Happy Winter! This January has been full of rain for us and not a single drop of snow, so I decided to bring the snow to us…our living room to be exact. Narnia was my inspiration for our living room transformation. My youngest daughter and I just finished up the “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” We loved it. Of course there were moments when her tender heart cried for Aslan and rejoiced for justice.
C.S. Lewis, the beloved author of the Chronicles of Narnia was born in Belfast Ireland. He was only ten years old when his mother died and he was sent to Wynyard school in England. This is something Tolkien and him have in common, for J.R.R. Tolkien lost his mother when he was twelve. Both men were prodigies, both men writers and both served in World War 1. Later, they each ended up in Oxford as student and then teacher. Together with a few other friends, they formed a writing community that deemed themselves “The Inklings.” C.S. Lewis had lost his faith it seemed, during his first round of university, however with the help of fairytales, friendships and life experiences he found it again in later years.
“The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” is about four siblings that move to the country during World War 2. They move in to a distant relative’s manor, where there is plenty of outdoor to enjoy and plenty of home to explore. It is at this time during a game of hide and seek, that Lucy hides in a wardrobe and in the process finds a forrest within its doors.
Eventually all the children make it to Narnia where it is never Christmas and always winter thanks to the evil White Witch. But at their arrival things swiftly change. Their coming marks a prophecy of the White Witch’s downfall and the stirring of Aslan on the move. Aslan, a lion who is meant to be the Savior of the land makes his appearance and the children help him in the process.
Most of Lewis’s works are written in Christian allusions. It seems once he found his faith, it applied to most of his written word. If you know Aslan, then you know he is a type and shadow of Jesus. The White Witch, a type and shadow of Lucifer, the children maybe types and shadows of the apostles. Symbolism abounds in all his works. Others call it supposal writing, meaning you are to suppose there was a place like Narnia and there happened to be a Savior in the form of a lion, or rather…what if this were true. But don’t call it an allegory, Lewis refused to call it allegory. It might be fun to know that Lewis also had taught Medieval literature in college and later wrote a book named “The Allegory of Love.” So I suppose he knows allegory….suppose.
Reading Narnia again has brought me back to my childhood, where wonder and whimsy abound. You get a strange hope that fills your soul, as is if Narnia is only a wardrobe away. Our book club is on Tuesday. I ordered Turkish delight, a paper lantern to hang up and we will play pass the parcel when we ask our questions about the story. We will then make paper plate lions for a craft. Eight years old is a great time to hold party book clubs. Have you read “The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe” yet? If not then what are you waiting for?
Tea Time Book Club 