Narnia

[Skyweir]

yeah I saw it too .. tho' I cant remember it well now ..

I just read the article you linked Sev .. I dont agree with all Pullmans criticisms .. perhaps the reason he is so critical of the chrons .. is that he read it as an adult ::shrug:: ..

I think the chrons of Narnia are a magical read .. I read them as a child and to my children .. who wouldnt allow me to stop reading till it was finished .. took us all day .. but what a day!!!

they were rapt .. and to me that is some guide as to the genius of Lewis as a children's fantasy author

If you look deeply into his writings .. sure you find bigoted and outdated notions .. and you are right .. so what Lewis was what we .. today .. call 'sexist'

.. Lewis was a product of his time .. thats part of the magic of Narnia .. it is a step back in time as well as an exploration of the unknown .. when you read the language of this work .. it is set in the 1930's .. when gender-identity/sex-roles were differently defined ..

And his work is steeped in philology (sp?) .. but so was the work of many authors at that time ..

personally I can live without the negative inferences regarding race and religion .. but not focussing on those underlying messages .. and enjoying the chrons for what they are .. children's fantasy .. they are magical ..

I also love Rowlings Harry Potter books .. brilliantly magical and as Pullman says .. fun ..

[duchess of malfi]

Shadowlands is a bit slow in parts, but I think that Anthony Hopkins was brilliant in it. I wish he would do more roles like that, and less of the killer-hogs type of stuff. I'm reading along with the group read of Narnia over at Anhira's Hangar, and so far I am really enjoying The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. The children and talking animals are very charming!

[Lord Mhoram]

Narnia, as childrens' book are excellent, but when you become more mature and can figure out what Lewis is trying to say, theyre outstanding. Lewis can make his books great for different "classes" so to speak of readers.

[Vilefoe]

Lewis did NOT think all other faiths were 100% wrong, he was quite clear on that. He said that onlywhere they differ from Christianity is where they begin to be wrong. Trust me, I've read and re-read reams of his apologetic works, he was very tolerant of other faiths.

[[Syl]]

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying that you're wrong where you disagree with me. Other than that, I can tolerate you.

??

[Sevothtarte]

Lewis did NOT think all other faiths were 100% wrong, he was quite clear on that. He said that onlywhere they differ from Christianity is where they begin to be wrong.

Great. What an amazing display of tolerance.

[Skyweir]

LOL

[deer of the dawn]

Looking recently at Lewis's bibliography I was struck once AGAIN at how multifarious the guy's output is.

Funny thing is that from the outside, Lewis appeared sort of a fusty gray academic, shying away from relationships and the "world". But inside, his imaginative world was saturated with color and magic.

His nonfiction books are like drinks of cold, clear water on a sweltering day. The Problem of Pain was crucial to me at a time of my life when I needed to interpret the role of pain and loss in my life in a way that gave hope. Till We Have Faces was healing to me as well, at another point, and yet one is nonfiction and the other fiction.

For me, a bucket list item has become to read ALL of Lewis's books. No other author is more full of surprises.

[Skyweir]

Nice Deer I havent read any of his other works but love the magic and vibrance of his work building.

Has the problem of pain got a religious overtone .. that gives those with faith a sense of meaning to suffering .. or is it more a clinical approach to pain?

[Savor Dam]

The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God.

Lewis summarizes the problem of evil like this: "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both." His partial theodicy addresses human suffering and sinfulness, animal suffering, and the problem of hell, and seeks to reconcile these with the Christian belief in a just, loving, and all-powerful God.

Well-trained by our Gracious Concierge, I am...

[Skyweir]

Ahhh .. of course .. tis true to Lewis form as a devoted Christian.

[deer of the dawn]

But rather than rely solely on the oracles of Scripture, Lewis uses logic to build arguments-- yet he never sounds argumentative. Reading The Problem of Pain, you feel like someone of formidable intellect is being respectful enough of his reader to walk them where he himself has walked. He is logical, but never cold. You feel his pain, and what he has passed through to get where he is, and that even if you disagree you have found a kindred spirit because you have shared your pain together.

[Skyweir]

Wow .. thats a pretty neat critique .. Im intrigued.

[deer of the dawn]

A lot of his same messages/wisdom are embedded seamlessly in his fiction. Till We Have Faces has a very similar message, but as a story (but NOT preachy).

[Skyweir]

Oh good .. cos I literally loathe preachy