A Reader's Guide to Caspian: A Journey into C. S. Lewis's Narnia

by Leland Ryken, Marjorie Lamp Mead

Back into Narnia "Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure." So begins C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian and the children's second remarkable escapade into Narnia--a Narnia known but unknown, looking much different than it did in their first adventure. C. S. Lewis scholar Marjorie Lamp Mead and literary specialist Leland Ryken work their own magic to take you deep into Narnia once again, providing a guided tour of Prince Caspian that highlights characters, setting and framework, with rich background details to enhance your reading of the story. The authors also shed light on Lewis's imagination and literary forms, and include a brief biography of Lewis himself. Added questions for discussion and reflection make this the perfect companion to Prince Caspian for book discussion groups. Following the pattern set in their Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe, Mead and Ryken help you, like the Pevensie children, enter Narnia again in a new way and find it to be an even more surprising place than you ever imagined.

172 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2008

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

[Alex of Yoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a commentary on C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian from a literary perspective. It gives a history of the book, chapter-by-chapter analysis, comments on various themes, and a brief synopsis of Lewis's life. On the whole, I found it very dry and technical. It tends to be somewhat repetitive as well, and the literary critique does take some of the "magic" out of the book. However, I did appreciate the historical tidbits and trivia about Lewis and the writing of Prince Caspian. The appendix on the Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe film seems a bit out of place, though. Overall, if you are a teacher or planning on leading a group study on Prince Caspian, this book offers a lot of good ideas and even discussion questions to consider. But, for the casual reader, it might be just a little too scholarly and technical to really enjoy. If you're interested in literary criticism, you'll like this book. If you don't, skip it.

[Adrianalima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una linda historia con un final inesperado pero su trama es muy concreto