32 Comments

Beautiful, beautiful piece. A big day for me, I just finished ‘The Last Battle’, thus ending my first time through the Chronicles of Narnia, which I started back in late March. And I wanted to walk alongside the author’s mind, so I read it in publication order. I wholly endorse that order. At age 34, I’m one of those baptized as an adult in Narnia. Lewis had a major role in bringing me to faith with Mere Christianity that changed my life around 10 years ago

Expand full comment

Praise God! I look forward to writing C. S. Lewis study guides eventually. He is my mentor.

Expand full comment

My mentor as well! He has greatly helped shape my mind and heart in the image of Christ and encouraged me through difficult times. When I hear I classical educators speak of friendship with deceased authors, it resonates with how I think and feel about Lewis. Looking forward to that study guide!

Expand full comment

If the Lord sustains me to do so, I plan to eventually have study guides for the complete works of Lewis. I’m trying to develop my 7-12 grade History and Literature curriculum first (which has some Lewis in it), but once that’s done I’ll pursue other projects like the complete Lewis collection.

Expand full comment

We started with TLTWTW last year because we’re not savages. The kids loved it, now we’re starting MN, I thought maybe they’d be too young but they love it and are making me read it all day! It’s so much fun to relive it through their eyes. Thank you for the wonderful post!

Expand full comment

Jacob you have thrown down the gauntlet here! I will draw my sword for the publication order side of the debate and gladly die on that hill :)

great post and writing as always, sir!

Expand full comment

Thanks!

Expand full comment

I just started re-reading the Chronicles a few weeks ago(after a period of diving into Lewis' more grown up work) and it felt like a grand welcome back into the world I grew up in. I do think, however, after re-reading, that perhaps we overanalyze these books at times, drawing allegorical comparisons where, of course they are there, but quite possibly we should read them as fully involved in the story. It is, and was, a children's book. I think maybe we must, as Lewis' wrote in his dedication, become children again as we read it. We mustn't be scholars for the sake of being intellectual about this work, maybe just. Well, I guess stepping into the wardrobe is an apt metaphor for the way we should approach this. Not by sitting under a lamp with notebooks to compare it to the story behind the story(I am not saying never to do this, just that we do it too often it seems), but by letting the water of the oceans catapult us into the depths of the waters that the Dawn Treader tretches.

Expand full comment

Loved the analogy. Presbyterian then, or just reformed? Haha

Expand full comment

Very Presby. 😂

Expand full comment

🙌

Expand full comment

Reading through them now with the kiddos. We've gone through them several times, with 3 of my 6 being teenagers, and one those soon to graduate, this is likely our last time going through them all together. Sweet times!

Expand full comment

Ah...but one day there will be grandchildren! ;-)

Expand full comment

Correct. You are correct. That is all.

Expand full comment

I once embarked on a journey to read every one of Lewis’s works in chronological (print) order in a year. Needless to say, I bit off more than I could chew. I got happily mired in All My Road Before Me, which truly felt like I was getting to know a dear friend. By the time I got through Studies in Words, I knew I was never going to make it. I hit Narnia pretty late and gave up on my timeline, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading my favorite books from my childhood again. I’ll admit, I’ve now passed them on to my kids and allowed them to choose whether they start with The Magician’s Nephew or not. So far, that is their choice but they’ve also said they know they want to reread them in the future. I really appreciate this article though. Perhaps I’ll have them read it…

Expand full comment

I have his diary but haven't read it yet. I have read the first volume and some of the second volume of his Collected Letters. It is so enjoyable to read those. It definitely beats reading a biography. It makes you feel like you really knew the man. I would highly recommend getting that collection. I look forward to writing study guides for the works of C. S. Lewis.

Expand full comment

Yes! He really felt like a friend. He was so witty and kind of cantankerous at times, but I loved it. He had nicknames for many people, especially those he didn’t like, and his commentary is raw and often funny. Did you know he actually met TE Lawrence? He didn’t really care for him, which I found fascinating. I wish we had more details on that encounter!

Expand full comment

Many thanks! I'm a latecomer to Lewis' work, so I haven't read Narnia yet. Hopefully I'll get to them after I finish the Ransom trilogy. And I'll read them in publication order.

Expand full comment

Huzzah! My life’s work has been validated! 😂

Expand full comment

How are you enjoying the ransom trilogy? What book are you on? I’m a huge fan of the ransom trilogy!

Expand full comment

I'm about to start That Hideous Strength. They've been challenging reads, in the sense that they've gotten me to consider things I haven't before. They've also been entertaining.

Expand full comment

Buckle up. The last book is wild! So good.

Expand full comment

Nice! Hope you enjoy That Hideous Strength. One of my favorites. I’ve got some resources on my substack for out of the silent planet and perelandra (short podcast-type analysis + written summaries & analysis). The Pints with Jack podcast also has episodes for OSP and they are currently going through perelandra. Enjoy.

Expand full comment

Thank you.

Expand full comment

That's a fascinating allegory to take away from the series.

I also prefer reading Narnia in publication order, but my reason is more to do with Lewis' style. It seems to develop into a more mature portrayal as he goes on. So if you start with TMN I find it's quite a steep slope down to TLTWTW.

Expand full comment

Great article. I have sometimes wondered how much Lewis' work on Narnia influenced The Screwtape Letters. Maybe the White Witch wasn't allegorically complex enough to fully represent the devil's schemes?

Expand full comment

Actually The Screwtape Letters were published prior to Lewis writing Narnia.

Expand full comment

Good post on the question of order!

Expand full comment

I read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child, and loved its magical enchantment. When I heard that it was supposed to be read as a Christian allegory, it was ruined for me, and I never could read the other books.

Expand full comment

Lewis would have called it an “imaginative supposal”. Starting with what if there were other worlds? What if those worlds needed to be redeemed? What if Christ’s redemptive act looked different in that world?

His idea of imaginative supposal comes up in the preface of The Great Divorce. He definitely was not a fan of the allegory moniker. Therefore Aslan is Christ in the CoN books rather than representative of Him. Aslan says as much at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Expand full comment

Lewis would argue it’s not an allegory, but has Christian themes. Why should that ruin it for you?

Expand full comment

To be honest, I'm not sure. I still enjoy reading Tolkien, knowing it is based on Norse mythology.

Expand full comment