View Full Version : St Patrick's Day Reading: 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'
Scheherazade
03-12-2006, 06:27 PM
We are reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis to celerate the St Patrick's Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick's_Day). Get your copies ready!
Book Club Procedures (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=57103#post57103)
SleepyWitch
03-15-2006, 09:18 AM
oops, when is St Patrick's Day? this Friday? how long to we get to read the book? I've been a silly witch and voted on the nomination thread without checking if i've got the time to read the book any time soon.... :blush:
well, it's a short one isn't it?
Scheherazade
03-15-2006, 12:24 PM
Just got it today. It is very short... You could probably read it in a day or two! :)
And yes, St Patrick's Day is on Friday...
Stanislaw
03-15-2006, 12:41 PM
done and done, I liked the book, but will wait till post friday to discuss...dinna want to spoil it.
For those who have finished, which did ye like better the book or the movie? personally I liked the book, the bit about aslan near the end is interesting, and I think conveys a different meaning in the book than in the movie, is all for now, don't wish to spoil it fer all ye others. :thumbs_up
Stanislaw
03-20-2006, 06:02 PM
has no one else finished?
I have. That makes it 3 people? Would that be enough for a live chat?
SleepyWitch
03-22-2006, 06:06 AM
LazyWitch has not finished it yet.
I'm stuck where they meet Father Christmas.
I like the way he addresses the reader directly. it must be great fun for little kids... it's just as if he was telling the story directly without a book in between
Scheherazade
03-23-2006, 07:24 PM
Finished it last night... And I was almost in tears when Aslan died! I knew he would offer his life in return for Ed's and...
Glad all turned out well at the end! I should read the rest of the series soon!
Has anyone seen the movie? Is it worth watching?
Yes, it's worth watching but they tweak the story a bit for dramatic purposes. However it actually does do a pretty good job of sticking close to the text.
I didn't have time to read this one for Patrick's day, but I can't number how many times I've read it and the rest since I was a child. As I got older I noticed all those Biblical parallels, pretty interesting. but... I guess I'm not really allowed to chat about it. ;)
I liked the movie :)
Shea, I think if you're not going to talk about current politics, you can talk about pretty much anything you want. There were biblical parallels? I should re-read it :D (and I would mind SO much doing that :p).
Possible spoler!!
I don't like the fact that it's always the boys that get all the fun. Peter gets knighted, Edward does this bad-turned-good character change... and the girls? Susan gets a bow she uses once (if I remember correctly), Lucy heals everyone by giving them the magical potion thingy... Well, aside of Lucy being the 'child' and therefore more prone to believe in all the magic Narnia has to offer... ok, maybe I'm being silly :p but it's always the boys having more fun. (imho that is :p)
</spoiler and rant>
Actually, who do you think is the main character? The siblings (as a group)? One of them? Aslan? The Beavers? :p The Wicked Witch of Ice? ;)
Or shall we discuss that in the chat?
I liked the movie :)
Shea, I think if you're not going to talk about current politics, you can talk about pretty much anything you want. There were biblical parallels? I should re-read it :D (and I would mind SO much doing that :p).
;) I only said that because I think I read somewhere around here that it's preferred if we only partake in the discussions if we've read or re-read the book for this month. I didn't have time to re-read it, but it's on my study list so I wouldn't mind discussing it.
SPOILER
Parallels:Think of Edmund as Judas (betrayal), also as a representative of Man (Aslan died in his stead). Aslan is the Christ figure (sacrificed and resurrected). Winter in Narnia represents the Old Testament, Spring represents the New Testament (new life through baptism etc.) though this is kind of a hazy parallel, I don't have the brain power at the moment to say something better.
Another interesting parallel I realized when I was in England. The lion is the emblem of England and historically England has believed that the monarchy is appointed by God. Hence Aslan is the "God" of Narnia and he crowns the monarchs (the children).
As far as the main character goes, I think it just changes depending on where the story is. This is true of the other books as well.
SleepyWitch
03-27-2006, 03:29 AM
SPOILER
Parallels:Think of Edmund as Judas (betrayal), also as a representative of Man (Aslan died in his stead). Aslan is the Christ figure (sacrificed and resurrected). Winter in Narnia represents the Old Testament, Spring represents the New Testament (new life through baptism etc.) though this is kind of a hazy parallel, I don't have the brain power at the moment to say something better.
Another interesting parallel I realized when I was in England. The lion is the emblem of England and historically England has believed that the monarchy is appointed by God. Hence Aslan is the "God" of Narnia and he crowns the monarchs (the children).
SleepyWitch has finished the book :)
hehe, I had similar ideas about the Biblical parallels...
seeing as Aslan is the son of the Emperor it makes sense to compare him with Jesus.
wow, your point about English monarchy is really smart!!!
Jay I don't like the fact that they boys get all the fun either :( but after all, the books were written in the 50s or something....
does Susan use her bow and arrows at all in the book? I think I missed that one... I remember that she did in the film, though....
Good point, I might be confusing the film with the book... really should re-read it, once I have the time to :p
wow, your point about English monarchy is really smart!!!
Yeah, it only took me YEARS to realize it. :rolleyes: *immense sarcasm*
NNoah3
03-27-2006, 12:42 PM
Once I started to read the book I couldn't stop. :lol:
I enjoyed it VERY VERY much. I haven't seen the movie yet. Last Christmas when I was at my parents' house, my nephews were a little crazy about the movie. They had seen the movie and they have enjoyed it very much. When I told them that the movie was based in one of the seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia, well they fired me with a lot of questions about them. I just sent all the books to them and I hope that they enjoy reading them as much as I do. One thing is sure my sister is going to enjoy them a lot, she likes to read as much as I like :nod:.
Shea: Interesting point of view! I didn't think in that way until I read your comment.
Stanislaw
03-27-2006, 01:23 PM
Ahh, some more people to discuss yonder book with.
oh, and to answer one question: the movie was pretty good, but I have a slight issue with the way the death of Aslan was handled.
Boris239
03-27-2006, 08:22 PM
I've read the book when I was 12 and liked it very much. But now when I'm a bit older, some things there seem ridiculous. I think to put Biblical motives into a children's book like that is not a right thing. And one more thing: in one of the book( I guess the last one) Lewis writes about Susan who already doesn'y believe in Narnia- this is a horrible age when you are already not a child, but not a grown up yet. Susane was arounf 17-18 at the time(maye 16). Lewis was teaching students of that age- if you think that it's sucha horrible age- why are you teaching?!
Slightly
03-27-2006, 10:24 PM
I have read the book about three times. I had found it in a book store and it looked interesting to me. I know you shouldnt judge a book by its cover but the cover reminded me of a movie and plus i remember my mom telling me of the story when i was little and so i bought it. Then after about a mounth after i read it i remembered my thought of the cover looking like a movie then i found a website on the back and went to it. Then what do you know it was becoming a movie. They had just started shooting it and i had to wait about one year and four mounths to see the movie! But i was thrilled!! During that period i read the book about two more times. It realy is a great book!!
Oh and during the time i was waiting i bought and read all seven other books and read them too. They are all great!!
:banana: :banana: :banana:
SleepyWitch
03-28-2006, 04:54 AM
I have a slight issue with the way the death of Aslan was handled.
why is that? i liked it better in the movie than in the book because you could actually see all those horrid creatures and their barbaric rituals (not that i normally mind barbaric rituals all that much)... but if I had children, I'd never allow them to watch it...
what i liked about the film was that you actually got to see what happened in the battle... again, I'm not normally too fond of lengthy battle scenes, but in the book it wasn't narrated in any detail at all, so it was a bit of an anticlimax.. i mean you should think the final battle with the witch would be a major event...
but maybe Lewis spared us the gory details because it was a book for little kids... :confused:
I think to put Biblical motives into a children's book like that is not a right thing.
Why???
And one more thing: in one of the book( I guess the last one) Lewis writes about Susan who already doesn'y believe in Narnia- this is a horrible age when you are already not a child, but not a grown up yet. Susane was arounf 17-18 at the time(maye 16). Lewis was teaching students of that age- if you think that it's sucha horrible age- why are you teaching?!
I think Lewis' point about Susan is that her priorities are in the wrong place. She so much wants to be grown up, that she would deny truth. Granted, we know that this is fiction, but within the context of the story, Susan would deny what actually happened. Again with the Biblical parallels, she is like the Pharasees that saw Jesus' miracles and would make excuses not to believe them. (see Matthew 9:32-34 for an example).
Boris239
03-28-2006, 01:17 PM
Shea, I understand that Lewis wants to show that Susan's priorities aren't right. I don't like that he makes the statement about the whole age group.
Stanislaw
03-28-2006, 04:13 PM
why is that? i liked it better in the movie than in the book because you could actually see all those horrid creatures and their barbaric rituals (not that i normally mind barbaric rituals all that much)... but if I had children, I'd never allow them to watch it...
what i liked about the film was that you actually got to see what happened in the battle... again, I'm not normally too fond of lengthy battle scenes, but in the book it wasn't narrated in any detail at all, so it was a bit of an anticlimax.. i mean you should think the final battle with the witch would be a major event...
but maybe Lewis spared us the gory details because it was a book for little kids... :confused:
I didn't like the tone of Aslans 'sacrafice', in the book it is clear that he sacrafices himself, and that his rise from the dead is a sort of triumph over death, where as in the movie, it seems to be more of a trick, like Aslan knows he will come back from the dead, so he did this just to trick the witch queen into a false hope.
Stanislaw
03-28-2006, 04:16 PM
I've read the book when I was 12 and liked it very much. But now when I'm a bit older, some things there seem ridiculous. I think to put Biblical motives into a children's book like that is not a right thing.
Uhm, why not...other books have witchcraft motives, secular motives, and even themes regarding sexual orientation.
So, what is wrong with an author putting biblical themes in his works?
SleepyWitch
03-29-2006, 05:05 AM
I didn't like the tone of Aslans 'sacrafice', in the book it is clear that he sacrafices himself, and that his rise from the dead is a sort of triumph over death, where as in the movie, it seems to be more of a trick, like Aslan knows he will come back from the dead, so he did this just to trick the witch queen into a false hope.
yeah, you've got a point there, although i didn't really feel that way when i saw the film.. but now that you've mentioned it...
what i liked about the movie was that the witch was much more scary than in the book and there was more pomp and circumstance, e.g. when she comes to the camp to parley in her chariot rather than just walking there...
i'm reading "Prince Caspian" now.. it's so much better than this one... before I got started on Caspian I didn't realize there was anything wrong with The Lion, The Witch etc... but Caspian is much more detailed and there are lots of funny creatures, plus his style seams to be a little more elaborate and witty...
there's this one dwarf who's always exlaiming things like "soups and celeries!". he's so funny :)
Scheherazade
03-29-2006, 01:25 PM
Jay I don't like the fact that they boys get all the fun either :( but after all, the books were written in the 50s or something.... This was one of the things that struck me as interesting in the book. When Father Christmas gives them their gifts Lucy asks him why the girls are not fighting:
“Why, sir?” said Lucy. “I think - I don’t know but I think I could be brave enough.”
“That is not the point,” he said. “But battles are ugly when women fight... This was written after the WWII, during which women worked as nurses or in other supplementary roles but I would expect in a book which is, seemingly, written for children, these things wouldn't be an issue. Disappointing but, as Sleepy pointed out, we have to keep the time it was written in mind.
I haven't seen the movie so won't be able to comment on the differences but it was my impression while reading the book that Aslan knew he would come back to life because he explains to the girls how it all worked out.
Boris239
03-29-2006, 01:31 PM
Uhm, why not...other books have witchcraft motives, secular motives, and even themes regarding sexual orientation.
So, what is wrong with an author putting biblical themes in his works?
There is nothing wrong in putting biblical motives into a book in general. In fact I like a lot of books like that. I was saying it only about childeren's books
There is nothing wrong in putting biblical motives into a book in general. In fact I like a lot of books like that. I was saying it only about childeren's books
again, why?
chook
03-30-2006, 04:18 AM
I remember reading in a book, I think it was somewhere in "Letters to an American Lady", which is a series of letters written by CS Lewis to an undisclosed American woman over the course of many years, that a young girl in a private school in America, was expelled for possessing a copy of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.I never felt that the book was subversive.
Stanislaw
03-30-2006, 12:03 PM
i'm reading "Prince Caspian" now.. it's so much better than this one... before I got started on Caspian I didn't realize there was anything wrong with The Lion, The Witch etc... but Caspian is much more detailed and there are lots of funny creatures, plus his style seams to be a little more elaborate and witty...
there's this one dwarf who's always exlaiming things like "soups and celeries!". he's so funny :)
I like the ol, huestes jokes...the owl says... here is huestes...and the king...Useless??? :D (I think that was from the silver chair)
A really good one is the Voyage of the Dawn treader (sp.) it is a cool one...If you like the chronicles of narnia, I would also suggest another series of books by him: The cosmic trilogy, the first two books in the trilogy are pretty cool, but the last is a tad weird. :thumbs_up
Stanislaw
03-30-2006, 12:05 PM
There is nothing wrong in putting biblical motives into a book in general. In fact I like a lot of books like that. I was saying it only about childeren's books
Do you also abject to Harry Potter, or the Star Wars novels for kids? I mean, its a book. If there is no motive, then the book would be boring, like a mcleans magazine or the like.
Boris239
03-30-2006, 01:36 PM
Ok, I have nothing against Harry Potter (in fact I absolutely love it) or Star Wars. I understand that a book without motive is a boring one, but that doesn't mean that you enjoy any motive ? My personal opinion is that religious one is not the best for children. Why? Because at the young age you are influenced very easily and some misconceptions that you'll get from some book will stay for a while. It's almost like religious propaganda for kids. Ok, maybe it's just my own stereotypes and I'm wrong- it's just I don't like both religious and antireligious propaganda.
the Voyage of the Dawn treader is also my favorite. Prince Caspian is probably the second one.
Ok, I have nothing against Harry Potter (in fact I absolutely love it) or Star Wars. I understand that a book without motive is a boring one, but that doesn't mean that you enjoy any motive ? My personal opinion is that religious one is not the best for children. Why? Because at the young age you are influenced very easily and some misconceptions that you'll get from some book will stay for a while. It's almost like religious propaganda for kids. Ok, maybe it's just my own stereotypes and I'm wrong- it's just I don't like both religious and antireligious propaganda.
the Voyage of the Dawn treader is also my favorite. Prince Caspian is probably the second one.
Ok, I can understand your point now. But really, there are a lot of parents who would prefer their children reading religious books from the time they are small. In a sense, Lewis is simply obeying the Book that he is drawing from:
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
However, I beleive that no matter what book a child reads it should be something that a parent is willing to guide them on. Too many people stick a book in a kids face and expect them to raise themselves. Anyway, I'll get off that soapbox before I get rolling.
Stanislaw
03-31-2006, 12:59 PM
Ok, I have nothing against Harry Potter (in fact I absolutely love it) or Star Wars. I understand that a book without motive is a boring one, but that doesn't mean that you enjoy any motive ? My personal opinion is that religious one is not the best for children. Why? Because at the young age you are influenced very easily and some misconceptions that you'll get from some book will stay for a while. It's almost like religious propaganda for kids. Ok, maybe it's just my own stereotypes and I'm wrong- it's just I don't like both religious and antireligious propaganda.
the Voyage of the Dawn treader is also my favorite. Prince Caspian is probably the second one.
I can undesrtand your objections, but I wouldn't really call it blatently religious. There are biblical themes, but they are only recognized if you also read the bible, have studied religious values. It is not so bad as compared to the horrible sunday school books, or shows like the vegitales. (now that is some very odd stuff)
Theoretically starwars or even harry potter has some religious themes. And I think it is true for much of the western literature, considering the influence of the bible on our culture. It is an ancient text, and just about everyone knows about it or the more popular stories from it, so people can commonly fall back on an old medium, I suppose.
But yeah, dawn treader is awesome. :thumbs_up
Nightshade
04-03-2006, 04:54 PM
Is it too late to read this now??
Stanislaw
04-03-2006, 05:26 PM
Is it too late to read this now??
I don't think so...I am not sure if our glorious mod has set a date for the chat :D
Nope, there's not a date... yet ;)
Nightshade
04-04-2006, 08:43 AM
Great!
:D
Stanislaw
04-04-2006, 11:25 AM
:goof: heh, I keeps forgettin ol Jay is a mod now! :D
Stanislaw
04-06-2006, 11:49 AM
*grins moddishly* ;)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1003/csmimg/1003p16.jpg
The first Image I had of a moddishly grinning person, "if memory serves"...Takeshi Kaga :D
Stanislaw
04-06-2006, 05:38 PM
So when be we discussin thar book!
In 1-2 weeks methinks. 2 sounds more like it I guess.
Nightshade
04-18-2006, 01:40 PM
Didnt like it got bored...mind you some interesting things occurred to me while I was reading it ( actually I think they occured when I compared the film to the book I watched the film first) Anyway too lazy to read the rest of this thread will do soon-ish:D
Stanislaw
04-19-2006, 07:06 PM
So whens we be discussin it?
Apotropaic
04-20-2006, 03:27 AM
Where do I sign up for this discussion? :)
Where do I sign up for this discussion? :)
You don't :)
Live Chat:
*At the end of every month, we will have a live chat on the monthly book. It will be open to those members who have been participating in the discussion thread on the Forum. A summary of the chat will be posted on the Forum later on.
Stanislaw
04-20-2006, 05:21 PM
You don't :)
heh, sorry end o the month it is...I shant pester again. :D
Scheherazade
04-21-2006, 02:50 AM
The TLTWATW Live Chat will take place on either on Saturday April 29th or Sunday, April 30th. Those who have taken part in the discussions and posted here will receive my PM shortly! :)
Hello! I`ve read this book about 3 or 4 years ago and it didin`t impress me very much? but I liked it and would reccomend to read it every children? as I think it rather childish book? too simple for the grownups. Maybe i`m not wright. But what I am really intrested in is what connection this book has with St. Patrick`s day? Just religion?
Scheherazade
06-21-2006, 01:26 PM
Hi Til,
This book was chosen to be read for St Patrick's Day, not because of its religious connotations, but because it is written by an Irish writer.
Welcome to the Forum and I hope you will be able to join us for the future readings :)
Thank you, schehereazade! Well? I didn`t know that Clive Lewis was an irish writer? I thought he was an English/ He isn`t even mentioned in the lists of th most famous Irish writers, like Wilde or Joyse...And why didn`t you choose something of the Irish folklore?
As far as i understood on this forum everybody can suggest something to read and then everybody discuss it, am I wright?
Scheherazade
06-22-2006, 01:33 PM
CS Lewis was born in Ireland.
This book, along with some others, was nominated by the members and then chosen by voting to be read. Unfortunately, no one suggested folklore books.
You can find more about the Book Club procedures here. (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4104) However, this year we are reading books of selected authors, the list of which you can view here. (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3669)
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