Joshua Gross’s Reviews > Into the Wardrobe: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles > Status Update

CS Lewis noted that Susan is in a phase of "false sophistication" and isn't necessarily damned. I think she's going to through an emotionally destroyed phase, damned or not

That white stag business at the the of LWW is in reference to Celtic lore

Author has just described Turkish delight as a British candy

Downing completely blows by the criticisms of the Narnia books, specifically misogyny and racism, not only denying the claims but barely examining them in two very short sections before moving on

Don't worry, everybody, he's going to defend Lewis's blatant racist ideas as well, because David C Downing is clearly the expert on what is racist and what isn't. He seems to think that because there are themes that suggest CS Lewis was against racism it means that his writing doesn't have this inherent racist bias at times reflective of his culture and era. He just wants to deny any racism or misogyny

OMG the author just goes on and on about the examples of Lewis's kindness toward specific woman in his blatant attempt to disregard the inherent misogyny in the man's writing, which makes NO SENSE

The author seems to think that by pointing out misogynistic ideas in Lewis's works this suggests that he's a woman-hating monster who punches women in the face every chance he gets as opposed to a reasonable man of his era expressing unconscious misogynistic bias in his writing

Now he's suggesting that Lewis was only echoing the teachings of the Anglican Church at the time, not himself expressing misogyny, despite the very basis of the church being steeped in misogyny and influencing in its followers

Downing's argument is the classic stupid argument that suggests the genders are starting from a level playing field

Omfg. David Downing immediately loses all my respect as he himself whines about Kath Filmers misogyny claims about Narnia and it's female characters by basically saying, "but there's evil man characters too!" completely missing the point and making me want to barf in his face