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. Written by Lewis between 1950 and 1956, The Chronicles of Narnia contains Christian themes and borrows from Greek and Roman mythology as well as traditional British and Irish fairy tales. The books have been adapted for radio, television, stage and cinema. Pauline Baynes illustrated the original books in the series.
The Chronicles present the adventures of children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the realm of Narnia, a place where animals talk, magic is common, and good is fighting evil.
The books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia are presented below in the order in which they were originally published (see reading order below). They are by far the most popular of C.S. Lewis's works, having sold more than 100 million copies* in 41 languages.
| 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:
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. Moreover, they say that it is clear from the texts themselves that The Lion was intended to be the first book read and that The Magician's Nephew was not. For instance, in The Lion, when Aslan is first mentioned, Lewis says,
Another argument for the original order comes from Prince Caspian. That book is subtitled "The Return to Narnia", which sounds very much like a sequel, and not like the fourth book in a series. Moreover, "Caspian" refers to "the other story," a statement which leaves one who is reading the books in Gresham's order wondering "What other story? Which of the previous three?" In the original order, on the other hand, the statement makes sense.
It should also be noted that in The Magician's Nephew, Lewis is quite clearly filling in some of the back-story of the series. It begins,
Essentially, the argument is that an early reading of The Magician's Nephew spoils much of the wonder felt upon discovering Narnia through the wardrobe in LWW. Story events such as the creation story, the origin of the White Witch, the active wood of which the wardrobe is made, and the identity of the professor are all described before the reader knows much about Narnia or the story of the White Witch. For this reason, many think that children are deprived of the mystery that could have existed for them had the original order been used. This argument hinges partly on the claim that Chronology is not equivalent to Narrative.
Proponents of the original order also argue that if the series is first read in the chronological order, the published order can never be experienced without knowledge of the prequels. On the other hand, a first reading of the published order does not so affect a later reading in the chronological order.
It is important to keep in mind that this dispute only applies to the first reading of the books. For re-reading, as Lewis said, "perhaps it does not matter very much". Ironically, Douglas Gresham, who pushed the publishers to reorder the books, is now the co-producer of the Narnia film series—which is being made in the original order.
The Chronicles of Narnia contain many allusions to Christian ideas which are easily accessible to younger readers; however, the books are not weighty, and can be read for their adventure, colour, and mythological ideas alone. Because of this, The Chronicles of Narnia have become favorites with both children and adults, Christians and non-Christians.
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:
Lewis, an expert on the subject of allegory, himself 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. 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. 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. Aslan is a literal rendering of Jesus Christ, only in another body, in another universe, and by another name. In ‘’The Chronicles of Narnia’’, Aslan and Jesus are the same character in two different worlds. There is no allegory involved. As Lewis wrote in a letter to a Mrs. Hook in December of 1958:
With the release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 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. Alan Jacobs, author of The Narnian: The Life and Imaginaton of C.S. Lewis, says flatly that Lewis has become "a pawn in America's culture wars" . Some Christians see the chronicles as excellent tools for Christian evangelism. A multitude of books have been written that draw attention to the Chronicles' biblical parallels. These books include titles such as Bruner's Finding God in the Land of Narnia (Tyndale, 2005), McIntosh's Following Aslan: A Children's Book of Devotions (Anamchara, 2006), and Roar! A Christian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia (Multnomah, 2005).
Many parts of the books may seem rather out-of-place, but make sense in light of the symbolism they carry. In the 5th book in the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Aslan turns from a lamb into a lion and tells the children that he brought them to Narnia to learn his other name on Earth. Christ was called the Lamb of God in the Bible, and it is almost certain that he meant the name Jesus. Also, in The Silver Chair, the dead King Caspian is brought to Aslan's territory, where Caspian lay in a river. Aslan commands Eustace to prick his paw with a thorn, and Aslan lets the blood drop on Caspian, who in turn comes alive. This is symbolic of how only Jesus's blood when he died on the cross could bring man to heaven (and give them life), and the water that purifies. The thorn is symbolic of the crown of thorns, and that Eustace pricked his paw is symbolic of how man put Christ on the cross. In the Bible, Jesus is also referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (see Lion of Judah).
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. 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."[http://www.pacifica.edu/campbell/campbell04_news.html Both The Chronicles of Narnia and the New Testament are rife with Jungian archetypal imagery.
CS Lewis himself stated in an essay called Is Theism Important?:
Lewis was part of the Inklings, a literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford, England. Its members included such notables as J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Hugo Dyson. Readings and discussions of the members' unfinished works were the principal purposes of meetings. These readings and discussions were usually held on Thursday evenings in C. S. Lewis's college rooms at Magdalen College. The Inklings were also known to gather at a local pub, The Eagle and Child.
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's first successes at Oxford were in the classics and ancient history, it is quite possible that he came across at least seven references to Narnia in Latin literature. It is also interesting to note that Aslan means lion in Turkish.
The short story The Problem of Susan* written by Neil Gaiman tells the story of Susan Pevensie long after the conclusion of Lewis' series (available in Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy edited by Al Sarrantonio). Additionally, Gaiman's Sandman graphic novel series, in its story arc entitled "A Game of You", features a Narnia-like "dream island".
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.
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.
C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia series have received various criticisms over the years, much of it by fellow authors. Allegations of sexism centre around the description of Susan Pevensie in The Last Battle. Other characters describe Susan as being "no longer a friend of Narnia" and interested "in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations".
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has said:
Philip Pullman author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, who has been quoted as saying "I hate the Narnia books...with a passion...", interprets it this way:
But others oppose this view, arguing that the "lipsticks, nylons, and invitations" quote is taken out of context and that Susan is excluded from Narnia in The Last Battle specifically because she no longer believes in it. And it is not stated that Susan is permanently excluded: she was simply not among those who were privileged to die in the train wreck. She is still alive in our world and her destiny is not yet fully revealed. Moreover, in The Horse and His Boy, Susan's adulthood and sexual maturity is portrayed in a positive light. They 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. , ,
In addition to the sexism accusation, Pullman has also implicated The Chronicles of Narnia series in fostering racism. He writes:
The racism critique is based on a perceived negative representation of other races and religions, particularly the Calormenes, as enemies of Aslan and Narnia . The Calormenes are described as dark-skinned people 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 is a worshiper of Tash.
Lewis supporters point to the fact that Lewis writings have a particularly British Victorian era flavour that was much in fashion during his lifetime, but that may be seen as politically incorrect nowadays. 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. 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." They also point to certain parts of Lewis' Mere Christianity where certain Islamic practices are praised and to the fact that the Calormens' religion is not particularly Islamic in nature as it is polytheistic.
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: Thus the English novelist Philip Hensher chastised Lewis a few years ago because his books 'corrupt the minds of the young with allegory,' and suggested (only half-jokingly, I think) that parents should give their children Last Exit to Brooklyn to read rather than a Narnia tale."
Most of The Chronicles of Narnia take place in the 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, when one leaves the Narnian world and then returns, even if only one year had passed, a whole century could have gone by in Narnia. Narnia itself is populated by a wide variety of creatures most of whom would be recognizable to those familiar with Roman/Norse mythology and Irish/British fairy tales.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first turned into a television series in 1967. The ten episodes, each thirty minutes long, were directed by Helen Standage. The screenplay was written by Trevor Preston. Unlike subsequent adaptations, it is currently unavailable to purchase for home viewing.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was turned into an animated television special in 1979. It was a co-production of 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.
The Chronicles of Narnia were turned into a series of successful BBC television miniseries in 1988–1990 (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.
Between 1999 and 2002 Focus on the Family produced radio dramatizations of all 7 books*. 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:
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 Jules Tasca, Thomas Tierney & Ted Drachman*;" target="_blank" >Joseph Robinette*.
An original musical adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was performed by Trumpets a Filipino theatre company, and premiered in August 1997. [http://www.trumpets.com.ph/productions_lion.html
Christian fiction and allegory | Series of fantasy books | Narnia books | Series of children's books | Novel series | Chronicles of Narnia films
Хрониките на Нарния | Les Cròniques de Nàrnia | Letopisy Narnie | Die Chroniken von Narnia | Las Crónicas de Narnia | Kronikoj de Narnio | Le Monde de Narnia | 나니아 연대기 | The Chronicles of Narnia | Ævintýralandið Narnía | Cronache di Narnia | דברי ימי נרניה | The Chronicles of Narnia | Kronieken van Narnia | ナルニア国ものがたり | Opowieści z Narnii | As Crônicas de Nárnia | Хроники Нарнии | The Chronicles of Narnia | Narnia | ท่องแดนนาร์เนีย | 那裡亞故事集
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