C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Courtenay »

Hmmm... as a former agnostic myself, I found Out of the Silent Planet bizarre, heavy-handed and ultimately pretentious and unconvincing, so I don't feel confident that I'd like Perelandra any better. And having read at least a couple of books that comment on plot elements and themes in That Hideous Strength and found myself cringing, I think maybe I'd better stick to Narnia. But that's just me. :wink:
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Yak
Posts: 2940
Joined: 29 Nov 2007, 19:12
Favourite book/series: St Clare's/FFO's.
Favourite character: Fatty/Claudine
Location: UK, the cold part of
Contact:

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Yak »

I found some elements of THS to be rather clumsy - he'd have been better leaving out the religious elements entirely I think, as they didn't work very well in my opinion. But I enjoyed the story in general .
http://europeforum.freeforums.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
Daisy
Posts: 16632
Joined: 28 Oct 2006, 22:49
Favourite book/series: Find-Outers, Adventure series.
Location: Stoke-On-Trent, England

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Daisy »

I came across this today - a quote by C.S. Lewis and thought members here would understand and agree!

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again".
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.

Society Member
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Rob Houghton »

Yes,that's part of C.S Lewis's dedication in the front of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - 'to Lucy'. It always resonated with me, even as a child and certainly as I grew older! :D

Image
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Courtenay »

I've always loved that dedication too — it made me determined never to grow out of reading fairy tales, with the assurance that even if I did, it wouldn't really matter, because I'd one day be "old enough" to start reading them again. :D I'm sure plenty of others in these forums can relate to that as well!
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Courtenay »

Courtenay wrote:While looking up a quote from C.S. Lewis for another discussion, I came across the source of it, which I hadn't read before — a letter he wrote to a young fan of the Narnia books in 1956. He gives some great advice on good writing which is all still very relevant today and I thought others here might like to read it too. I found the letter in full on this blog called Letters of Note.

Now I think I might have to get hold of the book C.S. Lewis's Letters to Children — sounds like it'd be a fascinating read! :D
While we're on this thread, I just looked back to the previous page of posts and found this comment I posted a year ago (to the day, coincidentally!). I can now add that I did buy the book of C.S. Lewis's letters to children and it was an absolute delight to read. :D It spans the last two decades of his life, from 1944 to literally the day before his death (peacefully at home) in 1963. He wrote to a great variety of children, mostly readers of the Narnia books; I gather he did his best to respond personally to every letter he received from young fans, and there were obviously more and more of them as the years went by. In some cases he and they corresponded back and forth several times! Often he replies to their questions about his books and characters, or discusses where he got some of his ideas from; sometimes he also comments on examples of his correspondents' own creative writing that they sent him, and offers them helpful advice (like in the letter I found online at the link above). It's a really heartwarming and enjoyable book to read or dip into and I highly recommend it.
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Daisy
Posts: 16632
Joined: 28 Oct 2006, 22:49
Favourite book/series: Find-Outers, Adventure series.
Location: Stoke-On-Trent, England

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Daisy »

Moved from 'What other author are you reading at the moment?'

Katharine wrote:I'm reading The Silver Chair as part of my re-read of the Narnia series. I've only read it once before, so don't remember much of it. I found it a bit slow/hard going to begin with, but now I've got to the stage where I'm having to stop my self skim reading it as I'm so eager to find out how it ends.
I agree with you about this book - the first time I read it I found it hard to get into, but I too like it very much now and I can understand your wish to turn the pages quickly!
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.

Society Member
Katharine
Posts: 12284
Joined: 25 Nov 2009, 15:50

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Katharine »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I love The Silver Chair, Katharine. It has a meatier storyline than some of the other Narnia books and I like the way the signs that Jill has to look out for crop up in subtle and unexpected ways.

Puddleglum is one of my two favourite characters from the series, the other being Lucy.
Yes, he's a great character. The character I like least in the books is Reepicheep - I got fed up of his constant blood lust!
Daisy wrote: I agree with you about this book - the first time I read it I found it hard to get into, but I too like it very much now and I can understand your wish to turn the pages quickly!
So far, I've actually enjoyed re-reading all the books although I don't think I was as keen on The Horse and His Boy and Dawn Treader the first time around. I would still list them as my least favourite of the series, but better than I remembered.
Society Member
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Gosh, yes, Reepicheep is most annoying, always wanting to have a fight! I am moved when he goes off alone to seek the "utter East" though, fulfilling a yearning and sense of destiny that has been with him all his life.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favourite title as it's full of dream-like places and happenings. The Horse and His Boy doesn't really feel like part of the same series but it's an interesting story nevertheless. The book I struggle with is Prince Caspian because it's so slow-paced, though the opening chapters are truly delicious and I usually read them twice before continuing with the rest of the story.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


Society Member
Katharine
Posts: 12284
Joined: 25 Nov 2009, 15:50

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Katharine »

I read Prince Caspian back in November, and can't remember what it was about - obviously not one of the best books in the series!

So far, I would say my favourites are The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Magician's Nephew.

I agree that The Horse and His Boy doesn't seem to fit in with the others, although I seem to recall that Susan and Edmund make a short appearance in it, however I felt they were just popped in there to try and tie the book in with the rest of the series. Although I think it helps set the scene for the later books. I still enjoyed it more on my second reading though than I did first time around.
Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Courtenay »

Hmmm, interesting that not everyone likes Reepicheep — he's always been one of my favourite characters, and I'm not normally an advocate of violence myself! :lol: I can understand why his attitude could be annoying, but I think there's meant to be a comical element in the contrast between his tiny size (he's bigger than an ordinary mouse in our world, but I'm pretty sure we're told he's still only about a foot high) and his swaggering, rather exaggerated derring-do. At least, I've always found that aspect of him very amusing. I don't recall any incident where he actually commits an act of unnecessary violence, i.e. when his life or others' are not in danger — he regularly tries to pick fights with potential enemies but is almost always warned off by the wiser and more level-headed members of the party! — and there are certainly episodes that show that he has real courage and a generous heart.

I think possibly the most touching example of that is in Voyage when Eustace is changed into a dragon — previously he had been horrible to Reepicheep, calling him a "performing animal" and at one point picking him up and swinging him around by the tail (which is why Reepicheep challenges him to a sword fight in return!). But when he sees how miserable Eustace is as a dragon and that he is honestly making an effort to change his selfish ways, Reepicheep spends every evening sitting with him and talking to him and trying to cheer him up, a kindness we're told Eustace never forgot. I agree, too, his journey to the "utter East" at the end is deeply moving. Lewis himself loved mice — from a young age, he was writing stories of "Animal-Land" (later called "Boxen") in which mice were the heroes and went to war against cats! — so no doubt he was remembering those when he created the character of Reepicheep.
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I wonder if I'd find the Boxen mice irritating too?!

It's good to be reminded of Reepicheep's eventual kindness to Eustace though.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Courtenay »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I wonder if I'd find the Boxen mice irritating too?!
Possibly! :wink: I've got a book of Lewis's Boxen stories, but I haven't read it yet — I must do some time. I'm aware that one of his main characters from his earliest stories was called Sir Peter Mouse, so one can guess he was an inspiration for Reepicheep as well as for the name of the oldest of the Pevensie children. There's a surviving early draft of the opening paragraph of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in which the children are named Ann, Martin, Rose and Peter, and we're told that the story is "mainly about Peter who was the youngest." Obviously Lewis was quite attached to that name, since he kept it in the final version, though he eventually made Peter the oldest and had Lucy take the role of the youngest child whom the story is "mainly about".
Katharine wrote: So far, I've actually enjoyed re-reading all the books although I don't think I was as keen on The Horse and His Boy and Dawn Treader the first time around. I would still list them as my least favourite of the series, but better than I remembered.
Hope you're continuing to enjoy your re-reading, Katharine. :) Am I remembering rightly that you said some time ago that you weren't happy with the ending of The Last Battle? It'd be interesting to hear your thoughts on it the second time if so. I love it myself, but I had already guessed (on my first read) where the story was going and so how it ends wasn't really a shock — I can understand, though, why not everyone would like it.
Society Member

It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Katharine
Posts: 12284
Joined: 25 Nov 2009, 15:50

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Katharine »

Yes Courtenay, I'm pretty sure I didn't like The Last Battle when I first read it, but I wasn't keen on The Horse and His Boy or The Dawn Treader either. I've altered my view a bit on the former book, I'd certainly be happy to re-read it again, the jury is still out on the latter - I seem to recall I didn't like it at all the first time around, this time it wasn't as bad as I'd remembered, but I still wouldn't be in a hurry to pick it up again. Having said that, it's very well written, the part where they sail into the blackness is pretty scary, I just don't like that kind of thing myself.

Good points about Reepicheep, his heart is certainly in the right place, but I still think he'd get on my nerves if I ever met him. :wink:

The first of the Narnia books I ever came across was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I think I probably read The Magician's Nephew as a child, both of which I'd describe more as adventure books, whereas some of the others seem more war like, which isn't really my cup of tea. Enid Blyton never had anyone slicing the head off a wicked queen who had just turned into a serpent!!!

I do find it interesting to see what I consider similarities between the books and Lord of the Rings, I've also spotted a couple of bits which made me think that J. K. Rowling may have read the books too. Not that I'm accusing anyone of plagiarism. :D
Society Member
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: C. S. Lewis - Narnia, etc.

Post by Rob Houghton »

I have read Prince Caspian but hardly remember anything about it. I tend to find the later books (except The Last Battle) a bit of a mishmash - not very memorable. My favourites are the first three - The Magician's Nephew, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Horse and His Boy. :-D
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



Society Member
Post Reply