alanbwt on Nostr: Just finished rereading The Chronicles of Narnia with my son, after not having read ...
Just finished rereading The Chronicles of Narnia with my son, after not having read them myself since I was a boy.
A few thoughts —
Just like Tolkien’s legendarium, CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia are an example of mythos (μῦθος), and are in a sense more true than most history books. On this, Lewis wrote,
“The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.”
On the question of which order to read the books, I’d recommend following the order in which they were written: Book 2, Book 1, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7.
On the question of which books are the best in the series and most worth reading if you only have time to read a few, I highly suggest you simply read all of them. To only read a few of the books is to miss major themes that come into play later on.
My personal favorites were The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Last Battle, but they are all fantastic in their own way. And there’s a reason The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is the most famous one. Start there and see how far you get.
It’s clear CS Lewis was inspired by certain great stories when writing the Chronicles. In fact, each book appears to have a clear line of inspiration from one or more preceding works:
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (Book 2) — Inspired by the New Testament and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Magician’s Nephew (Book 1) — Inspired by the Book of Genesis and the creation of the world.
The Horse and His Boy (Book 3) — Inspired by Arabian Nights.
Prince Caspian (Book 4) — Inspired by Tolkien’s Return of the King and the story of King Arthur.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Book 5) — Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.
The Silver Chair (Book 6) — Inspired by Tom Sawyer / Huckleberry Finn, and Jack and the Beanstalk.
The Last Battle (Book 7) — Inspired by The Last Judgement in the Bible.
Though The Chronicles drew inspiration from other stories, they offer a unique lens on reality that is unlike anything else that exists.
They are similar to Tolkien’s LOTR universe, but different. Narnia feels more friendly than Middle Earth, and the main characters get to interact with Aslan/God Himself, whereas in LOTR Ilúvatar is never portrayed physically. Admittedly, The Narnia universe is nowhere near as thoroughly constructed as Tolkien’s universe (Lewis didn’t create any new languages as Tolkien did), but this is precisely what makes The Chronicles of Narnia perfect for kids and really anyone who is keen on exploring another way of looking at reality, but isn’t quite ready for the intricacies of Tolkien’s legendarium.
Both universes feel complimentary and compatible with one another. Both are worth delving deeply into.
In sum, The Chronicles are timeless, and The Last Battle feels remarkably reflective of the modern day. Beware the “fake Aslan” pretending to be your savior. Be equally aware of the cynics who insist Aslan never existed. And remember to do right by yourself and your fellow Narnians, even at risk of pain and death.
For, in the final words of The Chronicles, “All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
A few thoughts —
Just like Tolkien’s legendarium, CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia are an example of mythos (μῦθος), and are in a sense more true than most history books. On this, Lewis wrote,
“The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.”
On the question of which order to read the books, I’d recommend following the order in which they were written: Book 2, Book 1, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7.
On the question of which books are the best in the series and most worth reading if you only have time to read a few, I highly suggest you simply read all of them. To only read a few of the books is to miss major themes that come into play later on.
My personal favorites were The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Last Battle, but they are all fantastic in their own way. And there’s a reason The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is the most famous one. Start there and see how far you get.
It’s clear CS Lewis was inspired by certain great stories when writing the Chronicles. In fact, each book appears to have a clear line of inspiration from one or more preceding works:
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (Book 2) — Inspired by the New Testament and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Magician’s Nephew (Book 1) — Inspired by the Book of Genesis and the creation of the world.
The Horse and His Boy (Book 3) — Inspired by Arabian Nights.
Prince Caspian (Book 4) — Inspired by Tolkien’s Return of the King and the story of King Arthur.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Book 5) — Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.
The Silver Chair (Book 6) — Inspired by Tom Sawyer / Huckleberry Finn, and Jack and the Beanstalk.
The Last Battle (Book 7) — Inspired by The Last Judgement in the Bible.
Though The Chronicles drew inspiration from other stories, they offer a unique lens on reality that is unlike anything else that exists.
They are similar to Tolkien’s LOTR universe, but different. Narnia feels more friendly than Middle Earth, and the main characters get to interact with Aslan/God Himself, whereas in LOTR Ilúvatar is never portrayed physically. Admittedly, The Narnia universe is nowhere near as thoroughly constructed as Tolkien’s universe (Lewis didn’t create any new languages as Tolkien did), but this is precisely what makes The Chronicles of Narnia perfect for kids and really anyone who is keen on exploring another way of looking at reality, but isn’t quite ready for the intricacies of Tolkien’s legendarium.
Both universes feel complimentary and compatible with one another. Both are worth delving deeply into.
In sum, The Chronicles are timeless, and The Last Battle feels remarkably reflective of the modern day. Beware the “fake Aslan” pretending to be your savior. Be equally aware of the cynics who insist Aslan never existed. And remember to do right by yourself and your fellow Narnians, even at risk of pain and death.
For, in the final words of The Chronicles, “All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”