related Topics:
Modern - Postmodern - Sexism - Racism - Camelot - Shakespeare - England - Sexual maturity - Fallen - The Last Battle

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The above quote rather suggests Susan had left behind her faith as so many children do upon reaching their teenage years. Lewis spends a great deal of time addressing the modern views of sexual maturity, encouraging some and discouraging others, in his book That Hideous Strength. In these and other writings, Lewis views many things as being in a fallen state, but that sexual maturity is not inherently fallen, only often found in such states.

Related Topics:
Teenage years - Sexual maturity - That Hideous Strength - Fallen

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