Narnia

[Charlotte]

I don't like Narnia much, not sure exactly why. Especially the later books are depressing/not good with
their suggestions of Christian/Muslim war. The bbc series was well done, suppose the films I've seen are
so-so. Horses do feature quite a lot. Do you like the series? 
 

[Claire]

Good topic for a thread Charlotte. I like the Narnia books, altho I prefer the earlier ones. (Agree The Silver Chair & Last Battle are a bit dark and depressing). In fact I would go so far as to say The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of my favourite books of all time.

As C S Lewis was a 'born again' Christian (and like most people who are sceptics then turn religious had a very strong belief) the books were in part religious allegories. Of course I didn't notice it when reading it as a child but its now pretty obvious that The Lion, W & W is an allegorical reconstruction of Christ's death and resurrection with Aslan in the place of Jesus. This religious/moral undercurrent running thru the stories could explain why you don't like them much Charlotte.

On the surface tho I think they are great stories, have well-rounded characters and can be read by all ages.

What do other people think of the books?

[Deleted]

I may have read them but if I did I don't remember anything about them. So they can't have left much of an impression on me if I did!

[trixiepony]

I like them the better ones are the early ones but don't mind latter books.

[vera]

I love them. the first one I read was "The Horse and His Boy" which may be why I found them so attractive. I also love C.S Lewis's other books, one of my favourites being "Till we Have Faces". I agree with Charlotte that the BBC series was much better than the modern films, with better character development and less dependence on computer graphics. There is a lot of humour in "The Silver Chair" . "The LAst BAttle" always seemed like C>S> Lewis felt he had to write it to finish off the story, the same as "The Magician's Nephew" to begin the story. When my children left home, they had a fight about who owned our beautiful illustrated edition of all the books in one volume; I had to step in and say it was mine!

[Claire]

Do those of you who like the books have any fav/non-fav characters? I must say Reepicheep really gets up my nose!

[vera]

Well I loved Hwin drom The Horse and His Boy and also Puddleglum from The Silver Chair. Iguess lucy would be my favuorite of the children, but maybe just alittle to good to be true.

[kunuma]

Having read them for the first time as a small child the whole religious bit went straight over my head, and I was really rather annoyed when I first had it pointed out to me! I loved The Horse and his Boy, and remember I actually read the series all the wrong way around the first time - I think the last one I read was the Magician's nephew.

The only parts I really disliked was the typical stereotyping of the animals - get pretty fed up with wolves being made the baddies all the time, seriously, let's get over the Red Riding Hood theory once and for all can we!! Even dafter when the dogs were goodies and the wolves baddies!

Always winter and never Christmas...........that was a clever idea for a spell, my most memorable part of the books was when Father Chistmas appeared and they knew the spell was breaking - of course, a politically correct Father Christmas nowadays would hardly have handed out weapons. lol

I remember too that not being allowed sweets as a child - I had no idea what Turkish Delight was, and thought it was something delicious, I was so disappointed when I came across it in real life, I much prefer coconut ice!

Of course, the books read differently to me nowadays when I reread - I find myself wondering if the whole world within a world idea was the precursor to quantum physics???

[haffyfan]

I love the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe but i've never managed to read more than a few pages of the horse and His Boy and the others simply never held any interest to me whatsoever and still don't. Not sure what that says about me really...

[Deleted]

Not sure what that says about me really...

Probably the same as me!

[Claire]

Agree about the wolves. I too get annoyed that they are almost always the baddies in children's books. (Maybe me & kunuma should start up a separate thread about this!)

I think CSL had a pretty good insight into children's character. He was especially good on the 2 boys Edmund and Eustace who were anything but perfect. The way he made Edmund pretend that he hadn't been to Narnia and that he and Lucy were just playing a game was very true to life, also the bit where Edmund draws the mustache on the stone lion. I prefer the flawed characters who improve to the more goody goody ones.

The Lion T W & TW was really quite dark and a bit scary in places. Also very sad, I cried bucketloads the first time I read it, not knowing Aslan was coming back. It was also quite bloodthirsty with swords and blood and battles. As kunuma says not politically correct or sanitised. I think that was some of its appeal. It certainly didnt talk down to young readers or wrap them in cotton wool.

[trixiepony]

Even tho I am a Christion I didn't get that it was Christian until much latter, and well I can see how it is but its not like the christian feel worse very strong in the books.

[ginslinger]

I loved them as a child though I moved on to Tolkien and that more developed world but I tried rereading them as an adult and having lost whatever faith I had and found I really didn’t like them much. I stopped before I got to the Silver Chair as I couldn’t bear the possibility that I might not like Marshwiggles anymore.

[fluttermoth]

I still reread the earlier ones regularly, and I never read The Last Battle, although, strangely, that was the first one I ever read (primary school library, it had a unicorn on the cover!).

I too missed the religious references and allegories as a child. The first time I read the series after I became aware of it, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed! I did find bit a bit overdone, and it actually annoyed me a bit, but I've learned to let it go and still enjoy them (well, mostly!)

The Horse and His Boy is by far and away my favourite; and not just because of the horses (I don't think; it is less preachy, for a start) closely followed by Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Magician's Nephew, which I really love, though I know some people (my sisters, the heathens) don't rate it. Strawberry/Fledge is one of my most favourite literary horses

[tintin]

Just discovered this thread having re-read the lot. I was down and they really cheered me up. Parts of the last two were a bit heavy going. Favourite? Probably "The Magician's Nephew". "The Silver Chair" is very sad. Although Arabs/Turks the Calormenes are not Muslims - they are idolaters and practice human sacrifice, more like the Arabians before the Prophet Mohammed converted them to Islam. I liked the horses too - they can speak, but are still horse like (the horses in"Led by the Grey" are like this too)

The books are very well written and illustrated

[susanb]

Has anyone ever read the Pangur Ban series by Fay Sampson? Bit of a Celtic take on the same theme as the Narnia books. Narnia is the better series, but Pangur Ban is really enjoyable too...the Aslan/Christ figure is a dolphin. One of the books has a bit of a horse them, Finnglas of the Horses

[trixiepony]

MM Pangur Ban it sounds like something I read, not shore I remember much thew.