I am so excited that we are moving into the Chronicles of Narnia. I never had the experience reading them as a kid, and so in many ways I agree even more so with C.S. Lewis when he says that good children's books should be enjoyable for an adult audience.
We started our class discussion on The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Like Perelandra, this is a "supposal," not an allegory. C.S. Lewis is not trying to say that this is the nature of how things are, but "suppose" God was acting in the form of a lion in an imaginary land, etc. That is an important distinction to make.
This supposal was dedicated to Lucy Barfield, his goddaughter. We talked briefly about the changes Lewis made through different publications and the orders, etc., but I'd like to take some time to talk about the symbols I find most pertinent to the story:
Peter- the head of the church after Christ leaves. This one was pointed out in our class discussion.
Aslan- the Christ figure in the story
The White Witch- adversary, evil
Professor Kirke- I think that this name is not chosen by chance. There was a Professor Kirk in Lewis' life who helped him become a Christian by teaching him to question things. He is known in Lewis' autobiography, Surprised by Joy, as "The Great Knock."
Lucy- represents the threefold argument from Mere Christianity. She is not a liar or crazy, so she must be telling the truth.
Statues- They come to life after the resurrection. It could also be like the Tin Soldiers in Mere Christianity.
Witch's Castle- Like the realm of the dead/spirit prison. Aslan leaps over the wall, showing that the gates of hell do not prevail against him
Turkish Delight- a spoiled good thing, as he discussed in The Screwtape Letters
The Stone Table-like the Law of Moses
Father Christmas- Brings hope and cheer, talking about Aslan coming. Could be compared to John the Baptist.
Gifts- spiritual gifts. The cordial, for an Anglican, might be the sacraments
Edmund- could represent Adam, all of us, pride, insecurity, or perhaps Judas
Deep Magic vs Deeper Magic- Deep magic is the lower law while Deeper is the higher law, the kind that the White Witch does not understand. Kind of like the new law after Christ came.
And then the obvious: Death and resurrection through Aslan's sacrifice.
We started our class discussion on The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Like Perelandra, this is a "supposal," not an allegory. C.S. Lewis is not trying to say that this is the nature of how things are, but "suppose" God was acting in the form of a lion in an imaginary land, etc. That is an important distinction to make.
This supposal was dedicated to Lucy Barfield, his goddaughter. We talked briefly about the changes Lewis made through different publications and the orders, etc., but I'd like to take some time to talk about the symbols I find most pertinent to the story:
Peter- the head of the church after Christ leaves. This one was pointed out in our class discussion.
Aslan- the Christ figure in the story
The White Witch- adversary, evil
Professor Kirke- I think that this name is not chosen by chance. There was a Professor Kirk in Lewis' life who helped him become a Christian by teaching him to question things. He is known in Lewis' autobiography, Surprised by Joy, as "The Great Knock."
Lucy- represents the threefold argument from Mere Christianity. She is not a liar or crazy, so she must be telling the truth.
Statues- They come to life after the resurrection. It could also be like the Tin Soldiers in Mere Christianity.
Witch's Castle- Like the realm of the dead/spirit prison. Aslan leaps over the wall, showing that the gates of hell do not prevail against him
Turkish Delight- a spoiled good thing, as he discussed in The Screwtape Letters
The Stone Table-like the Law of Moses
Father Christmas- Brings hope and cheer, talking about Aslan coming. Could be compared to John the Baptist.
Gifts- spiritual gifts. The cordial, for an Anglican, might be the sacraments
Edmund- could represent Adam, all of us, pride, insecurity, or perhaps Judas
Deep Magic vs Deeper Magic- Deep magic is the lower law while Deeper is the higher law, the kind that the White Witch does not understand. Kind of like the new law after Christ came.
And then the obvious: Death and resurrection through Aslan's sacrifice.
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