Jadis's rise to power

"1) Why would Aslan suddenly give that power to a malign force that had just appeared from another world?"

How should I know why he chose her. MAybe because she was the most evil presence at the creation. According to the book, she received the authority as a part of the Deep Magic. from the Dawn of Time. Narnia needed someone who would be in her position and she fit the bill.

"2) If that were in the song, and Jadis understood it, why would her response be to turn and run?"

Because she was evil and Aslan was good. She fled from him for the same reason she threw the lamp pole at him. She was deathly frightened of Aslan.

MrBob
 
I like your attempt to tie Jadis specifically into the Deep Magic, but I feel that my version fits the implication of the text better, though I agree that both versions are very much arguing from silence, and both have inconsistencies.

Peeps
 
Both arguments have inconsistencies because of Lewis.

"I feel that my version fits the implication of the text better."

Hmm, I wonder why :p

At the creation Jadis understands something of the Deep Magic that Aslan sings into the world, but cannot fully understand or control it. After she flees to the North, she starts to work out how the Magic of the Narnian world works, and begins to be able to use it for herself. She plots to turn Narnia into her new Charn.

This is what you wrote and where I say she got her authority. What kind of magic do you think she heard from the Deep Magic that helped her?

justBob
 
MrBob said:
"I feel that my version fits the implication of the text better."

Hmm, I wonder why :p
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:D Yeah, after I wrote that I suddenly wasn't so sure. My version fits TMN better, perhaps, but yours maybe fits LWW better.

I suppose I think the Deep Magic was about upholding justice and condemning traitors, and that tolerance of traitors would itself bring destruction. I just think that Jadis's reaction is completely bizarre if she was specifically named as arbiter of justice, as is Aslan's decision to plant the Tree of Protection. Hence I think that Jadis must have taken (or usurped) an office of authority rather than being given personal authority.

Peeps
 
Jadis the Beyonder said:
That's a very insightful post, Peeps! I think you will write an excellent fan fiction story about Jadis' rise to power.
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It's kind of you to say so, but I don't think my writing skills would be up to that. I could write a plot for a story like that, but I couldn't write the story.... and I don't have that much inclination to either ;)
 
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Jadis the Beyonder said:
These stories seem to give Jadis much more depth as a literary character.
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Thinking about this, I wonder whether Lewis would really want her to be given more depth. I know it's popular these days to try to understand people's backstory in order to explain that their evil is not really so evil after all, or that it is not really their fault but because of some childhood trauma inflicted on them (I'm not saying that's what you want to do, I'm just making a general comment), but I think Lewis would oppose that kind of thinking. He would say, I think, that real 'depth' of character is seen in good people, and that evil people are so because they have lost - or rather, chosen to abandon - real 'depth' of character (even though they would probably claim to be deeper than the others).

Peeps
 
Jadis the Beyonder said:
Well gee, that doesn't seem fair(n). I think Mr. Lewis should have given ALL of his characters their due, both good & bad.
As for trying to understand people's backstories, I just happen to have this "thing" with trying to find out what makes some other people (both real & unreal) tick & how the mind works, even though it isn't my profession. It's a lot of fun to me.
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Yeah, I wasn't particularly endorsing or opposing his approach - though I think there is a point in there that is worth taking note of. I think he may have a different view from you about what the characters' "due" might be. I totally understand the thing about trying to get to the backstory; I like to do that too. But this thread just made me think about what Lewis would think about it, and I realised that there may be a reason that he didn't develop Jadis's backstory so much. I've also been reading Lewis's Space Trilogy recently, which is making me think more about his understanding of evil and what makes evil people evil. (On the other hand, he did write TMN to give Jadis some backstory - though there are some inconsistencies between LWW and TMN that are hard to reconcile. And actually, I'm not sure that he develops any of the characters that much, good or bad. So maybe my explanation doesn't really stand up that much ;) )

Peeps
 
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