tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post6506681741309056614..comments2024-03-20T23:54:23.673-07:00Comments on The Great Raven: Currently Rereading... Narnia! Sue Bursztynskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-50544946804687395872018-10-14T18:35:45.534-07:002018-10-14T18:35:45.534-07:00I’ll be interested to see what you think. I didn’t...I’ll be interested to see what you think. I didn’t read it till I was well and truly grown up. Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-26857841458504263532018-10-14T18:33:59.727-07:002018-10-14T18:33:59.727-07:00I haven't read the Narnia books since I was a ...I haven't read the Narnia books since I was a kid. My eldest Barbarian has the one book anthology of the Narnia series. He struggled with it and I'm not sure if he finished all the books or not. I must go back and reread to see how I find them as an adult.AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-29716565210098106582018-10-10T00:58:32.723-07:002018-10-10T00:58:32.723-07:00Thanks, Terry, a very thoughtful comment! Lewis do...Thanks, Terry, a very thoughtful comment! Lewis does some strange things. He lets the children grow up in Narnia, then sends them back to be children again, then, as you say, kills them - all but Susan - in that train crash before they can grow up in the real world. And in between, you have to be a child to go back to Narnia. <br /><br />It’s been a while since I read the science fiction trilogy, but what you say doesn’t surprise me. The one thing about it I do remember is from the first one, Out Of The Silent Planet, where the villain is keen on space travel because it means escaping from Earth’s problems - and is asked whether he’s thinking we can just keep going from planet to planet as we wear them out. It’s something a lot of climate change deniers in this era could well be asked! Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-4029392321499420712018-10-10T00:46:20.718-07:002018-10-10T00:46:20.718-07:00I agree that it's a problem Lewis has with wom...I agree that it's a problem Lewis has with women. In the Perelandra series contraception is considered evil, mainly because it might stop,the birth of the Chosen one. Poor Susan s judged harshly(Aslan is suddenly judgemental) in what seems an odd way to me. On the one hand, it might be that she is too interested in material things, instead of spiritual, which is presumably what Aslan is all about. Or it might be the sin(?) of vanity. But the particular items mentioned are just pArt of growing up. At one time a woman wasn't dressed without them. Wikipedia tells me that in the 1930s adults saw the wearing of lipstick as an act of rebellion. The women themselves saw it as growing up. It's like Lewis, through Aslan, doesn't want women to grow up. They should just hug their cuddly toys and then die before they mature eg, Lucy. So it's all very odd because it then seems that Aslan's preaching doesn't sustain humanity at all but only a very fixed version of childhood. What does this say for the whole world, never mind Susan.<br /><br />Now you've got me thinking of variations on the theme of the lost child eg the Star Trek episode "Miri's World", where to grow up is to die, as opposed to stories where the child moves on and it's only the childhood that is lost. Hmmm.<br /><br />UrbanDragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13213381068886026594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-18157980282295279962018-09-27T03:29:57.039-07:002018-09-27T03:29:57.039-07:00Ah, of course, not everyone has read it! I hope th...Ah, of course, not everyone has read it! I hope this post wasn’t too confusing - do read it and see what you think. Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-80040159738529652582018-09-27T03:15:23.733-07:002018-09-27T03:15:23.733-07:00that's remind me i still need to read it^^;; b...that's remind me i still need to read it^^;; but interesting question for sure i will love your opinion on it after you reread it all^^<br />mikihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02841065155860721811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-8310466593868937372018-09-26T16:19:27.889-07:002018-09-26T16:19:27.889-07:00I’ll look forward to reading your novel about it, ...I’ll look forward to reading your novel about it, Kate! Meanwhile, have a read of Neil Gaiman’s short story “The Problem Of Susan” which is free online. An interesting piece! Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-80138577507317192412018-09-26T16:13:41.077-07:002018-09-26T16:13:41.077-07:00That is a really intriguing situation which I skim...That is a really intriguing situation which I skimmed over when reading (and loving) the Narnia books as a child. I would love to read a book written from Susan's point of view -- maybe a YA book? -- which takes this double memory into account. Having lived as an adult woman, and considering marriage, no wonder she was "too interested" in nylons and lipstick (ie adult femininity) later on. You are giving me ideas, Sue!A latte beckonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967372772145537800noreply@blogger.com