How to come to Narnia

Should one read Narnia as a tale, as a Christian parable, or as a classic to be taken apart? A little of all of that, but in a certain order. A few keys to enjoying the Chronicles to the full, at any age and whatever your convictions.

Reading aloud

Une veillée de lecture près d'une vieille armoire

First the story: Lewis wanted tales, not sermons.
The symbols come afterwards, and they do not impose themselves.
Read aloud, read again, and ask which character you would be.

First, let yourself be carried away

In 2005, just before the first film came out, Douglas Gresham, Lewis's stepson, gave a piece of advice which we published on the old site (see the text below): do not look for the symbols, let the magic do its work, and ask yourself which character you would be. Twenty years on, that advice is still the best place to start.

Lewis himself said that Narnia was not born of an idea, but of images: a faun in the snow, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. He had not, at the start, any intention of teaching children anything. He wanted to write the kind of book he liked to read. To read Narnia as an adventure is therefore not a lesser reading: it is the first reading, the one the author wanted.

A tale for every age

Lewis held to an idea he put into words in 1952: a story for children which only children can enjoy is a bad story for children. It is not a matter of two separate readings, one for the young and one for grown-ups. The same book is read at eight as an adventure, at fifteen as a story of courage and loyalty, at forty as a meditation on forgiveness, the fear of growing up, or death. That is why adults who reread Narnia are often surprised: the book has grown up with them.

The levels of reading

You can walk through Narnia on several storeys, without ever being obliged to climb to the top.

The adventure: ordinary children, a marvellous world, dangers, battles, friendships.
The world: a geography, a history of 2,555 years, peoples, the languages of beasts. The site's maps and chronology help you find your way.
The moral path: Edmund's betrayal and forgiveness, Bree's pride, the selfishness of Eustace turned into a dragon, Puddleglum's stubborn perseverance. The characters change, and the reader with them.
The literature: Lewis was a great scholar of the Middle Ages. He sowed his books with Greek and Norse myths, with chivalry, with marvellous voyages in the manner of the Irish tales, and with memories of Plato, of Dante or of Spenser.
The spiritual dimension: Aslan, his death and his resurrection, the sung creation, the end of the world. For the Christian reader, the echoes are obvious. For others, they remain a fine story of sacrifice and of hope.

Reading the Christian dimension, without decoding everything

Lewis refused to have it called allegory. He preferred the word 'supposal': suppose a world of Talking Beasts in which the Son of God came in the form of a lion. It is not a secret code in which every element would hide a meaning. It is a story which, from time to time, sets another story ringing.

Towards the end of his life, in 1961, Lewis summed up for a young reader the theme of each book: the creation and the coming of evil in The Magician's Nephew, the crucifixion and the resurrection in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the conversion of a pagan in The Horse and His Boy, the restoration of the true religion after a corruption in Prince Caspian, the spiritual life in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the continuing war against the powers of darkness in The Silver Chair, and the coming of the Antichrist, the end of the world and the Last Judgement in The Last Battle. It is a precious key, but a late one, given by the author after the event. It obliges no one.

As early as 2005, the old site's podcast put the question to its listeners: do you miss a dimension of the Chronicles if you avoid taking an interest in their Christian symbolism? Probably. But you can also miss the book by seeing only that. Our article on the Christian reading sets out these two pitfalls.

The passages that are disputed

To come to Narnia honestly is also to accept its darker places. Some critics, such as the writer Philip Pullman, fault the Chronicles for their view of women, notably Susan's fate in The Last Battle, and for the portrayal of the Calormenes, a southern people whose Eastern features are often caricatured. Other readers reply that the heroines of Narnia, Lucy, Jill and Aravis, are among the bravest in the children's literature of their time, and that the Calormene Emeth is received by Aslan at the end. Lewis himself wrote to a young reader that Susan's story was not finished and that she still had time to change. These debates are legitimate. They can feed a good discussion at home or in the classroom.

A few practical suggestions

Read aloud. The narrator often speaks directly to the reader, like a storyteller by the fire. The Chronicles are made to be heard.
Begin with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Our article on the reading order explains why.
Pause on the turning points: the broken Stone Table, Puddleglum's foot in the fire, the wave at the end of the world. These are the beating hearts of the books.
Ask Douglas Gresham's question: if I were in this story, who would I be? Edmund? Susan? Eustace? The answer is rarely flattering, and that is what makes it interesting.
Read it again. Lewis thought that a good book is known by the pleasure of rereading it. Narnia bears rereading very well.

Where would you like to go?

What are you looking for today?