Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Tumnus’ Bookshelf, where we review any and all books written by, about, and inspired by CS Lewis, The Land of Narnia, and The Inklings. For today’s review, we will be looking at Jem Bloomfield’s book Paths in the Snow: A Literary Journey Through The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
TITLE: Paths in the Snow: A Literary Journey Through The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
AUTHOR: Jem Bloomfield
PUBLISHER: Darton, Longman, and Todd, LTD.
ISBN-10 : 1915412307
ISBN-13 : 978-1915412300
SUMMARY:
From Jem Bloomfield, Assistant Professor of Literature at the University of Nottingham comes an in depth look at the literary and spiritual allusions through CS Lewis beloved fantasy novel The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. A concise, chapter by chapter journey through the book, Bloomfield guides readers through familiar paths through Narnia and brushes off some of the snow that has gathered over the years to reveal hidden gems that lie just beneath the surface of Lewis’s text.
REVIEW:
Authors never write in a vacuum. Every book, every poem, every story we read is not only the product of their fertile imaginations but is inspired by the works that came before that influenced them. CS Lewis was no exception. It has been well noted just how well read he was, and thus it stands to reason that in crafting Narnia he would draw from those sources, as he weaved his own tale. Some are subtle, others, perhaps more obvious, but each one only enhances the tapestry that is Narnia. Jem Bloomfield’s book, Paths in the Snow: A Literary Journey Through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe examines those parallels.
Bloomfield acknowledges that the book began its life during the pandemic shut down. Seeking some way to connect with members of his parishioners, and take their minds off the dire situation they found themselves in they held virtual book discussions about the work of CS Lewis, focusing on the Narnia books. The experience only deepened when they were allowed to resume in persons meetings and members of the discussion group were still finding their footing. It’s an apt choice as the books aren’t’ very long, and they are set in a time that felt removed from our own, allowing the readers to take their minds off their problems for a while. Discussions could be fun, they could be serious, they could be frivolous, they could be philosophical and literary, but still, they were talking and finding away forward, just as the characters in the book had done.
The end result feels nothing short of a labor of love as well as excellent scholarship. Instead of simply analyzing the characters, or key plot elements, Bloomfield gives a detailed look at key themes and literary parallels in each chapter of the book. Bloomfield even brilliantly illustrates how Lewis drew from his vast treasure trove of literary influences to enrich the meaning and symbolism in the Narnia books. For example He draws an apt comparison to the robin in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and the robin in Frances Hodsgon Burnett’s The Secret Garden and how both are first signs of spring, one literal as with the coming of the Pevensies and Aslan it means that the Witch’s reign is coming to an end, while in Secret Garden it represents the “spring” in Mary’s life following the emotional winter she had been in and then ties it together with Lewis belief that Christ, the true dying and rising God brings spring to all.
Bloomfield begins the journey by examining how the book began like a traditional fairy tale, with the word “once” to introduce us to the four young protagonists, and then juxtaposes it by using the then recent memory of the Air Raids on London showing how the two worlds, that of myth and fantasy and that of our real world are about to collide before ushering readers through the wardrobe and into the woods where he draws parallels to the transformative nature of entering the woods in Greek myth and Shakespearian plays and the spiritual dimensions of the journeys in Dante and Milton, culminating in witnessing a battle between good and evil and a glimpse of the Creator face to face. We even see Professor Kirke’s arguments for Lucy’s sanity not only compared to Lewis’ trilemma, but Bloomfield also examines philosophical works on the nature of time and how the professor is correct in saying there was no way a small child, especially one in the 1940s like her could be aware of such a thing.
However, this isn’t just a book about literary allusions. For many readers who come from a Christian background, in particular American protestants much of Lewis’ Anglican beliefs can go over their heads and that world view can seem foreign if not alien and at times indistinguishable from Roman Catholicism. This is not a problem for Bloomfield, a Lay Reader in the Anglican church who comes from the same spiritual background as Professor Lewis. Thus, he dives deep into the spiritual dimension of Narnia examining how specific hymns, readings, teachings, and even translations of the Bible that would have been used by Lewis in the Church of England at the time enhance the spiritual dimension of Narnia.
Particularly insightful is how he compares and contrasts the appearance of the White Witch, who makes it always Winter and Never Christmas, with Father Christmas, who symbolizes the end of her reign. In one there is only coldness and death while in the other there is a sense of joy and celebration and life. Appropriately he points out that in Lewis setting up dichotomies, he does not succumb to Manicheism or dualism and position the Witch as an opposite to Aslan who existed before time, but Father Christmas, a created being. There’s even a surprisingly apt comparison to the prophecy of the coming of Aslan, as related by Mr. Beaver to a long-forgotten Advent Hymn, while Aslan’s breaking of the spell upon the statues is compared to Christ’s harrowing of Hell.
Edmund’s temptation with Turkish delight is examined through the historical context of rationing, and goes beyond simply looking it as analogues to the Forbidden Fuit of the Bible but how Edmund’s temptation isn’t just about a loss of innocence or falling to sin, but the destruction of relationships that occurred in the fall such as what happens with his siblings. The Turkish delight, and for that matter dinner with the Beavers are not only examined through the historical lens of rationing in England and other parts of the war during World War II but compared to other similar meals seen in children’s fantasy literature that convey a sense of community, safety and belonging. He also goes beyond simply looking at how the characters can have biblical analogues, but how those analogues are layered upon each other, such as Susan and Lucy acting as the Apostles in Gethsemane, then the women at the Cross as they accompany Aslan to the Stone Table, and finally with Mary Magdalen at the Resurrection.
An intriguing observation that he makes is upon his analysis of the emotional responses each child feels upon hearing Aslans name. Truthfully when it’s rendered in film, it always feels flat, but perhaps it’s because it’s trying to capture something so sublime, so powerful, so moving that unless one has fully had that experience in life, it would be impossible to act it out. Bloomfield outlines exactly what this incomprehensible experience is, as their reaction evoke what is mentioned in the hymns and the Bible of how “at the mention of the name of Jesus every knee will bow” which is only furthered by his comparison to the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time with what the Gospel of John defined as “The Logos” or “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.”
Perhaps one of my favorite insights is a look at the titles that the four Pevensies receive, juxtaposing the word’s Twentieth Century definition with the medieval understanding with which Lewis would have ascribed them. Peter’s Magnificence isn’t just about being a splendid or stately ruler, but about his brave deeds, Susan’s gentleness isn’t just about being tender hearted and compassionate, but her careful, practical insights, Lucy’s valiance isn’t just about bravery in battle but in how she refuses to compromise her faith even if it would make her life easy, while Edmund being “The Just” isn’t just about wise rulings but how Edmund was justified through Aslan’s sacrifice.
Much to the delight of more novice readers, Bloomfield takes pains to translate Old and Middle-English texts into Modern English, allowing for a greater accessibility to general audiences to his analysis. The only texts he avoids modernizing are from Shakespeare and the King James Bible due to the universality of the texts.
Much ink has been spilled discussing how “slapdash” The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe seems in contrast to the careful, meticulous attention to detail that was demonstrated in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Through Paths in the Snow, Jem Bloomfield demonstrates that this was not a defect, but a feature. Narnia, a world in which animals talk, beings from different myths dwell, a snow queen from the realm of fairie rules with in icy touch, and all pulled together by a majestic Golden Lion, could only feel like a melting pot because it was a world in which the two realms our world and the fantastic realm of Narnia collide. Further these connections not only enrich the text but increase our appreciation of older worlds, making them more enchanted, just as the words of Narnia can enchant our own world. In closely examining the literary connections and allusions that exist in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Paths in the Snow cuts a new path through the world of Narnia few have trod in a first-rate analysis.
Five out of Five stars.
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