The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. LewisThe White Witch, Aslan, fauns and talking beasts, centaurs and epic battles between good and evil -- all these have become a part of our collective imagination through the classic volumes of The Chronicles of Narnia. Over the past half century, children everywhere have escaped into this world and delighted in its wonders and enchantments. Yet what we do know of the man who created Narnia? This biography sheds new light on the making of the original Narnian, C. S. Lewis himself. Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential religious writer of his day. An Oxford don and scholar of medieval literature, he loved to debate philosophy at his local pub, and his wartime broadcasts on the basics of Christian belief made him a celebrity in his native Britain. Yet one of the most intriguing aspects of Clive Staples Lewis remains a mystery. How did this middle-aged Irish bachelor turn to the writing of stories for children -- stories that would become among the most popular and beloved ever written? Alan Jacobs masterfully tells the story of the original Narnian. From Lewis's childhood days in Ireland playing with his brother, Warnie, to his horrific experiences in the trenches during World War I, to his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien (and other members of the "Inklings"), and his remarkable late-life marriage to Joy Davidman, Jacobs traces the events and people that shaped Lewis's philosophy, theology, and fiction. The result is much more than a conventional biography of Lewis: Jacobs tells the story of a profound and extraordinary imagination. For those who grew up with Narnia, or for those just discovering it, The Narnian tells a remarkable tale of a man who knew great loss and great delight, but who knew above all that the world holds far more richness and meaning than the average eye can see. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 12
... story - which it is his task in Surprised by Joy to tell - of his eventual conversion to Christianity . His mother's death had nothing to do with that conversion as he understands it . But his insistence on the religious insignificance ...
... stories who come from our world give little evi- dence of being Christians : the cabby in The Magician's Nephew ( the ... story he does not even seem to hope : that his mother is " going to die " he takes as a given . But then , after ...
... stories , and later the Boxen stories , are more Anthony Trollope than Beatrix Potter : they are full less of heroic battles ( which one might reasonably expect from a child's story , and receive with some gratitude ) than they are of ...
... story that is not completely realistic as a fairy story - including even Gulliver's voyage to Lilliput ! He further blames Lang for helping to redescribe the fairy - tale world as a world for chil- dren ; to Tolkien this it most ...
... story " Smith of Wooton Major , " Tolkien calls it " that perilous country " ; the protagonist , Smith , travels in Faery under the protec- tion of a magical star on his forehead , but even so , " he soon became wise and understood that ...
Contents
1 | |
19 | |
THREE Red beef and strong beer | 44 |
FOUR I never sank so low as to pray | 65 |
SEVEN Definitely believing in Christ | 136 |
EIGHT Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? | 163 |
NINE What I owe to them all is incalculable | 194 |
ELEVEN We soon learn to love what | 248 |
TWELVE Joy is the serious business of heaven | 280 |
AFTERWORD The Future of Narnia | 305 |