The Chronicles of Narnia
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The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 41 languages. Written by Lewis between 1949 and 1954 and illustrated by Pauline Baynes, The Chronicles of Narnia have been adapted several times, complete or in part, for radio, television, stage, and cinema.
The series contains many allusions to traditional Christian ideas, presented in a format designed to make them easily accessible to younger readers; however, the books can also be read purely for their adventure, colour, and richness of ideas, and as a result have become favourites of children and adults, Christians and non-Christians alike. (They had, for example, considerable success in their Israeli Hebrew translation.)[citation needed] In addition to employing Christian themes, Lewis also borrows characters and ideas from Greek and Roman mythology, as well as from traditional British and Irish fairy tales.
The Chronicles of Narnia present the adventures of children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the fictional realm of Narnia, a place where animals talk, magic is common, and good battles evil. Each of the books (with the exception of The Horse and His Boy) feature as their protagonists children from our world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are called upon to help the lion Aslan set some wrong to right.
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[edit] The books
The Chronicles of Narnia have been in continuous publication since 1954 and have sold over 100 million copies in 41 languages (Kelly 2006)(Guthmann 2005). Lewis was awarded the 1956 Carnegie Medal for The Last Battle, the final book in the series, and the series as a whole is considered a classic of children's literature. The books were written by Lewis between 1949 and 1954 but were not written entirely in either the order they were originally published or in the chronological order in which they currently appear (Ford 2005). The original illustrator was Pauline Baynes and her simple pen and ink drawings are still used in publication today. The seven books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia are presented here in the order in which they were originally published (see reading order below). Completion dates for the novels are English (Northern Hemisphere) seasons.
[edit] The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, completed in the spring of 1949 (Ford 2005) and published in 1950, tells the story of four ordinary children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie. They discover that a wardrobe in an old professor's house leads to the magical land of Narnia, currently under the spell of a witch. The children fulfill an ancient, mysterious prophecy as they help Aslan the lion save Narnia.
[edit] Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
Completed in the autumn of 1949 and published in 1951, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia tells the story of the Pevensie children's second trip to Narnia, during which they discover that an evil king has usurped the throne. Once again, they set out to save Narnia, this time with the help of the rightful ruler, Prince Caspian.
[edit] The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Completed in the winter of 1950 and published in 1952, The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’ returns Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their priggish cousin, Eustace Scrubb, to Narnia. Once there, they accompany King Caspian on a voyage to find the seven lords who were banished when Miraz took over the throne. This perilous journey brings them face to face with many wonders and dangers as they sail toward Aslan's country at the end of the world.
[edit] The Silver Chair
Completed in the spring of 1951 and published in 1953, The Silver Chair is the first book without the Pevensie children. Instead, Aslan calls Eustace back to Narnia together with his classmate Jill Pole. There they are given four clues to find Prince Rilian, Caspian's son, who had been kidnapped ten years earlier. Eustace and Jill, with the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle and many others, face great danger before finding Rilian.
[edit] The Horse and His Boy
Completed in the spring of 1950 and published in 1954, The Horse and His Boy is the first of the books that does not follow the previous one sequentially; instead, it takes place during the reign of the Pevensies in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story is about Bree, a talking horse, and Shasta, a young boy, who have both been held (albeit separately) in bondage in Calormen, a country to the south of Narnia. By chance, they meet each other and plan their return to Narnia and freedom. On their journey they discover that the Calormenes are about to invade Narnia, and they alert Narnia and its allies.
[edit] The Magician’s Nephew
Completed in the winter of 1954 and published in 1955, the prequel The Magician's Nephew brings the reader back to the very beginning of Narnia where we learn how Aslan created the world and how evil first entered it. Many long-standing questions about Narnia are answered, such as how inter-world travel was made possible, as another group of people from Earth stumble into Narnia via an entirely different route.
[edit] The Last Battle
The Last Battle, completed in the spring of 1953, published in 1956 and awarded the Carnegie Medal, chronicles the end of the world of Narnia. Jill and Eustace return to save Narnia from Shift, an ape, who tricks Puzzle, a donkey, into impersonating the lion Aslan. This is the seventh and last book in the series.
[edit] Reading order
Fans of the series often have strong opinions over the correct ordering of the books. When the books were originally published, they were not numbered. The first American publisher, Macmillan, put numbers on the books in the order in which they were published. When HarperCollins took over the series in 1994, the books were renumbered using the internal chronological order, as suggested by Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham.
| Publication order | Chronological order |
|---|---|
| 1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | 1. The Magician's Nephew |
| 2. Prince Caspian | 2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe |
| 3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 3. The Horse and His Boy |
| 4. The Silver Chair | 4. Prince Caspian |
| 5. The Horse and His Boy | 5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader |
| 6. The Magician's Nephew | 6. The Silver Chair |
| 7. The Last Battle | 7. The Last Battle |
To make the case for his suggested order, Gresham quoted Lewis's reply to a letter from an American fan in 1957 who was having an argument with his mother about the order:
“I think I agree with your order [i.e. chronological] for reading the books more than with your mother’s. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn't think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. I’m not even sure that all the others were written in the same order in which they were published.” (Dorsett & Mead 1996)
Fans of the series who appreciate the original order believe that Lewis was only being polite to a child, and that he could have changed the order in his lifetime had he so desired (Brady 2005). They maintain that much of the magic of Narnia comes from the way in which the world is gradually presented in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They believe that the mystery of the wardrobe is narratively a much better introduction than in The Magician's Nephew — where the word "Narnia" is the fortieth word in the book. Moreover, they say that it is clear from the texts themselves that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was intended to be the first book read, and that The Magician's Nephew was not. For instance, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when Aslan is first mentioned, the narrator states, "None of the children knew who Aslan was, any more than you do." Fans of the original order say that that statement is nonsensical if one has already read The Magician's Nephew. Other similar textual examples are also cited. This argument hinges partly on the claim that Chronology is not equivalent to Narrative (Rilstone 2004).
[edit] Christian parallels
- Specific Christian parallels may be found in the entries for individual books and characters.
Although he did not set out to do so, in the process of writing his fantasy works, Lewis (an adult convert to Christianity) found himself incorporating Christian theological concepts into his stories. As he wrote in Of Other Worlds:
“Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument, then collected information about child psychology and decided what age group I’d write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out ‘allegories’ to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn’t write in that way. It all began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn’t anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord.”
Lewis, an expert on the subject of allegory, maintained that the books were not allegory, and preferred to call the Christian aspects of them "suppositional". This is similar to what we would now call fictional parallel universes. As Lewis wrote in a letter to a Mrs Hook in December of 1958:
“If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity in the same way in which Giant Despair [a character in The Pilgrim's Progress] represents despair, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality, however, he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, ‘What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia, and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?’ This is not allegory at all.” (Martindale & Root 1990)
The Narnia series is not an allegory, because allegories have an overarching figurative level of meaning tied to the literal level, and the Narnia series has a literal level of meaning without any overarching figurative level, though there are figurative elements. The misconception that the Narnia series is an allegory is the result of the disjunction caused by the narrative taking place across parallel universes[citation needed]. There are similarities between the world of Narnia and our own, but these are literal manifestations of the same phenomena in multiple worlds, not allegorical abstractions. For example, the character Aslan is not an allegorical representation of Christ, but a literal representation of Christ only in another body, in another universe, and by another name. Aslan and Jesus are the same character in two different worlds. There is no allegory involved. As Lewis has Aslan say at the end of Dawn Treader, "There I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name."
With the release of 2005 Disney film there has been renewed interest in the Christian parallels found in the books. Some find them distasteful, while noting that they are easy to miss if you are not familiar with Christianity. (Toynbee 2005) Alan Jacobs, author of The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis, says flatly that Lewis has become "a pawn in America's culture wars" (Jacobs 2005). Some Christians see the Chronicles as excellent tools for Christian evangelism. (Kent 2005) A multitude of books have been written that draw attention to the Chronicles' biblical parallels (see Further Reading below).
[edit] Influences on Narnia
[edit] Lewis' life
Lewis' early life has echoes within the Chronicles. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1898, his family moved to a large house on the edge of the city when he was seven. The house contained long hallways and empty rooms, and Lewis and his brother invented make-believe worlds while exploring their home. Like Caspian and Tirian, Lewis lost his mother at an early age; like Edmund, Jill, and Eustace, he spent a long, miserable time in English boarding schools and, as a young boy, he, again like Caspian, had a tutor who brought new light into his dark, sad life.
During World War II, many children were evacuated from London because of air raids. Some of these children stayed with Lewis at his home in Oxford, just as the Pevensies stayed with the professor. (Wilson 2005)
[edit] The Inklings
Lewis was the chief member of the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group in Oxford which at various times included the writers J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Lewis's brother W. H. Lewis, and Roger Lancelyn Green. Readings and discussions of the members' unfinished works were one of the main activities of the group when they met, usually on Thursday evenings, in C. S. Lewis's college rooms at Magdalen College. Some of the Narnia stories are thought to have been read to the Inklings for their appreciation and comment.
[edit] Influences from mythology
The fauna of the series borrows from both Greek mythology and Norse mythology in the series. For example, centaurs originated in Greek myth, and dwarves have origins in Norse myth.
Drew Trotter, PhD, president of the Center for Christian Study, noted that the producers of the film version of The Chronicles of Narnia felt that The Chronicles of Narnia closely follows the archetypal pattern of the monomyth as detailed in Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces. (Trotter 2005) Joseph Campbell himself felt that the New Testament adhered to the archetypal monomyth and was but "one version of mythic stories that can be found in many cultures." (Jacobs 2004) Both The Chronicles of Narnia and the New Testament contain Jungian archetypal imagery.
[edit] Name
The origin of the name Narnia is uncertain. According to Paul Ford's Companion to Narnia, there is no indication that Lewis was alluding to the ancient Umbrian city Nequinium, renamed Narnia by the conquering Romans in 299 BC after the river Nar, a tributary of the Tiber. However, since Lewis studied classics at Oxford, it is possible that he came across at least some of the seven or so references to Narnia in Latin literature. (Ford 2005)
There is no evidence of a link with Tolkien's Elvish (Sindarin) word narn, meaning a lay or poetic narrative, as in his posthumously published Narn i Chîn Húrin, though Lewis may have read or heard parts of this at meetings of the Inklings.
[edit] Narnia's influence on others
[edit] Influence on authors
A more recent British series of novels, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, has been seen as a response to the Narnia books. Pullman's series favors scientific materialism over religion, wholly rejecting the themes of Christian theology which permeate the Narnia series, but has many of the same issues, subject matter, and types of characters (including talking animals) as the Chronicles of Narnia.
Fantasy author Neil Gaiman wrote the 2004 short story "The Problem of Susan", in which an elderly woman, Professor Hastings, is depicted dealing with the grief and trauma of her entire family dying in a train crash. The woman's first name is not revealed, but she mentions her brother "Ed", and it is strongly implied that this is Susan Pevensie as an elderly woman. In the story Gaiman presents, in fictional form, a critique of Lewis' treatment of Susan. The story can be found in Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy Volume II (edited by Al Sarrantonio) and in the Gaiman collection Fragile Things. "The Problem of Susan" is written for an adult audience and deals with sexuality and violence.(Gaiman 2004, pp. 151ff) Additionally, Gaiman's Sandman graphic novel series features a Narnia-like "dream island" in its story arc entitled A Game of You.
The Talisman, written by Stephen King and Peter Straub, features a boy named Jack who travels between our Earth and a magical world in hopes of acquiring a mystical object in order to save the life of his mother who is dying of cancer, as well as the world. A main premise of the book, the concept of "twinners", closely resembles Lewis' assertion that Aslan is a manifestation of Jesus Christ in a parallel world. In King's The Dark Tower series, the Dark Tower is described as the "lynchpin" where all possible realities connect. At one point it is stated that in one reality the Tower manifests as a lion.
In Katherine Paterson's book Bridge to Terebithia, one of the main characters, Leslie, tells the other main character, Jesse, of her love of C. S. Lewis' books, and mentions Narnia. Some people have accused her of plagiarisim, because of a Narnian island named Terebinthia, but Paterson has said that the reference was not deliberate.(Paterson 2003, pp. 1)
The Abarat Series as authored by Clive Barker is heavily influenced by the Narnia series. Barker wants Abarat to be his Narnia as stated in an audio interview done in 2004.
Science fiction author Greg Egan's short story "Oracle" depicts a parallel universe with an author nicknamed "Jack" who has written novels about the fictional Kingdom of Nesica, and whose wife is dying of cancer. The story uses several Narnian allegories to explore issues of religion and faith versus science and knowledge.
[edit] Influence on popular culture
- Main article: The Chronicles of Narnia in popular culture
As one would expect with any popular, long-lived work, references to The Chronicles of Narnia are relatively common in pop culture. References to the lion Aslan, travelling via wardrobe, and direct references to The Chronicles of Narnia occur in books, television, songs, games and graphic novels. For example:
- The American rock band Phish's song Prince Caspian from the album Live Phish Volume 3 features what may be "the sound of horse's hooves galloping under water" and the repeated lyric, "Oh to be Prince Caspian, afloat upon the waves... with nothing to return to but the demons in their caves."
- In an episode of the television sitcom Friends, Chandler gets defensive about his "nubbin". When Ross asks "if it does anything", he replies: "Why yes Ross, pressing my third nipple opens the delivery entrance to the magical land of Narnia."
- In Roald Dahl's book Matilda, the title character Matilda says that she loves the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
- The computer adventure game Simon the Sorcerer contains a scene in which the main character finds a stone table and says, "perfect for troll meals and shaved lions".
- In the graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (vol. 2, num. 1), reference is made in a text fragment to the apple tree from The Magician's Nephew. In the next comic in the series, a text piece refers to the possibility of making a wardrobe from the apple tree.
[edit] Criticism
Part of the criticism that the novels have received over the years centers on the description of Susan Pevensie in The Last Battle. In the novel, the last of the series, Susan does not go to Narnia; other characters describe Susan as being "no longer a friend of Narnia," and as being interested "in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations." J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, while commenting on Lewis's sentimentality about children, has said:
“There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She’s become irreligious basically because she found sex. I have a big problem with that.” (Grossman 2005)
Others read the passage more critically, including allegations of sexism. Author of the children's series His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman, openly criticised The Chronicles of Narnia for what he describes as religious propaganda. Speaking at the Guardian Hay Festival, Pullman said the Narnia stories were "monumentally disparaging of women."(Ezard 2002), and has been quoted as saying, "I hate the Narnia books...with a passion...".
“Susan, like Cinderella, is undergoing a transition from one phase of her life to another. Lewis didn't approve of that. He didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his life when he wrote the Narnia books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up.” (Pullman 1998)
It is claimed that the reference to "lipsticks, nylons, and invitations" were intended to represent temptations of the world. However, many oppose this view, arguing that the quote is taken out of context, and that Susan does not go back to Narnia in The Last Battle specifically because she no longer believes in it. It is not stated that Susan is permanently excluded: at the end of the story she is still alive in our world with her destiny not yet fully revealed. Moreover, in The Horse and His Boy, an earlier work, Susan's adulthood and sexual maturity is portrayed in a positive light. In fact in the same scene of the Last Battle, Polly Plummer, a woman many decades her superior specifically states, "I wish she WOULD grow up." and so many argue that it was not the feminine lifestyle that was problematic but that she let it become the larger part of her life, even allowing it to derail her faith in Narnia. Defenders of Lewis also cite the positive roles of women in the series, like Lucy Pevensie and Aravis Tarkheena, who are main characters in the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy, respectively. It is asserted that Lucy is the most admirable of the human characters, and that in general the girls come off better than the boys through the stories. (Anderson 2005), (Rilstone 2005), (Jacobs 2005)
In addition to sexism, Lewis has also been accused of racism. Pullman, an atheist (Dodd 2004), said the books were "blatantly racist" (Ezard 2002) and in an interview with The Observer, criticised the film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by saying, "if the Disney corporation wants to market this film as a great Christian story, they'll just have to tell lies about it." He added, "it's not the presence of Christian doctrine I object to so much as the absence of Christian virtue," and that the books contained "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic, and reactionary prejudice." (BBC News 2005)
[For Lewis] “Death is better than life; boys are better than girls; light-coloured people are better than dark-coloured people; and so on. There is no shortage of such nauseating drivel in Narnia, if you can face it.” (Pullman 1998)
The racism critique is based on a perceived negative representation of other races and religions, particularly the Calormenes, as enemies of Aslan and Narnia (Hensher 1998). The Calormenes are described as dark-skinned people with a garlic-scented breath, who wear turbans and pointy slippers, and are armed with scimitars. This depiction has been cited as a blatant comparison to the traditional attire of Islam and Sikhism. The Calormenes worship a main "false god" Tash, who is portrayed as a stereotypical Satanic being requiring evil deeds and sacrifices from his followers.
There are Calormene characters portrayed in a positive light throughout the series. In The Horse and His Boy, one of the main characters, Aravis, is a Calormene princess that ends up marrying an Archenlander prince of white ethnicity. In The Last Battle, the Calormene Emeth is accepted by Aslan, although he was a worshiper of Tash. (Nelson 2005, pp. B14) Lewis supporters point to the fact that Lewis's writings have a particularly British Victorian era flavour that was much in fashion during his lifetime, but that may now be seen as politically incorrect. O'Connor writes: "In his time, people thought it was amusing to make fun of other cultures. We don't. Read the stories, ask questions, and remember that the person who wrote this story was altogether too human.".
In a 2005 article for The Guardian, Polly Toynbee also criticised the Narnia books, writing that "Lewis weaves his dreams to invade children's minds with Christian iconography that is part fairytale wonder and joy — but heavily laden with guilt, blame, sacrifice and a suffering that is dark with emotional sadism." Toynbee also stated that Narnia is populated with "worlds of obedient plebs and inferior folk eager to bend at the knee to any passing superior white persons," and that "Narnia is the perfect Republican, muscular Christianity for America — that warped, distorted neo-fascist strain that thinks might is proof of right." (Toynbee 2005)
The fact that Lewis and other similar-minded contemporaries such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Charles Williams remained popular over such a long period of time suggests to some that many of the criticisms which have been voiced are minority views, not thought to be significant by the reading public. It is also noticed that the Calormenes’ religion is not particularly Islamic or Sikh in nature, as it is polytheistic, and that Lewis praises certain Islamic practices in the theological work "Mere Christianity."
Some of the criticism may be related to Narnia's Christian content. According to Jacobs, "Those who dislike Christianity itself can be far more harsh". Both Hensher and Pullman, whose criticism in regard to Narnia is expressed above, are atheists. (Dodd 2004)[1].
[edit] Paganism
There are certain Christians and Christian organisations who feel that The Chronicles of Narnia promotes "soft sell paganism and occultism", because of the recurring pagan themes and the supposedly heretical depictions of Christ as an anthropomorphic lion. Satyrs, fauns, centaurs, dwarves, giants, and even the pagan god Bacchus and the Maenads are depicted in a positive light, although they are distinctly pagan motifs. Even an animistic "River god" is portrayed in a positive light. (Chattaway 2005), (Berit 2005) According to Josh Hurst from Christianity Today, "not only was Lewis hesitant to call his books Christian allegory, but the stories borrow just as much from pagan mythology as they do the Bible."(Hurst 2005)
[edit] The Narnian universe
- Main article: Narnia (world)
Most of The Chronicles of Narnia take place in Lewis' world of Narnia. The Narnian world itself is one world in a multiverse of countless worlds including our own. Passage between these worlds is possible, though rare, and may be accomplished in various fashions. Visitors to Narnia observe that the passage of time while they are away is unpredictable. For example, if one year had passed since one left Narnia and returned, a whole century, or perhaps only a week, could have gone by in Narnia. Narnia itself is populated by a wide variety of creatures most of whom would be recognisable to those familiar with European mythologies and British fairy tales.
[edit] Inhabitants
- See also: Narnia creatures and Narnian characters
Lewis largely populates his stories with two distinct classes of inhabitants: people from our own world and creatures created by the character Aslan and the descendants of these creatures. This is typical of works that involve parallel universes. The majority of characters from our own world serve as the protagonists of the various books, however some are only mentioned in passing. Those inhabitants that Lewis creates through the character Aslan are viewed as either of wonderful variety or a confusing hodgepodge, depending on the reader. Lewis does not limit himself to a single source; instead he borrows from many sources and adds a few more of his own to the mix.
[edit] Geography
- See also: Narnian places
The Chronicles of Narnia describe Narnia as one major landmass surrounded by an ocean. The ocean contains several islands; most of which are explored during the course of the series. On the main landmass are the countries of Narnia, Archenland, Calormen, and Telmar, as well as a variety of other areas that play a part in the narrative but are not described as countries. Lewis also provides glimpses of more fantastic locations that exist in and around the main world of Narnia.
There are several maps of the Narnia universe available, including what many consider the "official" one, a full-color version published in 1972 by the books' illustrator, Pauline Baynes. This is currently out of print, although smaller copies can be found in the most recent HarperCollins 2006 hardcover edition of the The Chronicles of Narnia. Two other maps have been recently produced following the popularity of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. One, called the "Rose Map of Narnia," is based loosely on Baynes' map and has Narnia trivia and Christian-slanted material printed on the reverse. Another map, done in a monochromatic, archaic style reminiscent of Tolkien's Middle-earth maps, is available in print and in an interactive version on the movie DVD. However, it depicts only Narnia and does not include the other countries in the Narnian universe.
[edit] Cosmology
A recurring plot device in The Chronicles is the interaction between the various worlds that make up the Narnian multiverse. A variety of devices are used to initiate these cross-overs which generally serve to introduce characters to the land of Narnia. The Cosmology of Narnia is not as internally consistent as that of Lewis contemporary Tolkien's Middle-earth, but works quite well given the more fairy tale atmosphere of the work. During the course of the series we learn, generally in passing, that the world of Narnia is flat, geocentric, has stars with a different makeup than our own, and that the passage of time does not correspond directly to the passage of time in our world.
[edit] History
- See also: Narnian timeline
Lewis takes us through the entire life of the world of Narnia, showing us the process by which it was created, snapshots of life in Narnia as the history of the world unfolds, and how Narnia is ultimately destroyed. Not surprisingly in a children's series, children, usually from our world, play a prominent role as all of these events unfold. The history of Narnia is generally broken up into the following periods: creation and the period shortly afterward, the rule of the White Witch, the Golden Age, the invasion and rule of the Telmarines, their subsequent defeat by Caspian X, the rule of King Caspian and his descendants, and the destruction of Narnia. Like many stories, the narrative is not necessarily always presented in chronological order.
[edit] Narnia in other media
[edit] Television
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first adapted for television in 1967. The ten episodes, each thirty minutes long, were directed by Helen Standage. The screenplay was written by Trevor Preston and unlike subsequent adaptations, it is currently unavailable to purchase for home viewing.
In 1979 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was again adapted for television, this time as an animated special co-produced by Bill Melendez (Charlie Brown) and the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street and The Electric Company). The screenplay was by David D. Connell. It won the Emmy award for Outstanding Animated Program that year.
Most recently, from 1988–1990, parts of The Chronicles of Narnia were turned into four successful BBC television miniseries (see The Chronicles of Narnia (TV miniseries)). They were nominated for a total of 14 awards, including an Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Children's Program". Only The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair were filmed. The four miniseries were later edited into three feature-length films (combining Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and released on VHS and DVD.
[edit] Radio
The critically acclaimed BBC Radio 4 dramatisation was produced in the 1980s. Collectively titled Tales of Narnia it covers the entire series and is approximately 15 hours long.
Between 1999 and 2002 Focus on the Family produced radio dramatisations of all 7 books[2]. Production included a cast of over 100 actors, an original orchestral score and cinema-quality digital sound design. Total running time is slightly over 22 hours. Douglas Gresham, the stepson of C.S. Lewis, hosts the series. From the Focus on the Family website:
“Between the lamp post and Cair Paravel on the Western Sea lies Narnia, a mystical land where animals hold the power of speech … woodland fauns conspire with men … dark forces, bent on conquest, gather at the world's rim to wage war against the realm's rightful king … and the Great Lion Aslan is the only hope. Into this enchanted world comes a group of unlikely travellers. These ordinary boys and girls, when faced with peril, learn extraordinary lessons in courage, self-sacrifice, friendship and honour.”
[edit] Stage
In 1998 the Royal Shakespeare Theatre premiered The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dramatised by Adrian Mitchell and originally directed by Adrian Noble with revival directed by Lucy Pitman-Wallace, the production was well received and ran during the holiday season from 1998 to 2002.[3] The London Evening Standard wrote:
“...Lucy Pitman-Wallace's beautiful recreation of Adrian Noble's production evokes all the awe and mystery of this mythically complex tale, while never being too snooty to stoop to bracingly comic touches like outrageously camp reindeer or a beaver with a housework addiction... In our science and technology-dominated age, faith is increasingly insignificant — yet in this otherwise gloriously resonant production, it is possible to understand its allure.”
There are also other dramatisations including musicals of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Magician's Nephew that have been performed in various community playhouses in recent years. Adaptations were created by Irita Kutchmy [4]; Jules Tasca, Thomas Tierney & Ted Drachman[5]; Adrian Mitchell[6]; Joseph Robinette[7]; and Aurand Harris[8].
[edit] Cinema
- (For details of the films, see The Chronicles of Narnia film series.)
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A film version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, titled The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, produced by Walden Media and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures was released in December 2005. It was directed by Andrew Adamson. The screenplay was written by Ann Peacock. Principal photography for the film took place in Poland, Czech Republic and New Zealand. The movie achieved critical and box office success. Disney will produce a sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian with an expected release date of May 16, 2008.
[edit] Music
A musical retelling of the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released in 1980 by Contemporary Christian group 2nd Chapter of Acts entitled, The Roar of Love.
[edit] Further reading
- Bruner, Kurt & Ware, Jim. Finding God in the Land of Narnia. Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.
- Bustard, Ned. The Chronicles of Narnia Comprehension Guide. Veritas Press, 2004.
- Ditchfield, Christin. A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C.S. Lewis's the Chronicles of Narnia. Crossway Books, 2003.
- Duriez, Colin. A Field Guide to Narnia. InterVarsity Press, 2004.
- Ford, Paul. Companion to Narnia, Revised Edition. HarperSanFrancisco, revised edition 2005.
- Jacobs, Alan. The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis. HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.
- McIntosh, Kenneth. Following Aslan: A Book of Devotions for Children. Anamchara Books, 2006.
- Wagner, Richard. C.S. Lewis & Narnia For Dummies. For Dummies, 2005.
- A Guide for Using The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the Classroom. Teacher Created Resources, 2000.
- The Lion, Witch & Wardrobe Study Guide. Progeny Press, 1993.
- The Magician's Nephew Study Guide. Progeny Press, 1997.
- Prince Caspian Study Guide. Progeny Press, 2003.
- Williams, Thomas. The Heart of the Chronicles of Narnia: Knowing God Here by Finding Him There. W Publishing Group, 2005.
[edit] References
- Anderson, R.J. (2005), "The Problem of Susan", Parabolic Reflections
- BBC News, Staff (2005), "Pullman attacks Narnia film plans", BBC News 2005(16 October)
- Brady, Erik (2005), "A Closer Look at the World of 'Narnia'", The USA Today
- Campbell, Joseph (1972), The Hero With a Thousand Faces, ISBN 0-691-01784-0
- Campbell, Joseph (1991), The Masks of God: Occidental Mythology, ISBN 0-14-019441-X
- Chattaway, Peter T. (2005), Narnia 'baptizes' - and defends - pagan mythology, Canadian Christianity, ISBN
- Dodd, Celia (2004), "Human nature: Universally acknowledged", The Times 2004(05-08)
- Dorsett, Lyle & Marjorie Mead (1996), C. S. Lewis' Letters to Children, Scribner, ISBN 0-684-82372-1
- Ezard, John (2002), "Narnia books attacked as racist and sexist", The Guardian 2002(6-3)
- Ford, Paul (2005), Companion to Narnia, Revised Edition, SanFrancisco: Harper, ISBN 0-06-079127-6
- Gaiman, Neil (2004), The Problem of Susan (in Flights Vol. II edited by Al Sarrantonio), New York: New American Library, ISBN 0-451-46099-5
- Gopnik, Adam (2005), "Prisoner of Narnia", The New Yorker
- Grossman, Lev (2005), "J.K. Rowling Hogwarts And All", Time 166(4)
- Goldthwaite, John, The Natural History of Make-believe: A Guide to the Principal Works of Britain, Europe and America: OUP 1996, ISBN-10: 0195038061, ISBN-13: 978-0195038064
- Guthmann, Edward (2005), "'Narnia' tries to cash in on dual audience", San Francisco Chronicle
- Hensher, Philip (1998), "Don't let your children go to Narnia: C.S. Lewis's books are racist and misogynist", The Independent(London)
- Holbrook, David, The Skeleton in the Wardrobe: C.S.Lewis' Fantasies - A Phenomenological Study: Bucknell University Press, 1991, ISBN-10: 0838751830, ISBN-13: 978-0838751831
- Drama: 'Narnia' A Children's Musical., Stephen Holden, New York Times, 5 October 1986
- Hurst, Josh (2005), Nine Minutes of Narnia, Christianity Today
- Jacobs, Alan (2005), "The professor, the Christian, and the storyteller", The Boston Globe
- Jacobs, Tom (2004), Remembering a Master Mythologist and His Connection to Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara News-Press, ISBN
- Kelly, Clint (2006), "Dear Mr. Lewis", Response 29(1)
- Kent, Keri Wyatt (2005), "Talking Narnia to Your Neighbors", Christianity Today (no. November/December)
- Kjos, Berit (2005), Narnia: Blending Truth and Myth, Kjos Ministries
- Lewis, C.S. (1994), God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 0802808689
- MacDonald, Dennis R. (2000), The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark, IISBN 0-300-08012-3
- MacDonald, Dennis R. (2003), Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?, IISBN 0-300-09770-0
- McIntosh, Kenneth (2006), Following Aslan: A Children's Book of Devotions, Anamchara, ISBN 1-933630-02-7
- Martindale, Wayne & Jerry Root (1990), The Quotable Lewis, Tyndale House, ISBN 0-8423-5115-9
- Nelson, Michael (2005), "For the Love of Narnia", The Chronicle of Higher Education 52(15): B14
- The Lion King: C.S. Lewis' Narnia isn't simply a Christian allegory., Meghan O'Rourke, Slate magazine, 9 December 2005
- Paterson, Katherine (2006), Katherine Paterson: On Her Own Words, Walden Media
- Pullman, Philip (1998), "The Darkside of Narnia", The Guardian [9]
- Rilstone, Andrew (2004), What Order Should I Read the Narnia Books in
- Rilstone, Andrew (2005), "Lipstick on My Scholar", The Life and Opinions of Andrew Rilstone
- Smith, Neil (2005), "Narnia Christian link played down", BBC News
- Toynbee, Polly (2005), "Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion", The Guardian
- Trotter, Drew (2005), What Did C. S. Lewis Mean, and Does It Matter? A Preview of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Film), LeadershipU, ISBN
- Wilson, Tracy (2005), "How Narnia Works", How Stuff Works
