Questions

MTMFan

MTMFan

New member
I'm reading the series for the first time, and I have a few questions.

Is there somewhere I can find a map of Narnia? I know each book has a map of the relevant places for that book, but it'd be nice to see it all at once to get a sense of the geographic relationships.

I'm reading Prince Caspian, and I'm kind of confused about King Miraz and King Caspian. Where did they come from? How do they fit in with the other rulers, such as the Tisroc and the original King Frank from Magician's Nephew?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

- Kristen
 
Hey, I don't know about any maps but I do know about Prince Caspian and King Miraz. I don't want to spoil it for you since you do find out at the end of the book, but if you do want to know now I will tell you, so just let me know.
 
That map has a serious flaw. It shows the city of War Drobe but does not correctly show its location in Spare Oom where it is never winter.... :rolleyes:
 
Answers re. MTMfan

MTMFan said:
I'm reading the series for the first time, and I have a few questions.

Is there somewhere I can find a map of Narnia? I know each book has a map of the relevant places for that book, but it'd be nice to see it all at once to get a sense of the geographic relationships.

I'm reading Prince Caspian, and I'm kind of confused about King Miraz and King Caspian. Where did they come from? How do they fit in with the other rulers, such as the Tisroc and the original King Frank from Magician's Nephew?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

- Kristen
Click to expand...


Hey Kristen, Welcome!

If you're reading Prince Caspian, you'll find the answer at the end. If you want a spoiler read below...

Caspian and Miraz are from a line of Tel Marines who came from the land of Telmar into Narnia. But as Aslan says, 'You came to Telmar from another place'. Aslan tells of some pirates in the 'South sea' of our world who landed on an island. Some of them were put to flight by the others and they went into a cave to hide. But this cave was one of the magical places in the world, similar to the door in the Wardrobe, and they 'blundered or fell right through' into another world. It is from these people that Caspian and Miraz are decended; their line conquered Narnia and made it a country of men rather than of Talking Beasts. At the end of the book, Aslan gives the Tel Marines a choice of whether to return to that island in the South Sea through a doorway which he sets up.

In terms of how they relate to other rulers, the short answer is that they dont. Its never really explained how the Tisroc came into power, or indeed how the cities of Calormen and Archenland were established. My theory is that King Frank and Queen Helen's decendants ruled Narnia for many years while the Tree of Protection that Digory planted at the creation of the world was in place. The tree however grew old and died just as the last king in Frank's line did, and as it died, the oppertunity arose for the Witch Jadis to come back into Narnia now it was no longer protected against her. I suspect that she drove the people of Narnia - decended from Frank and Helen - away as she claimed the throne and they fled to Archenland and some to Calormen and began the construction of the cities.

In terms of time, the Tel Marines would have entered Narnia at some point between the four Pevensie Children returning to England and them returning some thousands of Narnian years later, and established the line of Kings that Caspian the 10th, his father Caspian the 9th and his Caspian the 9th's brother, Miraz.

Phew, sorry thats really long! Hope it helps.

Tom
 
Thanks for the map! It does make things much clearer. Also thanks for the heads-up about Prince Caspian. I'll wait till the end to find out. :)

Thanks for making a newbie feel welcome!

- Kristen
 
hey kristen, we do know that archenland is founded by King Frank's second son. Calormene is still up in the air.
 
I'm going to move this to "The Chronicles of Narnia" books section, as it would be better suited there.

iMove to "The Chronicles of Narnia" books section.
 
Your assistance please, fine ladies and gentlemen

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm doing a study on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, trying to gauge the level of contrast in response to the novel by adults and children.

If you have time I would be delighted if you could reply to these questions. Any constructive criticsm of the questions themselves are also welcome.
If you could either reply here or to ega05dpb@sheffield.ac.uk I would be delighted.
Thank you!


ADULT QUESTIONNAIRE

Familiarity With The Book.
Did you read this book for the first time or were you familiar with the story of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ as a child? -----------------------------------------
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Did you reread this novel as strictly a children’s book or did you approach it in the same way as you would an adult book? ---------------------------------------------------
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Have you seen the film or television adaptation of the book? --------------------------
If so, do you think this has influenced your reading of the novel in any way? ------
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Characters
Please state whether you think these characters are good or evil.
Good Evil Not Sure
Aslan ------- ------- -----------

Lucy ------- ------- -----------

White Witch ------- ------- -----------

Mr. Tumnus ------- ------- -----------

Edmund ------- ------- -----------
What do you think of Edmund? ----------------------------------------------------------
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Have you always felt this way about Edmund’s character? (E.g. When reading this book as a child?) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Is Aslan’s killing of the White Witch justified? ----------------------------------------
Please explain --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Moral And Religious Issues
Do you think there is any moral or spiritual view delivered in this novel? ----------
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Do you think that the Christian allegory is important to the story? -------------------
Were you aware of this as a child? --------------------------------------------------------
Does it alter your perception of the book now? ------------------------------------------
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Do you think that the notions of good and evil are clear cut in the novel? ----------
Please explain --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Do you think this novel teaches the reader anything? ----------------------------------
Please explain --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ending
What do you think of the ending of this book? ------------------------------------------
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Do you prefer the books you read to have happy or sad endings? -------------------
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Is a happy ending important for a children’s story? -----------------------------------
Please explain --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please use this space to tell us anything else that you think is important about this book.
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Thank you for taking the time to help us with this project.
 
From a 55-year-old American grandfather

ADULT QUESTIONNAIRE

Familiarity With The Book.
Did you read this book for the first time or were you familiar with the story of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ as a child?

* I first read it as a young adult. My younger sister, who had become a Christian soon after I did, read it first and recommended it to me.

Did you reread this novel as strictly a children’s book or did you approach it in the same way as you would an adult book?

* As an adult book, I suppose. But even before I read LWW, I had already learned that the adult-child distinction in books is not so sharp and clear as some think.

Have you seen the film or television adaptation of the book?

* I've seen all versions, and even listened to the radio-play adaptations produced by Focus on the Family.

If so, do you think this has influenced your reading of the novel in any way?

* No, because I read the books before seeing any adaptations.

Characters:
Please state whether you think these characters are good or evil.
Good Evil Not Sure


* Aslan: Obviously gooder than good, being none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, merely assuming a different external appearance.

* Lucy: As good as a fallible mortal can be; she embodies the innocent love of all the children who came running to be blessed by Jesus in His earthly life.

* White Witch: That she is evil, is obvious. What is less obvious--yet there to be seen, if the reader is willing to look--is that any ordinary human could become as thoroughly evil as she is, if not submitted to God's authority.

* Mr. Tumnus: Good, once he overcomes his temporary cowardice.

* Edmund: Good, in the most realistic way for human beings in this fallen world: he BECOMES good in response to Aslan's act of loving sacrifice for him.

What do you think of Edmund?

* I've seen it stated in print that Mr. Lewis probably put a lot of himself into Edmund, the way Mr. Lewis was when he was an embittered schoolboy who had rejected God. But what a turnaround once Edmund is converted! Then, he personifies the words of Jesus: "He who is forgiven much, loves much."


Have you always felt this way about Edmund’s character? (e.g. When reading this book as a child?)

* As I've said, I didn't read it as a child; but at whatever age one first reads LWW, the change Edmund undergoes is pretty plain to see.

Is Aslan’s killing of the White Witch justified?

* Absolutely!

Please explain.

* First, let me clear away a confusing distraction. People who read the Bible in English are accustomed to seeing the Seventh Commandment translated as "Thou shalt not KILL"--which is assumed to mean that NO taking of human (or near-human?) life is EVER justified. But in the ORIGINAL language of the original Scripture, that Commandment actually reads "Thou shalt not MURDER"--not applying equally to all possible slayings.

Aslan was entirely within His rights to kill the White Witch, who had been doing harm to His creation. Even Peter would have been justified in killing her, if he'd been able to manage it before Aslan arrived and settled things. The Witch was in the wrong, she knew she was wrong but pridefully chose to hate goodness and truth, and she had scorned all her opportunities to repent. Her life was forfeit, and good riddance.


Moral And Religious Issues
Do you think there is any moral or spiritual view delivered in this novel?

* Of course there is: what used to be called "muscular Christianity," a well-rounded view of the faith which recognizes the validity of standing against evil, without omitting grace and forgiveness.


Do you think that the Christian allegory is important to the story?

* The Christian CONTENT is indispensible. Although the Narnia project first began as a fanciful exercise in storytelling, the Spirit of God soon prompted Mr. Lewis to bring in strongly Christian elements which BECAME the story. The term "allegory" is misleading, though. An allegory would be like saying "What if there were this Lion called Aslan INSTEAD OF the historical Jesus?" But Aslan is not "someone LIKE Jesus," used in an allegory; He flat-out IS Jesus. Many scenes in the books make this clear--as when, in "The Magician's Nephew," it is shown that the horse-cab driver, in believing in Jesus, has been relating to Aslan.

Were you aware of this as a child?

* As told earlier, I didn't read LWW as a child. If I had read it as a child, I might have become a follower of Jesus sooner than I did.

Does it alter your perception of the book now?

* I never did have any perception of the book but the correct one.

Do you think that the notions of good and evil are clear cut in the novel?

* Clear, and at the same time deep and well thought-out.

Please explain.

* Mr. Lewis not only provides extremes of good vs. evil (Aslan vs. the White Witch), he also provides fine shadings of the moral struggle, as when the mostly good and admirable Peter contritely confesses having been too harsh toward Edmund.

Do you think this novel teaches the reader anything?

* All sorts of things, about honesty, courage, loyalty, faith, etc.

Please explain.

* I could write a book about the lessons of Narnia; but other Lewis commentators have already done this. One of the most important things the book has to offer today's reader is an antidote to that excess of pacifism which is implicit in the fact of this survey even having to ASK whether Aslan was right to execute the White Witch. Neither freedom of religion, nor any other freedom, will survive if all good people are placed in the paralysis of a false guilt when they see the need to fight against evil. Mr. Lewis, a war veteran, does not want us to make the suicidal assumption that Christian love requires us in all circumstances to lie down and let ourselves be walked on.

The Ending
What do you think of the ending of this book?

* Good on the whole, and leaving the way open for the sequels. A mere concern of detail: I wish Mr. Lewis had let the readers know how citizens of Narnia reacted to the sudden disappearance of the four Pevensies, and who was first to take over the government in their absence.

Do you prefer the books you read to have happy or sad endings?

* Happy, of course; but I would rather say that I prefer a SATISFYING ending. It is possible for a story to end sadly, and yet with an uplift as God's truth is upheld--as in the true stories of missionaries who die as martyrs, which is sad yet also joyful as they enter Heaven.

Is a happy ending important for a children’s story?

* As a rule, yes.

Please explain.

* As when God was instructing the Israelites in the Old Testament with visible signs, children need visible, tangible things to learn from. Children can more easily believe in the eventual UNSEEN rewards of Heaven if they have first been exposed to stories in which good prevails in THIS life.

Please use this space to tell us anything else that you think is important about this book.

* In his essay "On the Reading of Old Books," Mr. Lewis wrote that books from a different era than our own will broaden our minds by showing us life the way a different generation looked at it. By now, the Chronicles of Narnia have become sufficiently distant in time from us that they perform this very function; yet at the same time, Mr. Lewis' quality of writing is so fine that his work remains readable even for young people of limited education.


Thank you for taking the time to help us with this project.
 
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