Nudgee College Library

Book Information

Author:

C S Lewis

Date:

1950

Genre:

Fantasy

Library Reference:

F LEW

August 5, 2009
by Martin Kerby - Head of Information Services

There are few books so completely reminiscent of childhood holiday reading than the Narnia series. Though the series eventually ran to seven books, it is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which dominates the public perception of CS Lewis' fantasy series. Despite being criticised for a number of real and imagined shortcomings, ranging from sexism to paganism, Time magazine still included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

Published in 1950, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of four children evacuated from wartime London. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia. They help a lion named Aslan save Narnia from the evil White Witch, who has reigned over the kingdom of Narnia for 100 years of perpetual winter.

In some ways the Narnia series might be seen as an introduction to more complex fantasy novels such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, or as a interesting contrast to Rowling’s Harry Potter adventures. It is interesting to note that neither author was a fan of CS Lewis' vision of Narnia. Tolkien did not enjoy stories that depicted travel between real and imaginary worlds, while Rowling believed that the portrayal of Susan in the later novels was sexist. Nevertheless The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe retains much of its magic, and hopefully Lewis' vision of the world of Narnia has been introduced to a whole new generation of readers via the recent movie adaptations.