Earth Time vs. Narnian Time

LadyofGreenKirtle

LadyofGreenKirtle

New member
I was talking this over with some other people and I thought I would bring it up.

Does anyone notice the time difference in this book compared to the other books? It might be a little complicated to explain, but I'll do what I can...

In LWW, the children come into Narnia and then leave Narnia (after being there, what, 27 years?) without having hardly ANY time pass on Earth. The same happens in VDT and SC. They leave and come back without having hardly any time pass.
However, in this book (LB), Tirian sees everyone at dinner (Peter, Lucy, Edmund, Jill, Eustace, Diggory, and Polly). And then, after only 15 minutes, the children (Eustace and Jill) come to Narnia. He says it was only about 15 min Narnia time, but it was ONE WEEK in earth time.

Some people have told me that they don't consider Narnia time and Earth time to be on any comparitive scale. Narnia time just happens as it does and Earth time just happens as it does. I just think it's interesting of Lewis to (at the last moment) switch the "time scale" around and change it without really explaining it. All that is said about it is, "It's that time nonsense" or something. Not really addressed...

Anyway. Just seeing what everyone else thought... sorry this is so long! =)
 
Believe me, that isn't long! Check out the Tash or Mormonism threads - those are long.

I tend to be on the side of those who contend that there's no formulaic correspondence between Earth and Narnian time. After all, it was always Aslan engineering the movement between the worlds, and He could do whatever He wanted. I picture two timelines side by side, with a line from one to the other indicating a transition. In the case of Lion, the line went from the Earth line to the Narnia at the point the children went into the wardrobe, then at some point later (we're not sure how long) returned back to the exact same point. In Last Battle, Tirian's phantom (a dotted line?) appeared at a point in Earth time, then the line which brought Jill and Eustace started a week afterward and just "dropped back" to Narnian time where Tirian was tied to the tree.

That's just my thought, but then I stick very close to the books in my interpretations. Every attempt I've ever seen to impose a formula always drags in presumptions or principles from non-Narnian sources. I'm also skeptical about the Narnian "timeline" kicking about, which is published in Paul Ford's Companion to Narnia. Ford's a superb scholar, but the original source of that timeline was a book by Walter Hooper called Past Watchful Dragons, and I've been skeptical of anything Hooper has published in Lewis' name ever since the Dark Tower controversy.
 
LadyofGreenKirtle said:
I was talking this over with some other people and I thought I would bring it up.

Does anyone notice the time difference in this book compared to the other books? It might be a little complicated to explain, but I'll do what I can...

In LWW, the children come into Narnia and then leave Narnia (after being there, what, 27 years?) without having hardly ANY time pass on Earth. The same happens in VDT and SC. They leave and come back without having hardly any time pass.
However, in this book (LB), Tirian sees everyone at dinner (Peter, Lucy, Edmund, Jill, Eustace, Diggory, and Polly). And then, after only 15 minutes, the children (Eustace and Jill) come to Narnia. He says it was only about 15 min Narnia time, but it was ONE WEEK in earth time.

Some people have told me that they don't consider Narnia time and Earth time to be on any comparitive scale. Narnia time just happens as it does and Earth time just happens as it does. I just think it's interesting of Lewis to (at the last moment) switch the "time scale" around and change it without really explaining it. All that is said about it is, "It's that time nonsense" or something. Not really addressed...

Anyway. Just seeing what everyone else thought... sorry this is so long! =)
Click to expand...

Itr was the year 1000 when the 4 Pevensies came into Narnia, and there's a timeline somewhere.....
 
PrinceOfTheWest said:
Believe me, that isn't long! Check out the Tash or Mormonism threads - those are long.

I tend to be on the side of those who contend that there's no formulaic correspondence between Earth and Narnian time. After all, it was always Aslan engineering the movement between the worlds, and He could do whatever He wanted. I picture two timelines side by side, with a line from one to the other indicating a transition. In the case of Lion, the line went from the Earth line to the Narnia at the point the children went into the wardrobe, then at some point later (we're not sure how long) returned back to the exact same point. In Last Battle, Tirian's phantom (a dotted line?) appeared at a point in Earth time, then the line which brought Jill and Eustace started a week afterward and just "dropped back" to Narnian time where Tirian was tied to the tree.

That's just my thought, but then I stick very close to the books in my interpretations. Every attempt I've ever seen to impose a formula always drags in presumptions or principles from non-Narnian sources. I'm also skeptical about the Narnian "timeline" kicking about, which is published in Paul Ford's Companion to Narnia. Ford's a superb scholar, but the original source of that timeline was a book by Walter Hooper called Past Watchful Dragons, and I've been skeptical of anything Hooper has published in Lewis' name ever since the Dark Tower controversy.
Click to expand...


I've seen that timeline. In fact, I've talked to Paul Ford myself (he's married to my philosophy professor and he's come in to talk to my Narnia class). I have seen his time line, but I'm not sure I really agree with it...

I do believe that Aslan does have control over all the time aspects, but I just think it's weird that Lewis would choose the last book to make the change (because it seemed to consistant that Narnian time moved faster) in and then not really explain it. I mean, it's Aslan (so the explanation could technically just stop there), but why now? Why change it now? I mean... these books were meant for children and I guess it just adds to the fantasy and magic of it all, but why change it now, you know?
 
I think the change was simply because it was convenient to the plot. Tirian's appearance to the Friends of Narnia kicked off a series of events on Earth that had everyone in a particular place at a particular time - which in turn was necessary to later developments in the story. Yet Lewis also needed Jill & Eustace in Narnia at a particular time as well. So - there we are!
 
PoTW is probably right. But also in TLB, don't you get the feeling everything is rushing toward some cataclysmic conclusion? Tirian and Jewel rush to the woods without going back to raise an army, the Centaur rushes off to raise the army but never arrives! One minute the Calormenes are unveiling the idea of Tashlan -- next minute they are scared out of their wits and gibbering about Tash, none of that Tashlan nonsense. There's a lot of things happening all at once.

Maybe having the timeline suddenly jerked about was just to add to the urgency of the whirlpool of events which are running headlong toward the Stable Battle.
 
I believe that Narnian time and Earth time do not line up exactly, and for a reason. They are separate space/times.

Take a white beach towel. This is our space/time. Don't lay it out flat, toss it down in a heap.

Take a beige beach towel. This is Narnian space/time. Don't lay it out flat, toss it down in a heap on top of the white towel.

Now take three different colored inks. These represent the entries of people from our world into Narnia. Using an eyedropper, drop one red drop of ink somewhere on the towels. Then a blue one somewhere else, and a green one.

Give time for the ink to penetrate both towels.

Ok....stretch the towels out flat, side by side. Ouchie-wow-wa!

The points where the two towels lined up have radically changed. Depending on how they lined up, you could go through the wardrobe today and arrive in Narnian Year 1000, then go again next week and arrive in 997!

Just a thought.
 
Chakal said:
I believe that Narnian time and Earth time do not line up exactly, and for a reason. They are separate space/times.

Take a white beach towel. This is our space/time. Don't lay it out flat, toss it down in a heap.

Take a beige beach towel. This is Narnian space/time. Don't lay it out flat, toss it down in a heap on top of the white towel.

Now take three different colored inks. These represent the entries of people from our world into Narnia. Using an eyedropper, drop one red drop of ink somewhere on the towels. Then a blue one somewhere else, and a green one.

Give time for the ink to penetrate both towels.

Ok....stretch the towels out flat, side by side. Ouchie-wow-wa!

The points where the two towels lined up have radically changed. Depending on how they lined up, you could go through the wardrobe today and arrive in Narnian Year 1000, then go again next week and arrive in 997!

Just a thought.
Click to expand...

That's actually an amazing way of putting it...
 
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