Comments on: Is It So Wrong to Read C.S. Lewis?

By: Laika's Last Woof

Laika's Last Woof — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 00:09:18 +0000

Leave it to a Guardianista to condemn Aslan as a neo-fascist for leading a coalition of the willing in regime change against a ruthless tyrant whilst she conveniently ignores the atrocities of the White Witch.

She’s Narnia’s first moonbat!

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 21:44:20 +0000

A fine post, Ed, and the right counter-weight to Toynbee’s article. The way I read it, Toynbee seems to suggest that the problem with Lewis’ Christian-based story is that it is Christian-based, which is sort of like saying that the problem with The Godfather, a story about organized crime, is that it is about organized crime. She doesn’t like the subject matter, but does that mean that his books should therefore be about something else? I also don’t think the extra-literary and extra-cinematic arguments are convincing in the least; if religious groups are using the film for propaganda, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile (everyone seems to be talking about everything except about how it works as a film).

Your last paragraph is right — the article could have been much better. I’d expect more of a someone with the pedigree of a Toynbee.

By: Je Suis

Je Suis — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 07:42:21 +0000

Wow, just read the Toynbee review – “So Lewis weaves his dreams to invade children’s minds with Christian iconography that is part fairytale wonder and joy – but heavily laden with guilt, blame, sacrifice and a suffering that is dark with emotional sadism.” “Subjective” just gained a new definition in the dictionary.

By: amcorrea

amcorrea — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 02:10:11 +0000

I really appreciate this post. It seems that labelling books as evil or dangerous just makes people look foolish (whether they’re Christians or not). And Toynbee either forgot or didn’t know that Aslan appears as a lamb in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

“Does not magic need to be counteracted with some other magic in order to make everything whole?”

Yes. Remember–it was “deeper magic from before the dawn of time” that did it (his surrender). It wasn’t “might” making “right,” but self-sacrifice and love.

Another way of looking at it could be the whole “beauty and the beast” tale–loving the unlovely. Fairy tales delight in paradoxes.

Christians using this story as some sort of rallying point are only damaging what Lewis was trying to do. Putting specific correlations on things defeats the purpose of the story. It’s a *story*–full of myth and magic and wonder. Not dogma. Not politics.