I think I knew about the allegorical element to Chronicles of Narnia when I was reading them as a child. I was a pastor’s daughter, so the whole plot arc with Aslan in the first book was not hard to miss for me, and also we had the movie (not the new movie, but the aired-on-PBS version) and that also helped.

My favorite Narnia book was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. What an awesome adventure story.

I’ve heard so much about Laura Miller’s books and read so many reviews of it, that I feel it is unnecessary to read it for myself, so thanks for your review as I am interested in the subject and what people say in response to Miller’s arguments.

Also I think Lucy Pevensie could be a sage ruler of the world. Good call on Dumbledore as puppetmaster.

We read the book in religious studies class when I was 12. But what was odd (to me, anyway) was that we read it entirely without commentary. I had NO IDEA this was a subtly religious story and just thought that the teacher must have been fresh out of lesson plans. It was also right on the edge of my move into more adult novels, mostly Agatha Christie! So I never went back and read the rest. So the books arrived at an inauspicious time. Maybe one day, though, I’ll read the series properly, and if I get taken with it, you will be the first to know. xoxox

Hahahaha, you aren’t shallow! Did you read the Chronicles of Narnia as a little kid, or as an adult? I’m curious whether my feelings about him are anomalous.

Yeah, but that’s not what saves the day. The day is saved by all of them being brave and good — they don’t have any instructions from Aslan apart from helping out Rillian in the first place, and there’s still a third of the book left to go at that point.

Or what about Edmund? It’s nonsense to argue that he doesn’t change, and he’s not doing what Aslan says because Aslan doesn’t tell him to do anything. He realizes he’s been an idiot ages before he ever meets Aslan, and Aslan doesn’t tell him to be the super bravest of all the brave people in the final battle. He does it on his own because he knows he’s been awful and he wants to be better.

I’ve read (vaguely) about sexism in The Chronicles of Narnia but never really noticed myself. I mean, I thought Aravis and Lucy were more awesome than any other character (except Edmund, maybe), and that was the extent of my insight :$ And I know i’m being irrationally dense about the whole thing and that I should reach out of my bubble and try to form an opinion of my own that doesn’t include any “NANANA, I CAN’T HEAR YOU, PHILIP PULLMAN” in it. So I might as well start with Laura Miller. Maybe next month.

Dude, when I was little I thought the books were filled with invaluable information. I mean, I learnt it would come a time in which I wouldn’t enjoy fairy tales. It was very important to me to know that, I remember. Ditto with the sides of a boat.

(My English still leaves something to be desired, sorry :()

Jenny, DO NOT WASTE ONE SECOND OF YOUR TIME on the Perelandra series. They are terrible! He writes about women like he never encountered an actual woman in his life, which may well have been the case when he was writing them. I feel sure his marriage to Joy made him feel deeply ashamed of those books.

I think Trapunto’s first paragraph says it all about why we love these books – there is something in human nature (and cat nature for all we know) that longs for the place where we feel whole. Which is why the Narnia books strike a universal chord, and the [divisive and prejudiced] Perelandra book just inspire weariness.

Ah, but they only decide to release Rilian after he invokes Aslan – one of the four signs given to them by Aslan. They are still following Aslan’s instructions rather than acting on their own initiative.

Ha! Now I’m laughing a lot, because you’re the first person I’ve heard say that. I don’t like Jack Kerouac much, because I don’t like beat poets much, but I am going to read Dharma Bums anyway because I read On the Road nearly 20 years ago and it’s probably time to see what I think now. 🙂 (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t approve of sexism or any other ism. I just try not to worry too much about it in books if it was over 50 years ago….I can get pretty annoyed about this Carlos Ruiz Zafon guy and his women characters!)