A Field Guide to Narnia

by Colin Duriez, Brian Sibley (Foreword)

Are you traveling to Narnia? No matter if this is your first visit to C. S. Lewis's wonderful fantasy world or if you've been there many times, you'll want to bring along this handy companion to the landscape and inhabitants of Narnia, including an A-to-Z guide to characters, places, objects and events. From Narnia expert Colin Duriez you'll learn Duriez also takes up some the sticky questions that you may be left wondering about, such as the destiny of Susan. His book will help you dig deeper into the series and its implications for understanding the Christian life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Reference, Books About Books

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2004

About the author

Colin Duriez is an English writer and scholar best known for his work on the Inklings, the literary circle that included C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams. Born in Derbyshire in 1947, he moved to Leicester in 1983 to work as a commissioning editor for the publisher IVP. Over the years he has combined editorial work with teaching, and in 2002 he established his own business, InWriting, in Keswick, Cumbria, providing writing and editorial services as well as book acquisition for publishers.
Winner of the Clyde S. Kilby Award in 1994 for his research on the Inklings, Duriez has been praised as one of the most valuable contemporary scholars on Lewis. His numerous books explore the lives, friendships, and imaginative worlds of Lewis and Tolkien, including Bedeviled: Lewis, Tolkien, and the Shadow of Evil, The Oxford Inklings, and Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship. His work has been lauded for accessibility, scholarly insight, and fresh perspectives.
Duriez has also appeared in television documentaries such as A Quest for Meaning – Myth, Imagination & Faith in the Literature of J. R. R. Tolkien & C. S. Lewis. He lives in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

Reviews

[Skrivena stranica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful overview on Lewis and his work and thought.

[Katie Marici · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of any of the Narnia books or C. S. Lewis himself. This book gives depth and meaning to the Chronicles since his own personal life and experiences are woven throughout those stories.

[Elizabeth Cjumo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué libro! Mi imaginación fue sacudida y completamente estimulada. Altamente recomendado.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there is a section in A Field Guide to Narnia that handles subjects from A-Z, the book isn’t that well-named. For years, Colin Duriez’ simple but useful book sat on my shelf as a potential reference book. It was only as my church’s youth group decided to study the books in sort of a book club format that I pulled it off the shelf and started to read it from the beginning. To be honest, the introductory material on Lewis’ life, influences on Narnia, and theological implications for the books proved much more interesting to me than the A-Z section (though that was enlightening, too).

For example, in the back of my mind, I remembered that Lewis himself (and his housekeeper) had hosted children evacuated from London during the war (, but I had never realized that there was an actual oak wardrobe in “Jack’s” childhood, crafted by his grandfather Richard, where siblings and cousins would gather in the dark to be regaled by his imaginary stories (p. 26). Again, I always thought that he himself was the model for Digory Kirke. So, it was an eye-opener to discover that he had lived with a tutor named William T. Kirkpatrick who serves as a much better model for the “uncle” in Narnia. Indeed, Duriez points to the argument about whether Lucy is lying and Digory’s response to Susan. Kirkpatrick was Lewis’ tutor in “logic,” and it is the lack of teaching logic in the schools that the uncle laments (p. 29). It also had not registered with me how much Lewis was influenced by the ancient Irish tales of Cuchulain (p. 138), though I probably should have seen it in Caspian’s eventual battles with the northern giants.

Theologically, it seemed somewhat strange to me that Aslan (Narnia’s symbol for Christ as the “Lion of Judah”) should have still been represented as a lion when he is sacrificed on the stone table. I felt like some of the vital “lamb” imagery of the suffering servant and John’s “Lamb of God” were lost. Duriez quotes Austin Farrer (a favorite philosopher of mine) in defending Lewis by reminding us that when John first sees the Lamb on the throne in Revelation 5:51, he has been told to behold the “Lion of Judah.” (p. 67). There were further insights in Duriez’ chapter called, “Aslan, Narnia and Orthodoxy,” weaving Lewis’ writings and his theology together in the context of criticism from other Christians. I particularly liked Duriez’ mention of Rudolf Otto’s The Idea of the Holy in discussing the numinous (p. 67). One can more easily understand Lucy’s comment that despite the fierceness of Aslan, the idea that though he is not a tame lion, he is always good.

A Field Guide to Narnia is destined to stay on my shelf until I am unable to read anything.

[Nijat Azimov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narnia dünyası haqqında daha ətraflı məlumat öyrənmək üçün yaxşı kitabdır. Seriyada baş verən hadisələrin xristianlıq ilə nə qədər əlaqəli olduğu detallı şəkildə izah olunub.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing notable here. It's almost as much about Lewis' life as about Narnia. For better books on Narnia, see my Narnia shelf.

I read this because it was mentioned in A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe, which was better than this, but still not great.

Topics
Part 1: Lewis' life; Narnia's worldviews, literary features, themes
Part 2: Narnia overview and history; people who influenced Narnian stories
Part 3: Index of people, places, events

[Ruth Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es interesante si quieres una panorámica general sobre el origen de las Crónicas y a partir de qué obras y autores se inspiró Lewis. Los capítulos 5 y 6 son un buen resumen y análisis de las Crónicas. Me ha gustado mucho también cómo el autor explica la importancia de la fantasía y los cuentos para autores como Tolkien y Lewis.

[Jeff Voeltner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough and deep-dive into the Narnia universe and all that influenced its creation... loved reading through this!

[RumBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very informative book. I love books about books, like guides to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. This gave a detailed description of what and who was the inspiration for The Chronicles. It talks about his life, authors and people that influenced him and has an extensive section on Narnia itself.

[Jill Lejcar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half was a little academic for me - focusing on how CS Lewis's childhood, friendships, and love for literature helped form Narnia. The second half gave insight into the world he created. I might've enjoyed this more if I didn't attempt to read it during the summer.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything that breaks down and analysis/explains Narnia.

[Jaime Nicolás · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho la estructura del libro y su visión cristiana