Read Your Way Into Narnia

A spate of new books offer windows--from the biographical to the spiritual--into the fantastic world of C.S. Lewis.

BY: Holly Lebowitz Rossi

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The Keys to the Chronicles: Unlocking the Symbols of C.S. Lewis' Narnia
By Marvin D. Hinten

"The Chronicles of Narnia" didn't just pop, fully formed, into C.S. Lewis' mind one day, argues Hinten in this slim but complex volume. Lewis turned to literary, linguistic, biographical, biblical, and mythological sources for inspiration and allusion. With chapters devoted to each of the seven books of the Chronicles, Hinten's book delves into the layers of meaning hidden in Lewis' work. Reading Hinten's interpretations will help readers understand Lewis as a reader as well as a writer, and as a follower of medieval and Renaissance traditions of re-telling old stories rather than inventing something entirely new. For Christian readers, the most surprising element of Hinten's book may be his analysis of how Lewis didn't initially intend for his work to be a Christian allegory.

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The World According to Narnia: Christian Meaning in C.S. Lewis' Beloved Chronicles
By Jonathan Rogers

Rogers picks up where Hinten leaves off, focusing exclusively and deeply on the Christian symbolism and meaning in the Chronicles. He explores the "delicious irony" of the series, which he says is the way that Lewis created a world of metaphor in order to illuminate the fact that the Bible is not metaphorical at all. Rogers, a fantasy-adventure author himself, hopes his assessment of the Chronicles will help readers discover the imaginative possibilities of the Gospel.

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Narnia Beckons: C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"ï¿½and Beyond
By Ted Baehr and James Baehr

A photo-rich coffee table book, this collection of essays, information, and images presents "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" as an allegory for the scriptural verse, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). The mixed media of this bookï¿½it includes reflections by C.S. Lewis scholars as well as film and television producers who have worked on the new movie and previous adaptationsï¿½offers both a deeper understanding of the film and fresh inspiration.

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The Way Into Narnia: A Reader's Guide
By Peter J. Schakel

How did a man with no children become one of the most beloved children's authors of all time? Schakel, a noted C.S. Lewis scholar, asks and answers this question in his insightful book. Rather than reading the Chronicles as allegories or religious treatises, Schakel argues that readers should approach the books as fairy tales. Understood this way, the books come alive as sprightly and enriching stories rather than heavy-handed morality talesï¿½and offer readers a way into a world of magic and meaning.

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