Book Review: Revisiting Narnia edited by Shanna Caughey

The financial success of the Disney version of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe means that the sequel (i.e., Prince Caspian) has already been greenlit by the studio. Meanwhile, copies of Lewis' books continue to sell remarkably well (indeed, they currently appear to be among the top 10 bestsellers, according to USA Today's bestseller database). Given the considerable attention being paid to Lewis and his fanciful tales of a magical land inside an old dusty wardrobe, it is not surprising that there has been an increase in critical discussion of his works as well.

The recently published book Revisiting Narnia looks to explore the fantasy, myth, and religion found in Lewis' Narnia books. Edited by Shanna Caughey, the book is a collection of essays from a disparate and diverse group of writers, philosophers, academics, and others. From the musings of scholar Colin Duriez to the thoughts of Ingrid Newkirk, the co-founder and president of PETA, there is an interesting and occasionally unexpected range of opinion (some favorably inclined toward Lewis, some less so) to be found in this book.

Newkirk, for example, wonders if a "modern-day" Lewis would have been a PETA protester. She notes that Lewis was quite concerned with the pain and suffering of animals, and that he rather doubted that experimentation on animals could be justified "by showing it to be right that one species should suffer in order that another species be happier."

Believing that "his religion and his era fail him," and that his religious-based values and the "unenlightened social context of his time" posed barriers to enlightened understanding, Newkirk contends that a modern Lewis might well have transcended his mere concern for animal suffering and adopted far different notions in "consciousness about animals." Whatever one may think of Newkirk's own perspectives regarding animal rights, she makes some very intriguing points regarding Lewis and his abhorrence of experimentation on animals.

One seemingly pedantic debate about the Narnia books relates to the order in which they should be read. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia book written. After writing four more (Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and A Horse and His Boy), he then wrote a prequel to the rest called The Magician's Nephew which described the creation and corruption of Narnia at the dawn of time. The last book in the series then described the literal end: the destruction of Narnia and the creation of the "new" one in The Last Battle.

In the years since his death, The Magician's Nephew is normally presented as the "first" book in the series given its place in the chronology in Narnian history. Peter Schakel, an English professor and author of several books about Lewis (as well as another book called Approaching Literature in the 21st Century: Fiction, Poetry, and Drama) and Wesley A. Kort, a professor of religion at Duke University, both argue convincingly for the so-called "original" order. Since one of the very real pleasures associated with reading The Magician's Nephew is to recognize the beginnings of so many elements of the other stories, it is hard to disagree with them.

Article Author: W.E. Wallo

W.E. Wallo is a book and movie junkie whose writings have appeared in a variety of print and online publications.

Visit W.E. Wallo's author page — W.E. Wallo's Blog