Milton, Spenser and The Chronicles of Narnia: Literary Sources for the C.S. Lewis NovelsIn 1950, Clive Staples Lewis published the first in a series of children's stories that became The Chronicles of Narnia. The now vastly popular Chronicles are a widely known testament to the religious and moral principles that Lewis embraced in his later life. What many readers and viewers do not know about the Chronicles is that a close reading of the seven-book series reveals the strikingly effective influences of literary sources as diverse as George MacDonald's fantastic fiction and the courtly love poetry of the High Middle Ages. Arguably the two most influential sources for the series are Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen and John Milton's Paradise Lost. Lewis was so personally intrigued by these two particular pieces of literature that he became renowned for his scholarly studies of both Milton and Spenser. This book examines the important ways in which Lewis so clearly echoes The Faerie Queen and Paradise Lost, and how the elements of each work together to convey similar meanings. Most specifically, the chapters focus on the telling interweavings that can be seen in the depiction of evil, female characters, fantastic and symbolic landscapes and settings, and the spiritual concepts so personally important to C.S. Lewis. |
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... Spirituality in literature. ¡0. Christianity in literature. I. Title. PR6023.E926C5335 2007 823'.9¡2—dc22 2006033¡92 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2007 Elizabeth Baird Hardy. All rights reserved No part of this book ...
... Than Its Outside: Setting and Geography 107 V. Knowing Him Better There: Spirituality and Belief 135 Conclusion 159 Chapter Notes 163 Bibliography 177 Index 183 Preface This project began long before I ever realized that vii.
... spiritually moved and challenged by the Chronicles, so I was not surprised to see Lewis in his role as Christian apologist. When I began my university literary studies, I was thrilled to find my old friend, the creator of Narnia, o ...
... spiritual depth. Lewis's well-known work as a Christian apologist whose writings have encouraged, uplifted, and inspired generations of readers also gives him a measure of credibility seldom lavished on children's authors, in part also ...
... spiritually, personally, and professionally, particularly about the literature that he respected and enjoyed. A close reading of the seven-book series reveals the strikingly e›ective influences of literary sources as diverse as George ...
Contents
17 | |
The Depiction of Evil Men Mortals Monsters and Misled Protagonists | 51 |
Girls Whose Heads Have Something Inside Them The Characterization of Women | 77 |
An Inside Bigger Than Its Outside Setting and Geography | 107 |
Knowing Him Better There Spirituality and Belief | 135 |
Conclusion | 159 |
Chapter Notes | 163 |
Bibliography | 177 |
Index | 183 |