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A review by versmonesprit
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Narnia is an interesting series to read as an adult, because you end up with questions you never had before.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this is a children’s book, and it’s going to be written differently than books for adults. That’s not my issue here, in fact I strangely enjoy the self-aware narration as it’s genuinely like being told a story. It’s nostalgic. I don’t also mind too much how rushed the events and resolutions are for this reason.
No, my issues are with the logic of the series and with character development. First, I’m confused as to the time relation between our world and Narnia, because no matter how I try to calculate it, it’s impossible for hours in Narnia to equal to seconds in our world, and for the ‘children’ to still emerge within the same hour after spending what, a decade in Narnia? And again with the ending, I can’t shake off how weirded out I am by the fact that they were adults in Narnia, old enough to be courted by suitors, and they’re once again the same children in our world. How can that ever work out for them in their lives now that they’re children who have already been not just adults but monarchs? And yes, it’s also weird.
As for character development, I don’t only find it rushed, but also unconvincing. Tumnus is suddenly good because at the last moment he decided not to collaborate with the evil Witch? And Edmund, not only a bully but the very same evil the Witch is that he feels the same horror as she does when they so much as hear Aslan’s name, suddenly has his redemption because he simply realises the Witch is evil? It of course goes well with the very overt Christian themes and messages of the book, that redemption for sinners goes through the recognition of the sin, and repentance. I just am not convinced of such a big change in such a small space, and I find that it over-simplifies matters of good vs evil by making evil so easily curable.
Anyway, despite these sentiments, I enjoyed being back to Narnia. Lewis is so amazing at evoking images and fully fledged feelings, Narnia comes alive around you. Though the book is admittedly best enjoyed at night before bed, like a calm fairytale to sink into.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this is a children’s book, and it’s going to be written differently than books for adults. That’s not my issue here, in fact I strangely enjoy the self-aware narration as it’s genuinely like being told a story. It’s nostalgic. I don’t also mind too much how rushed the events and resolutions are for this reason.
No, my issues are with the logic of the series and with character development. First, I’m confused as to the time relation between our world and Narnia, because no matter how I try to calculate it, it’s impossible for hours in Narnia to equal to seconds in our world, and for the ‘children’ to still emerge within the same hour after spending what, a decade in Narnia? And again with the ending, I can’t shake off how weirded out I am by the fact that they were adults in Narnia, old enough to be courted by suitors, and they’re once again the same children in our world. How can that ever work out for them in their lives now that they’re children who have already been not just adults but monarchs? And yes, it’s also weird.
As for character development, I don’t only find it rushed, but also unconvincing. Tumnus is suddenly good because at the last moment he decided not to collaborate with the evil Witch? And Edmund, not only a bully but the very same evil the Witch is that he feels the same horror as she does when they so much as hear Aslan’s name, suddenly has his redemption because he simply realises the Witch is evil? It of course goes well with the very overt Christian themes and messages of the book, that redemption for sinners goes through the recognition of the sin, and repentance. I just am not convinced of such a big change in such a small space, and I find that it over-simplifies matters of good vs evil by making evil so easily curable.
Anyway, despite these sentiments, I enjoyed being back to Narnia. Lewis is so amazing at evoking images and fully fledged feelings, Narnia comes alive around you. Though the book is admittedly best enjoyed at night before bed, like a calm fairytale to sink into.