Which order do you think the books should be read in?

What order?

  • Written (LWW, PC, VoDT...)

    Votes: 87 46.0%

  • Chronological (MN, LWW, HHB...)

    Votes: 89 47.1%

  • Other (Please specify)

    Votes: 13 6.9%
  • Total voters
    189
inkspot said:
I don't know ... See Inked's Brilliant Post on previous page and always start with LWW! MN fills you in on the background, but LWW gives you the fresh, exciting, wonders of Narnia!
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I must say, I read the whole series (or at least most of it) when I was the 5th grade...about 15 years ago, and I remembered shockingly little of it. So little that I might as well not have read it at all, because I didn't even remember Aslan. When I found out about the new movie a couple months ago I went and purchased one of the new sets printed in chronological order, and I'm almost through the 3rd book so far. (The Horse and His Boy, in this printing.) I didn't know there was any controversy over the printing, so I just dove right in to the Magician's Nephew.

My point, though, is that I felt extremely excited about the creation of Narnia, and my introduction to Aslan in this book. I don't know if the LWW felt any less special to me, but I know I liked knowing more about the White Witch and Aslan as I was reading it. So, I would guess that anyone who is uptight about a particular reading order is probably just looking at it from a biased view - that's the way they read it the first time, so everyone should, etc. I doubt it matters at all.

Now, if someone starts telling people to watch Star Wars in chronological order, then I might have a problem with that! :)
 
Depends entirely on the context and the audience- I read TMN to my class this year, they loved it, but they were lukewarm when I read LWW. Interest was spurred by the upcoming movie. The children I teach are ages 8-12 so read into that what you will but TMN was far more engaging for them.
 
I'm all about reading them in published order (the *cough*right*cough* order). It seems to stay closest to C.S. Lewis' intentions and the growing depth he gives to the Narnian world to read in that order. And I think LWW does so much better in giving Narnia that feel of magic and fantasy and everything than in TMN where it's the last of a series of other worlds and therefore somehow (to me) doesn't seem quite so fantastic and doesn't do Narnia justice.
Plus, I think it's a lot nicer to read TMN towards the end because then you can be amused at knowing more than Diggory and Polly know and you can fully appreciate the scene of Aslan in the circle of animals. You know what's going on, what it becomes and why and can really get into the spirit of enjoying seeing the creation. I don't think you can really appreciate that wonderful moment of creation without already being in love with Narnia from the other books.

Besides which,there's something to be said for reading the books in the order in which Lewis wrote them- follow as he develops his world further and enjoy the development. Forget the whole 'hindsight' thing of chronology.
 
I read them in Narnia chronological order. I'd already seen all the movies so it didn't spoil anything. Besides...the book I was reading was all of the Narnia books put together in Narnian time order, and I wasn't going to go from reading the middle of the book to reading the end, then the biginning..lol.
 
Chronological in Narnia:

The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle

Publishing Order:

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

You pick which one is the 'right' order...lol. To me the right order is Chronological, but everyone has their opinion.
 
No prob. :)

Last night I ordered ALL the Narnia books from Amazon. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

I got the book that has all the Narnia books in one. Its the only 'set' I've ever read and I like it.

Can't wait till it gets here! :)
 
The main reason I would recommend a new reader should read the books in the published order is that throughout the books you'll find phrases like this one from LWW: "None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do..." ("Excuse me? Mr. Lewis? Wasn't he the lion in The Magician's Nephew?) There are slight difficulties of the opposite sort, too--assuming knowledge the reader doesn't have yet.

A more personal reason is that I think LB is much more powerful and poignant coming right on the heels of MN. In two books we move from innocence to loss to the final "eucatastrophe." They're a perfect pair.

I've read that Lewis agreed to re-edit the books so that they would work better in chronological order, but that he died shortly thereafter. After the first time through the published order, I think the chronological order is fine. (Although I hate putting down LWW in the middle of the last chapter, reading HHB, then finishing LWW. I run out of bookmarks.) :)
 
I actually just came across the reason the books were re-numbered - a child had written to him asking which order the books should be read, and Lewis answered the chronological was the best way. It wasn't just a whim on the publisher's part that they've been re-numbered.
 
Hmmm. That's interesting. I like it both ways but for the first time around I liked reading them in written order. However, I can see that for a child, it might make more sense in chronilogical order.
 
Order of reading...

I've read the Magician's Nephew, LWnW, and the Horse and His Boy, but I've heard from somewhere that reading them in publication order is better than in chronological. What's your guys' opinion on this?
 
Oho, an oldie but a goodie!
It really depends on your prefered view of the Narnian world I suppose..you cvan either read the historical order, which you have done, or start with LWW, then PC, VDT (HHB can be slotted in somewhere!), and then you can, in my humble opinion of course, get more from reading the prequals, as you already have an affection fro the country..it's up to you really!
 
Oh, Rosy is so nice ... "it's up to you, really."

It is not up to you. It is up to Inkspot. The best way to read the books is the publication order, which is, I believe:

LWW
VDT
PC
SC
HHB
MN
TLB

This way you meet Aslan for the first time just as the children did ... if you read MN first, then you already know all about him and the creation of Narnia long before the Pevensies know, and there is no nostalgia when you finally get to MN and sigh, "So that's how it all began ..."

CS Lewis, but the time he got old and dodgy, advocated the chronological order, but he didn't realize what he was talking about as he had written the books and never had the chance to read one for the first time.

Up to you indeed!
 
Lewis was not "old and dodgy". Sheesh. All that happened was he wrote one sentence that has since been taken out of context.
 
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