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.
English Research Sources 