The Lion, The Witch and The Library
A guide to the best new books about the man and the myths.
Jerry Root | posted 12/02/2005 12:00AM
With the heavily advertised film adaptation of C. S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe hitting theaters December 9, publishers have flooded the market with books about Lewis and his work. The following is a sampling of the more than 30 books published in the last few months.
Biography
The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Alan Jacobs
HarperSanFrancisco, 2005
Jacobs, professor of English at Wheaton College, asserts that Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia as an insider, that is, as a citizen of the Narnia that developed out of his own imaginative life. While there are many biographies of Lewis's life, this is unique as a biography of his imaginative development. Jacobs appreciates Lewis's breadth as a reader and notes how easily Lewis's imagination could draw from a wide range of sources, develop ideas, and incorporate them into his own work. A reader may, at times, disagree with Jacobs's critical judgments. But all must agree that his insights are fresh, his style fluid.
Jack's Life: The Life Story of C. S. Lewis
Douglas Gresham
Broadman & Holman, 2005
Apart from the brief "Memoir" by his brother, W. H. Lewis, this is the first book-length account of C. S. Lewis's life by someone who lived with him. Gresham, Lewis's stepson, draws on his personal recollections and other sources to tell "the extraordinary life of an extraordinary man. "But Gresham doesn't glorify Lewis; he humanizes him. Gresham tenderly concludes, "He was the finest man I ever knew in my life, and I miss him to this day."
Literary Criticism
Into the Wardrobe: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles
David C. Downing
Jossey-Bass, 2005
Downing, professor of English at Elizabethtown College, respects the childlikeness of Lewis without diminishing the scholar in the process. He also highlights the spiritual, moral, and psychological depths of The Chronicles of Narnia without neglecting to appreciate them as fantasy stories written to delight readers. His commentary fulfills the expectations raised by his introduction, which states, "Each Narnia book is like a little wardrobe."
Further Up and Further In: Understanding C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Bruce Edwards
Broadman & Holman, 2005
Edwards, professor of English at Bowling Green State University, aptly applies Lewis's methodology for good reading to Lewis's own fiction; he urges readers to receive the text of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in this way. As Edwards says, "The role of the reader is clearly complementary to the role of the writer." He highlights Lewis's genius in creating a world like Narnia, a world that can awaken a sense of wonder and awe extending beyond the text into daily experience.
A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C. S. Lewis's Classic Story
Leland Ryken, Marjorie Lamp Mead
InterVarsity Press, 2005
Wheaton College scholars Ryken and Mead take a literary-critical approach to The Chronicles of Narnia. At a recent conference, Mead was asked, "Why does the world need a book for adults about Narnia?" She answered, "Because children get it." This book will equip readers to do literary analysis of the Chronicles as well as other books. At the heart of A Reader's Guide is the reminder that reading is best done for personal enjoyment and pleasure.
December 2005, Vol. 49, No. 12
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