Lewis Clive Staples - Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C.S. Lewis Chronicles

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Fantasy, Myth and Religion
in C. S. Lewis Chronicles

EDITED BY

Shanna Caughey

BENBELLA BOOKS, INC.

Dallas, Texas

This publication has not been prepared, approved or licensed by any entity that created or produced the well-known books or films associated with C. S. Lewis or The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Silver Chair and the Silver Screen 2005 Charlie W. Starr

On the Origins of Evil 2005 Lawrence Watt-Evans

Elusive Prey 2005 Natasha Giardina

God in the Details 2005 Naomi Wood

Coming of Age in Narnia 2005 Sam McBride

The Chronicles of Narnia: For Adults Only? 2005 Martha C. Sammons

Believing Narnia 2005 James Como

The Correct Order for Reading The Chronicles of Narnia? 2005 Peter J. Schakel

The Chronicles of Narnia: Where to Start 2005 Wesley A. Kort

Narnia and Middle-earth 2005 Joseph Pearce

Aslan Is On the Move 2005 Russell W. Dalton

The Beginning of the Real Story 2005 James V. Schall, S. J.

Heathen Eye for the Christian Guy 2005 Jacqueline Carey

Would the Modern-Day C. S. Lewis Be a PETA Protester? 2005 Ingrid Newkirk

Greek Delight 2005 Nick Mamatas

Why I Love Narnia 2005 Sarah Zettel

Daughters of Lilith 2005 Cathy McSporran

The Last of the Bibliophiles 2005 Peg Aloi

C. S. Lewis and the Problem of Religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy 2005 Vox Day

Redeeming Postmodernism 2005 Louis A. Markos

The Horse and His Boy: The Theology of Bree 2005 David E. Bumbaugh

A Reconstructed Image 2005 Mary Frances Zambreno

A Knight in the Mud 2005 Marie-Catherine Caillava

Most Right and Proper, Im Sure... 2005 Sally D. Stabb, Ph.D.

Narnia in the Modern World 2005 Colin Duriez

Additional Materials 2005 Shanna Caughey/BenBella Books, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc. 6440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 617 Dallas, TX 75206 www.benbellabooks.com Send feedback to

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Revisiting Narnia : fantasy, myth, and religion in C. S. Lewis chronicles / edited By Shanna

Caughey.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-9352-5148-4

1. Lewis, C. S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963. Chronicles of Narnia. 2. Childrens stories, EnglishHistory and criticism. 3. Christian fiction, EnglishHistory and criticism. 4. Fantasy fiction, EnglishHistory and criticism. 5. Narnia (Imaginary place) 6. Myth in literature. I. Caughey, Shanna.

PR6023.E926C53646 2005

823'.912--dc22

2005017899

Cover art and design by Todd Michael Bushman

Text design and composition by John Reinhardt Book Design

Distributed by Independent Publishers Group. To order call (800) 888-4741. www.ipgbook.com

For special sales contact Laura Watkins at

For d-n

Id like to thank Meghan Kuckelman and Chris Curotolo for the thorough research they did in the early stages of acquisitions, Rebecca Greene for the heroic proofreading effort and Leah Wilson for bringing her organizational expertise to the Smart Pop line. Most of all, Glenn Yeffeth has my deep gratitude for creating this opportunity.

Shanna Caughey

Charlie W. Starr

Lawrence Watt-Evans

Natasha Giardina

Naomi Wood

Sam McBride

Martha C. Sammons

James Como

Peter J. Schakel

Wesley A. Kort

Joseph Pearce

Russell W. Dalton

James V. Schall, S. J.

Jacqueline Carey

Ingrid Newkirk

Nick Mamatas

Sarah Zettel

Cathy McSporran

Peg Aloi

Vox Day

Louis A. Markos

David E. Bumbaugh

Mary Frances Zambreno

Marie-Catherine Caillava

Sally D. Stabb, Ph.D.

Colin Duriez

P ERSONAL ANECDOTE seldom has a place in an editors introduction.

Im supposed to be some academic-minded compiler of incredible content, the acquirer of articulate and thoughtful contributors. My hand should guide the content, the flowmy voice should not set the tone for the anthology.

But the impetus to contribute some thought, some small bit of story is ineluctable. Narnia is too important to me.

When I read The Chronicles as a child I missed something important: Aslan lets the Tash-serving Calormene into new Narnia. Despite all the talk of Aslan not being a tame lion, he seems to be quite gentler than his allegorical counterpart when it comes to allowing people into heavenat least according to the theology of salvation in my fundamentalist upbringing.

A couple of years ago I reread the series and was stunned to discover this twist of plot in The Last Battle. Say what you want about Lewis portrayal of women or the simplicity of his narrative structure (and many do in this anthology)I respect him immensely for this daring move. This is but one example of how complex and controversial Narnia actually is; beyond the deceptively simplistic story lies a wealth of theological and social insight.

The essays herein tap into this tension. Want discourse that goes beyond the Stable Door?