Christianity and Literature

     Christianity and Literature is a journal published quarterly at Pepperdine University by the Conference on Christianity and Literature. This journal is accessible to the students, faculty, and staff of Tennessee Technological University through the Humanities Full Text database. Starting in the summer of 1956, Elva McAllister, the English department chair of Seattle Pacific College, mailed newsletters to other teachers around the U.S. asking for ideas for another issue of the newsletter. Those newsletters which connected people with the same interests became the journal we know today as Christianity and Literature. For twenty years, this journal included a bibliographic page and included abstracts for many articles. Today all that this journal includes is articles, book reviews, and poetry. This journal does not just cater to students’ needs, but also to teachers of religion and English alike. With over one thousand memberships and over five hundred library subscriptions, it is clear that this journal is accepted by more than just Pepperdine students and teachers.

The current editorial staff is primarily from the U.S. with many universities, internationally and nationally recognized.  The head editors are Paul J. Contino and Maire Mullins who are both professors at Pepperdine University. Both of the editors received their M.A.s from Notre Dame University and have both won many awards such as the Fulbright Scholarship, Japan and the Howard A. White Award for Excellence in Teaching. The other staff members are part of many other prestigious schools in North America such as Purdue, Eckerd, Rutgers, and Duke.

A typical issue of Christianity and Literature contains at least one to five articles that are no longer than seven pages, book reviews that are one to two pages long, and poetry that can range anywhere from fifty-four pages to one page. The journal’s articles discuss authors such as apologist and novelist Shusaku Endo who died in 1996, but was remembered in the winter 1999 issue of Christianity and Literature. All articles that appeared in this issue were about this historic and famous apologist and novelist. There are also articles that go into detail about one aspect of a classic story such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein found in the summer 2011 issue. Although the actual authors, such as Edger Allen Poe and Mary Shelley, are not covered, their works are covered in book reviews and articles. For example, a book review on a book written about Edgar Allan Poe, “Why Poe Drank”, by Marion Montgomery, can be found in the fall 1985 issue. The review of “Milton’s Scriptural Reasoning: Narrative and Protestant Toleration” by Phillip J. Donnelly can be found in the summer 2011 issue, and  “Chaucer’s Biblical Poetics” can be found in the winter 1999 issue. Christianity and Literature’s book reviews cover a wide range of authors from those who wrote no religious works, such as Poe, and those who did, such as Milton.

As the mission of Christianity and Literature states, “Christianity and Literature is devoted to the scholarly exploration of how literature engages Christian thought, experience, and practice” this journal is more than a religious or academic journal. This journal is one that can cater to more than students, professors, faculty, and staff. This journal binds literature to Christianity.

Works Cited

Conference on Christianity and Literature. Pepperdine University, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.

Children’s Literature in Education

     Children’s Literature in Education, established in 1973, is a quarterly published journal by Springer publishing. This journal is accessible to TTU students through the Education Full Text database and goes back to the year 1997. This journal is an excellent resource for teachers, parents who homeschool their children, librarians, writers, and students alike. Children’s Literature in Education also invites submissions from those who hope to have their article(s) published in this journal

Each issue features articles on fiction, prose, poetry, picture books, and interviews with children’s literature authors. The interview with Roald Dahl for instance, can be found in the June 1990 issue. There are also critiques of classic and contemporary children’s literature. In the March 2012 issue, there are various articles that focus on young children’s literature such as “Revisiting the Relationship Between Text and Pictures” and “Reading Picturebooks as Literature: Four-to-Six-Year-Old Children and the Development of Literary Competence.” Also included in each issue of this journal are reading project articles for teachers who can utilize the strategies outlined in the article in their own classroom to get their students engaged in reading not only contemporary children’s literature, but also classic children’s literature. One example of an article of this sort can be found in the 1979 issue entitled “Presenting Literature to Children.”

Overall, this journal includes a broad range of topics in children’s literature and also a variety of articles, such as the ones mentioned above. This journal has been serving teachers, librarians, students and writers for over forty years. Children’s Literature in Education is not only free to users, but also a helpful teaching aid that helps teachers get students engaged in reading contemporary and classical children’s literature in an enjoyable yet constructive way.

Into the Wardrobe

Established in 1994 by John Visser, Into the Wardrobe is independent of any official C.S. Lewis organizations, book publishers, and media companies. Although this is a free standing website, Visser does invite contributions to his site such as news, pictures, quotes, and suggestions on how to make the website better are always welcome; however, he does give fair warning and say that your contribution may not be posted right away.  The idea for this website came about when Visser was conducting research on Lewis, but was not able to find anything of real substance. This website is not only a project created by one man, but it is also a website that is user friendly to those people trying to find information of substance on an incredible author.

This website’s home page is lined at the top with nine different tabs. Each tab takes the user to a different aspect of Lewis’ life. Under the ‘works’ tab, there is a complete list of works by C.S. Lewis with a small description of what each work is about. Under the ‘papers’ tab is a collection of papers written by others about Lewis and his works. Under the ‘multimedia’ tab are pictures of friends, family, acquaintances, Lewis himself, and drawing from The Chronicles of Narnia. Other interesting features of this website include a recipe for Turkish Delight, a food featured in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and information on taking C.S. Lewis tours in England and Ireland.

Overall, this is a good source for anyone who is looking for information on C.S. Lewis or is just looking for a starting point for their research. With its easy navigation, this site is easy and fun to use and look through.

http://cslewis.drzeus.net/

Use of religion and God in C.S. Lewis’ Work The Chronicles of Narnia

Introduction

           A prince, talking animals, kings, queens, and a lion who sacrifices himself for the good of humanity: step into the magical world of Narnia, the world that changes throughout each novel of the chronicles. Even after all the years that have passed since the publication of these magical works, they are still being used by book clubs, in the classroom, and for individual, pleasure reading.

Although Christianity has been taken out of most schools, these works have such a subtle tone of Christianity that it would not be a betrayal to the schools who wish to keep religion out of their curriculum. Not only is there a religious aspect, but there are also lessons that these  books offer to children and adults alike. To children, these novels, especially The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, explains the importance of family and not lying. To adults, these novels explain the importance of sacrifice. Another aspect these novels explain to adults is how to gain a deeper meaning of religion and spirituality that young readers of these novels cannot understand at first.

This selected annotated bibliography, mainly comprised of scholarly essays and journal articles,  gives a deeper look into the use of religion and the image of God in The Chronicles of Narnia. Because this annotated bibliography is comprised of fifteen sources just on the subject of C.S. Lewis’s chronicles, this bibliography can be used by more than just students and teachers; it can also be used by theologians and parents. This annotated bibliography in itself is an overview of how C.S. Lewis used religion and the God image in his novels.

Jacobs, Alan. “Into the Wonder: You Won’t Understand the Genius C.S. Lewis’s Literary Criticism, Satire, Science Fiction, and Theological Essays until You Spend Time in
Narnia.”Christianity Today  Dec. 2005: 36+. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Jacobs’ article found in Christianity Today starts out by giving a brief history of Lewis’s life. Part of this history goes into detail about how Lewis began writing The Chronicles of Narnia and how before The Chronicles of Narnia were even written or published for that matter, it was suggested that Lewis already had it written in his head, but unknowingly. Jacobs states that Lewis’s writing of these books he was able to find his own beliefs and imagination.

Pietrusz, Jim. “Rites of Passage: The Chronicles of Narnia and the Seven Sacraments.” Mythlore 14.4 (Summer 1988): 61-63. Rpt. in Children’s Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns.
Vol. 109. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

In Pietrusz’s article, he describes the parallels between the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic and Anglican church and The Chronicles of Narnia. He goes through each sacrament and explains each of them. He explains which sacrament goes with each chronicle and gives adequate evidence for each one. For example, he associates the sacrament of Penance with the chronicle The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In this story, Edmund lies and betrays his siblings due to the temptations set up by the White Witch. Edmund is forgiven by his siblings and Aslan (the God figure in the chronicles), but he is only fully forgiven when Aslan sacrifices himself. Pietrusz concludes by saying that this was the ultimate subject Lewis could have written for children.

Glover, Donald E. “The Chronicles of Narnia, 1950-1956: An Introduction.” C.S. Lewis: The Art of Enchantment. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1981. 131-134. Rpt. in
Children’s Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns. Vol. 109. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22      Oct. 2013

Glover’s article discusses Lewis’s use of enchantment and fantasy in his famous works The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis established early on that children were legitimate readers, not people to be talked or written down upon. Glover writes that Lewis had multiple motives for writing. The first motive was to convey the images that had been in his head since the age of sixteen, the second motive was the spiritual aspect, the third was the challenge to keep argument and description in a healthy balance, and lastly he wanted to surpass the typical, expected response to religion. He concludes his article by saying he will leave the reader to distinguish the Christian symbolism found in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Cowart, Amber. “The Success of C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia.” N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

Cowart’s paper starts off by saying that Lewis had two main purposes in writing The Chronicles of Narnia. Purpose one was to entertain readers and purpose two was to portray Christian analogies. According to Lewis, he did not intentionally mean to write a Christian allegory, but it just happened as he started writing. Cowart explains the importance Lewis saw on getting to those readers who did not believe in God because they were constantly told to. As his works were read, Cowart writes that Lewis’s Aslan became loved and wished for in our world.  She also emphasizes the point that was emphasized by Walter Hooper, that Narnia should not be described as an allegory but a ‘pure story.’ Cowart concludes her paper by saying that Lewis was successful at writing The Chronicles of Narnia including Christian apologetics because he was and still is a “good entertainer.”

Beutel, Heidi. “To Hell and Back Again: Edmund’s Transformation.” Inklings Forever 4 (2004): Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Beutel’s essay goes through the transformation of Edmund, a character in Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She describes his attitude and state at the beginning of the book, self-centered, spiteful, and lack of concern. As the essay goes on, she explains how each decision Edmund makes is slightly worse than the last which leads him down the road to Hell. After seeing the true nature of the Witch Beutel explains, Aslan comes to his rescue. She goes on to discuss how is attitude has changed. She concludes with saying that he used the experiences he went through as a learning tool and continued to grow into a better man throughout the rest of the chronicles.

Long, Josh B. “Disparaging Narnia: Reconsidering Tolkien’s View of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Mythlore 31.3-4 (2013): 31+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Oct.
2013.

Long makes clear that his intention in this critical essay is to find out why Tolkien did not like the Narnia series. He speculates that Tolkien’s primary issues were the fact that Lewis did not take seriously his secondary world, Narnia. He also states the Tolkien did not believe Lewis knew what he was talking about. Lewis had created a world that was not put together the way Tolkien put together LOTR, says Long. Long goes on to say that Tolkien did not like Narnia because 1) it was meant for children and children, to Tolkien, did not understand fairy-stories, and 2) because he would have to admit that he actually liked the book. Tolkien was also against the fact that there was a, good, Christ-like figure that came back from the dead to save the creatures of Narnia from the White Witch,

McGrew, David B. “Apologetics in Narnia: Storytelling the Truth past Watchful Dragons.” (2011): 1-18. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

In McGrew’s essay, he goes through each book in The Chronicles of Narnia and gives an excerpt from each book. Each excerpt gives an example of what a character learned and what apologetic undertone is interwoven in each novel. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Peter and Susan learn to throw aside logic and blindly believe Lucy.  By this blind faith, they come to discover the magical world of Narnia. In Prince Caspian, McGrew says that one finds the key to Christianity. He concludes his essay by saying that fact and fiction, both appear in the chronicles, are needed together to serve the Church.

Higgens, Deborah. Allegory in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: A Window to the Gospel of John.  Southern College, 1994. N.p., 1994: 147-163. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Higgens starts off her article with a question as to why a college English teacher would use fairy tales in a Biblical Literature class. She says that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are written so that they include Christian allegory and symbolism which is a great way to open the ‘window’ to the Gospel of John. She compares this chronicle with the Gospel of John by comparing the actions of Aslan with those of Christ such as bring life back to those who are ‘dead’, dying for his people, and resurrecting to continue his reign of as king. She concludes her paper by answering the question she poses in the beginning. She answers by saying that looking at the allegory which leads the reader to the book of John.

James, Russell. “Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity, and National Purpose in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” Cinema
Journal 48.4 (2009): 59-76. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Russell’s main point of this essay is to investigate the ways marketing can create meaning. He explains that when the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was released, Walden Media put an emphasis on the Christian allegory. He divides his article into two major focuses. Focus one is on the historical context of the author, and focus two is to look closer at Walden Media. He concludes by saying that this adaptation is dangerous because it promoted certain traits that it did not live up to.

Fisher, H. Dennis. “C.S. Lewis, Platonism and Aslan’s Country Symbols of Heaven in The Chronicles of Narnia.” Inklings Forever 7 (2011): 1-14. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Fisher’s article found in Inklings Forever poses his thesis in the form of a question as to why Lewis uses Platonic ideas when they are conflicting to Christianity. He goes about answering this question by looking at the faith journey that Lewis traveled in his life, how he used Platonism in the Narnia series, and the imagery of Narnia, aka Aslan’s country, as heaven. Throughout the article, Fisher goes in the order he mentioned he would to answer his question. In his conclusion, he ties everything together and answers his question and restates his position.

Studwell, Jamie. “Christianity Reimagined: Images of God and the Devil in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.” Diss. Middlebury College, 2011: 4-75. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Studwell’s essay’s thesis is to look closer at the use of theology, God, and the Devil in the works of C.S. Lewis, but especially in The Chronicles of Narnia. She clearly outlines what she will be talking about in the table of contents. Her first section, after the introduction, dives right into the imagery of God in the Narnia series and explains why Aslan is the Christ figure and compares him to the actual Christ using references to the Bible. Throughout the rest of the dissertation, Studwell gives further support for her thesis. She concludes with whether or not these books are suitable for children.

Wood, Ralph C. “Good and terrible: the God of Narnia.” The Christian Century 122.26 (2005): 8+. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

In Wood’s article, found in The Christian Century magazine, the God of Narnia, Aslan, is examined and how he can be both terrifying and good at the same time. He addresses the fact that Lucy Pevensie is the only one who really knows the existence of other worlds and can see the goodness in everything…including Aslan, who is terrifying at the beginning. Wood makes connections between Aslan and the actual God who threatens terrible things, but who is, in the end, good. He concludes his article with comparing how Aslan is willing to die for the happiness of his people much like Christ died for the forgiveness of the sins of everyone on earth.

Fisher, Dennis. Narnia The Story Behind the Stories. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. RBC Ministries. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

Fisher’s booklet goes through each book of The Chronicles of Narnia to answer whether or not we relate to these books because of a sense of spirituality beyond our senses or because of common world themes. Although this booklet discusses the spiritual themes laced in the series, he says not to assume that Lewis meant to have all these spiritual elements. He does a comparison between Aslan and Christ, which is a big focal point of the series. He also addresses other parallels between the Bible and the Narnia series and presents his argument well. He concludes with an overall view of the series and gives suggested reading.

Muth, Benita Huffman. “Sir Thomas Browne, Screwtape, and the ‘Amphibians’ of Narnia.” Christianity and Literature 59.4 (2010): 645+. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web.
16 Oct. 2013.

In Muth’s article, it is brought to light that Lewis borrowed certain ideas, such as the term ‘amphibianism’ from Sir Thomas Brown, a natural philosopher. One such idea is that the human participation in both the spiritual and real world is essential and they possess a spiritual and physical nature. These traits are taken and applied to the characters, both human and animal like, in The Chronicles of Narnia. Throughout the rest of the article, other ideas that Brown had written in his works that Lewis used not only in The Chronicles of Narnia but also some of his other works such as the Screwtape Letters.

Martindale, Wayne, and Jerry Root., eds.  The Quotable Lewis. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990. Print.

This book is a collection of exerts and personal quotes from C.S. Lewis and his works. Some of these excerpts come directly from the Chronicles of Narnia but others come from the man himself. Some of the quotes that are included in this book are not only from his books, but are quotes from him about his beliefs, writing, and why he wrote what he did. This book is a special collection that houses many insights into C.S. Lewis’ works and his own mind.