It’s been more than 50 years since C.S. Lewis created the land of mythical characters known as Narnia. Some Bristol residents gathered at Manross Memorial Library Monday night to take a visit back to that enchanted land.
An estimated 20 city children, teenagers and adults combined, engaged in a group discussion about the seven books in the famous “The Chronicles of Narnia” series with Monday night’s meeting putting emphasis on “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
“The timing worked out great because the movie just came out and now we have these series of discussions,” said Manross Branch Supervisor Debbie Prozzo. “The good thing is that this series sparks interest in all age groups, not just children.”
Discussion leader Jim Harriman, a middle-school teacher in Manchester, agreed with Prozzo that the book, although classified as a fantasy novel for children, appeals to all ages. Even though a good read for everyone, he added that it’s important children read the book and get lost in its dream world.
“That’s what this book is about. Kids living in a dream world,” said Harriman. “It’s unfortunate, but not as many kids live in fantasy worlds as much as they used to. Now it’s all video games. They need to use their imaginations to be kids.”
He added the great thing about books is there is no right or wrong interpretation and the Narnia series is no exception.
Harriman opened the discussion asking attendees what their thoughts were on the land of Narnia.
Christy Matthews proved the leaders thoughts on interpretation correct with her answer.
“It depends on whose perspective you’re looking at,” she said. “I think it’s magical but at the same time it can be related to everyday life. It has warts and problems just like we have here.”
Questions stemmed from Matthews’ answer, covering everything from what makes Narnia beautiful, the conflict of characters, the connection to Christianity and English and Irish fairy tales, and even the importance of prophecy and who, if anybody, interprets it.
According to Prozzo, the discussion series was brought to Manross as part of a grant through the Connecticut Humanities Council. The council sponsors discussions similar to the Manross series at facilities across the state as part of its “Book Voyagers” program.
Harriman said the discussion of the book in the confines of the library is just the beginning. The book raises too many intriguing questions to possibly discuss in a one-hour time slot, he added.
“The nice thing about the discussions of this book is that nothing is preconceived. You throw out a question and it can just keep going to other things, but the questions here are just the beginning,” he said. “That’s the great thing about having parents come with there kids because the questions really come out at home.”
Prozzo said that the Narnia discussions will continue with the third of four sessions to be held April 10 at 6:30 p.m. The “Book Voyagers” program is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. To register, call the library at 584-7790.
By JOHNNY J. BURNHAM, The Bristol Press
