The lexicon of Jack: twelve ideas from Lewis and the scene of Narnia that shows them

• Twelve key ideas, in alphabetical order.
• For each idea: a definition, where to read it in the book, and a scene from Narnia.
• A tool for readers, teachers, and book clubs.

Each entry follows the same path: the idea, where to read it, then the scene from Narnia that illustrates it.

Friendship

Friendship arises when two people discover that they see the same truth: “You too?” Lovers look at each other; friends look together in the same direction. Where to read it: The Four Loves, ch. 4. The scene in Narnia: Jill and Eustace, Shasta and Aravis, Reepicheep and Caspian.

Inner Ring

The desire to belong to the group of those who count, a driving force behind many cowardices. Where to read it: the essay The Inner Ring (1944, in The Weight of Glory); Mark Studdock in That Hideous Strength. The scene in Narnia: Edmund, seduced by the promise of being a prince.

Heaven and Hell

Hell is an inside door; heaven is more real, more solid than earth. Where to read it: The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain. The scene in Narnia: the dwarfs in The Last Battle, who do not see the feast set before them.

Imagination and Reason

“Reason is the natural organ of truth; imagination, the organ of meaning.” Lewis refuses to choose between the two: he is both a logician and a storyteller. Where to read it: the essay Bluspels and Flalansferes (1939). The scene in Narnia: one understands Aslan’s sacrifice with the heart before understanding it with the head.

Joy (Sehnsucht)

The desire for elsewhere, more precious than any satisfaction. Where to read it: Surprised by Joy; our article “From the biscuit tin to the land of Aslan.” The scene in Narnia: the name of Aslan, and the land of Aslan at the world’s end.

Medieval Worldview

A full, musical, hierarchical cosmos, where planets have character. Where to read it: The Discarded Image. The scene in Narnia: the living stars, Ramandu, the dance of the stars.

True Myth

The pagan myths of a god who dies and rises again are dreams of humanity; in Christ, Lewis says after Tolkien, this myth becomes historical fact. Where to read it: The Weight of Glory (1944 essay); God in the Dock. The scene in Narnia: Aslan on the Stone Table.

Pride

“The great sin,” from which all others flow, because it is essentially competitive. Where to read it: Mere Christianity, Book III, ch. 8. The scene in Narnia: Jadis, Rabadash, Uncle Andrew.

Chronological Snobbery

The idea that a thought is false because it is old, or true because it is new. Lewis learned it from Barfield, hence his advice: read an old book for every three new ones. Where to read it: Surprised by Joy; the preface to On the Incarnation by Athanasius (1944). The scene in Narnia: the Telmarines, who have forgotten Old Narnia.

Suffering

From argument to cry. Where to read it: The Problem of Pain (1940), then A Grief Observed (1961). The scene in Narnia: Digory’s tears before his mother’s sickbed, and Aslan’s tears.

Tao

The universal moral law, common to great civilizations. Where to read it: The Abolition of Man. The scene in Narnia: the deep magic written on the Stone Table.

Transformation

We are not made to become “good people,” but new creatures. Where to read it: Mere Christianity, Book IV; The Great Divorce (the dragon turned into a stallion). The scene in Narnia: Eustace freed from his dragon skin by Aslan.

For a book club

Pick an entry, read the Narnia scene aloud, then the Lewis passage: the discussion will follow naturally.

See also

• From the Biscuit Tin to the Land of Aslan: “Joy,” the secret desire that unites all of Lewis’s work
• The Four Loves
• The Weight of Glory
• That Hideous Strength
• The Problem of Pain
• The Great Divorce
• God at the Pardon
• The Discarded Image
• Narnia and Myth
• Quotes from C.S. Lewis
• Eustace Clarence Scrubb