A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C. S. Lewis's Classic Story

by Leland Ryken, Marjorie Lamp Mead

Step inside the wardrobe. . . . You may be surprised at what you find. In C. S. Lewis's classic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund discover Narnia for the first time, precariously navigating their way through the unpredictable, enchanted world where beavers talk, a Witch turns people to stone, and a Lion rules as King. For decades their adventure has captivated the imagination of both children and adults. Yet this first story in the Chronicles--and the story behind the story--still hold many surprises and unpredictable twists and turns. In this interactive, informative book, literary expert Leland Ryken and Lewis scholar Marjorie Lamp Mead unlock the door to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, inviting you to step inside--deeper and deeper, past the musty fur coats--and gaze in wide-eyed wonder once again at the magical, wintery world Lucy first found. A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe helps you examine the story from Lewis's point of view, shedding light on his imagination and use of literary forms. Even further, Mead and Ryken serve as your guides through this first Narnia adventure, providing an inside look at characters, setting and framework. Here is a book that will help you see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as Lucy first saw Narnia--with fresh, new eyes, childlike wonder and anticipation for the adventure that lies ahead.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Literary Criticism, Books About Books, Christianity

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Dr. Ryken has served on the faculty of Wheaton College since 1968. He has published over thirty books and more than one hundred articles and essays, devoting much of his scholarship to Bible translations and the study of the Bible as literature. He served as Literary Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible and in 2003 received the distinguished Gutenberg Award for his contributions to education, writing, and the understanding of the Bible.

He is the father of Philip Graham Ryken

Reviews

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not the primary intended audience for this book, so my review may not be worth much. I was an English literature minor at Wheaton College (and took several classes from Ryken), and I went on to a master's and Ph.D. in the humanities; I read and re-read almost constantly, and I'm always analyzing and criticizing what I read; and as a big fan of Lewis and Tolkien, I've read many books about them, their lives, and their works. So for me, there was not much new in this reader's guide. I was hoping for more explanation of Lewis's inspirations for characters, settings, and events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but the authors don't delve much into that. Instead, they breeze through a number of broad literary themes and archetypes, encouraging the reader to consider how these general concepts are fleshed out in the story. It's too bad that this book was written a few years before Michael Ward's amazing book, Planet Narnia, which I've found to be the most helpful commentary on the Narnia series.

The reader's guide goes through the novel chapter by chapter, with sections of discussion or reflection questions for each chapter. It could be useful for book groups, especially a Christian group that has some experience with the Bible.

In an appendix, the authors recommend starting the Narnia series with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, rather than with The Magician's Nephew, which is first in the story chronology but sixth in the original publications. Every Narnia fan has an opinion on the proper order in which to read the series. I think either book works well as the entry into the world of Narnia. To me, many of Ryken and Mead's arguments in favor of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as the first book are equally valid applied to The Magician's Nephew. No matter which book you start with, that's the book in which Aslan will be mysterious as he is slowly introduced. Then when you get to the other book, you'll already have some idea where you are and where the story is going.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really three & a half stars. I took a half star off for them missing the distinction between what role magic plays in Lewis' works & what role it plays in the Harry Potter series & also failing to realize in Harry Potter magical ability is an innate trait & not some occultic power. Other than that, though, the book was excellent.

[Jason Roland · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, I loved this book. It offered a lot of insights into the book and CS Lewis. Recommend.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This chapter-by-chapter literary analysis of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s mostly about the literary aspects of the book: motifs, archetypes, style, plot devices, characterization, etc. I prefer books that delve more into the meaning of the story, for example, Inside Narnia by Devin Brown. Still, there was some interesting content.

Notes
• Lewis wrote that “the Witch is of course Circe,” a mythical temptress who turned men into animals by getting them to drink potion.
• When reading Lion to children, don’t preface it by saying that Aslan is Jesus. Let children recognize the parallels as you read.
• The Witch’s ability to turn creatures into stone was inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Magic
Summary
• Narnia: magic is a “purely literary device used primarily to express a transcendent Christian worldview.”
• Harry Potter: “magic goes beyond the sparing use that such literary genres require, and is not used to embody metaphorically the Christian supernatural.”

Details
• Narnia: magic is used only as required by genres (fairy tale, romance, myth). It affirms the Christian worldview that the supernatural is real. Magical interventions are equivalent to divine intervention or miraculous.
• Harry Potter: magic is central focus.

• Narnia: magic exists primarily in a fantasy world.
• Harry Potter: magic exists primarily in our world.

• Narnia: magic is performed by supernatural agents.
• Harry Potter: magic is performed by humans casting spells.

In Narnia, magic entails calling on Aslan for help (example: first chapter of The Silver Chair). “Attempts to control circumstances through divination or spells are almost always wrong.”

[Carol Bakker · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I began listening, the narrative flow seemed clunky and awkward. After looking at a sample I realized that there are boxes of supplemental information and pull-out quotes (but perhaps not in the text?) that would not seem odd to a visual reading.

The book gives commentary on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe chapter by chapter. Part Two gives background history and different critics' response to the book.

My favorite part? The Appendix that defends reading the Chronicles in publication order. I've intuitively preferred publication order, but could never argue for that position beyond my own preference.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I THINK I started reading this four or so months ago. A book taking students on a journey of analysing ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’. It shows insight through teaching, encourages reflection through questions, and stimulates ongoing exploring through suggested follow-up actions. I enjoyed being re-introduced to the narrative skill in CS Lewis’ books, the bursts of truth that always prompt a grunt of approval as I read them*, and the enjoyment of a good story.
* For example, “Whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword” and “it would look as if we thought we could make him do things. But really, we can only ask him”.

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more history about the writing of Lewis' most famous story. There was some history included, but mostly this was trying to teach me *how* to read the book. It kept veering off into tangents about other children's fantasy work (usually denigrating it, in order to "prove" Lewis' superiority). The only part I *really* enjoyed was the argument in favor of publication order. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe loses so much of its wonder if you've already read The Magician's Nephew. 2.5 stars

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another helpful introductory service by Ryken especially for those of us with no formal training in literature and literary interpretation. Curious if his negative rendering of Harry Potter (Chapter 13) by comparison to Narnia and Middle Earth changed once HP7 was published two years after this book appeared.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as Narnian commentary goes, this one was pretty basic and ho-hum. I did appreciate some of the historical elements of the series that I had not yet known, however the chapter-by-chapter commentary made me think that I probably could have just re-read the actual work itself and come out ahead.

[Paul Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was practically written for me, with its literary analysis of my favorite book. It dives into how and why the book works, raising a lot of points that I sort of knew and couldn’t fully elucidate. With its chapter-by-chapter approach, it’s an excellent companion for a re-read of the original.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice compendium to the LWW. It has some interesting and useful info about the writing of Lewis, the genres used in Narnia and quotes by Lewis and others.

[Lea Brinkman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book did cover some interesting history on the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, it had almost no useful insights regarding the story. A rather disappointing read.

[Karina Dulin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Textbook Ryken--understandable lit analysis that delves into the text and opens it up, but doesn't spoil or over-analyze it. Approachable yet still scholarly.

[Arden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful guide to Lewis’s classic story. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the importance of fairy tales and myths as well as the discussion of wether or not the story is an allegory.

[Trudy Pomerantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting guide to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I enjoyed the meshing together of background material with the story; it was done in an entertaining manner with the information itself being well worth listening to. I think that this is one guide that I could see myself listening to again in a few more years.

The argument for reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the order in which they were written or published was fairly compelling. Or I should say, I found it persuasive that, on a first time through, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe should be read first.

[Leila Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have read on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is an excellent mix of scholarly analysis, theory, and historical background.