The Narnia books have been part of my life since early childhood, when I heard them at my father's knee - and then, again, when he re-read them for my first sister's benefit; and yet again for the second sister; though by the time my baby brother came along, I think I considered myself too old for listening to stories read aloud.
I'm re-reading the books this week, for the first time in many years. It's such fun to revisit these childhood favourites!
It's so long since I read them that I bring fresh eyes to the reading. I am charmed by ownership inversion inherent the subversive title The Horse and His Boy, and ponder again our notions of ownership, and in what other ways we are possessed by things we consider we own. I wince at the gender-gestalt of the books, in which boys and men and young girls are capable of nobility and high acts, while older girls - presumably approaching menarche - are prone to hysterics and foolishness. I can read the closing chapters of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader without crying (it took me some years, as a child, to realize it made me tearful because it allegorized death - C. S. Lewis speaks to our hearts) and also explore the richness of the book's other symbolism about the trials a person may face during life's course. I note how many fantasy prototypes have their roots in Lewis' tales, and my hypothesis that the special effects capacity of the film industry influences the imagery used in speculative fiction is debunked by his witches morphing into serpents, trees taking their human-like forms, and so forth.
Lewis' writing is so vivid and deep it warrants re-reading - even these, his 'tales for children' - and I predict I'll be dipping into The Screwtape Letters before the end of the week.
Hi Catie, Its me (Storm) stalking you! This post reminds me of our old book conversations, while I was skipping out on health class :)
ReplyDeleteAnd, in a strange sense of parallel universe-ism, or whatever the term is, I, too, have just reread my Narnia collection. I always did love The Horse and His Boy, which was always awkward in conversations with peers, because they always found it a shock to discover "The Chronicles of Narnia" was more than The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe ("It's not even the first one?!").
Taking a letter from your book, I think I will go find myself a copy of The Screwtape Letters and actually read it, as it is one of the things I have been meaning to do for a while, but because I am such an amazing procrastinator, never have.
Hope you are well. xx
Woo hoo! A "stalker"! Cool :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty neat coincidence - you just re-reading your Narnia books, too! Love it when things like that happen. Word to the wise - "Screwtape Letters" is far more overtly Christian in content; I'm in a different place now, but thought I'd re-read the Letters as part of my Lewis-feast ... not primarily because of their message.
I'll go bask in my moment of glory, having a "stalker" (and such a delightful one). Let me know how you find the Letters! And what else are you reading?
x Catie