Written by: Clive Staples Lewis
Illustrated by: Pauline Baynes
Published: 1950-1956
Genre: Fantasy
The Mind Behind:
Clive Staples Lewis was a remarkable man. He was a war veteran, novelist, poet, academic, essayist, theologian and Christian apologist. He got famous for his poems, books and Christian novels.
However, what I find most remarable about him is his imagination. All the pictures he had in his head, all the fantastic worlds... this was what lead him to write his first work for children.
Since he was 16 Lewis had the picture in his head: A faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood.
Far into his grown up life he started creating a story out from it, and other pictures were soon to come. A pale witch with black hair riding a sleight. A great, beautiful lion.
Since the first book about the land of Narnia was published in the 1950's there's been several film adaptions, translations, and the tale of Narnia is known all around the world. You will notice a lot of times that I stand myself critical to Lewis' points and messages in the book. But I still think this guy would be so interesting to talk to. His ability to create one of the oldest fantasyworlds we know today, his love for stories and the adventures inside everyone. His ability to write in a way that's only his own - and that makes you feel like everything is real.
C.S Lewis was a remarkable man, and now I am going to tell you about his most famous work - from the POV of a 19 year old girl who's grown up with these books 50 years after his death.
About Narnia
"So Silje, tell me about this 'Narnia' you're reading about. It's a little girl, right? What is she doing?"
This is a question I got from my grandmother when I was 10 and talked about the Narnia books non stop. Narnia would've been a wonderful girl name, and I would totally name my daughter that - but no, Narnia isn't a girl.
Narnia is the land that Lewis created out from these pictures. Another world. Another dimension. Another universe. Different natural laws. Even different time. And the only way you could get there is by magic.
Narnia is not a world like our own. The first thing you would notice if you went there is that the time is different. It has its own time, and doesnt work in line with our own. If you went to Narnia for 3 years you'd never know how much time had passed by in our own world. Maybe none, maybe thousands of years, maybe an hour. However, Narnias almost 3000 years old story didn't even take up 50 years of our time - but more about that later.
Narnia was created out of nothing - by the big Lion, Aslan. It's a magical world, with talking animals, and other magic creatures. Even the stars and planets are living spirits. Narnia is not a round planet like ours - but rather a squared huge area, where the universe above is just a part of the enormous sky.
The nature is breathtaking - with the great desserts with the burning sun in the south, covering almost half of the land, the great mystical eastern ocean where the islands on the edge of the world contains secrets older than the world itself.
In the west you can find huge and wild forests, and unexplored mystical places and life. Further North you can find the cold wilderness and mountains of the giants, and the mystical lands below the ground.
In central Narnia fauns dance, rivers flow and spectacular castles are built.
As time goes by, several kingdoms are made - Calormen, Archenland and Telmar.
The timeline of Narnia lists up many events that never were mentioned in any of the books.
The books follows seven chosen stories in the history of Narnia: How it was created. How they needed help from out world to restore peace after being occupied by enemies. How a lost prince of Archenland finds his way back home. The exploring of the mystical ocean, and a journey to the end of the world. Another lost prince, and finally how the adventure ends - or does it really ever end?
Narnias full story begins at year 1, and ends at year 2555.
In our worlds time though - Narnia was created around year 1900, and ended in 1949, as Narnian time and our time is different.
How much could possibly happen in another world during 49 years of our time? The seven books are here to tell you wonderful stories from the beginning to the end...
My thoughts
I have read these books 6 times, in different orders, analyzed them up and down for 12 years. You could sure say I'm obsessed with them. Why? Well... on one side I'm actually kinda critical to them.
They're books written for children in the 1950's by a religious authour. It does shine through several times during the series that it is supposed to resemble the bible. Religion, or religious inspiration isn't wrong. In fact, it mostly just makes pretty beautiful scenes.
There's just a few things... I might overreact, but at some points, I feel like it "threatens" the reader to believe in God, follow the bible and live as a Christian. Wich I find to be kinda scary to be put in a childrens book.
However, I tell myself, this was written almost 70 years ago, and times change. I have chosen to ignore the rather oldschool points of the book, and if I filter out all these political points I'm left with the most beautiful story ever written. And that is why I have loved the Narnia books since I was 7 years old.
Narnia has taught me magic - to be able to make up your own universes, and to keep loving adventures no matter what happens.
There's just something that happens to me when I dive into this story. Every word just captures me. Grabs me, and drags me into this fantastic place - no, not nessescarlily Narnia - but what Narnia was for C.S Lewis. His fantasy. I would call it imagination, but it feels kinda wrong to say that it's not real. Cause it is. Narnia has a different message for every person who reads it. For me, it shows me again and again that even in the human brain there is a beautiful place.
The Chronicles of Narnia
(In the order recommended by C.S Lewis)
1. The Magican's Nephew (1955)
2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
3. The Horse and his Boy (1954)
4. Prince Caspian (1951)
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
6. The Silver Chair (1953)
7. The Last Battle (1956)
YOU ARE READING
The Chronicles of Narnia - Book Review
RandomNarnia is one of my favourite series ever. I recently read it for the 6th time, and I decided to write down my thoughts, and it ended up as a book review of all the seven books. I've written as spoiler-free as I can, so feel free to read the books i...
