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Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams offers fascinating insight into The Chronicles of Narnia, the popular series of novels by one of the most influential Christian authors of the modern era, C.S. Lewis. Lewis once referred to certain kinds of book as a "mouthwash for the imagination." This is what he attempted to provide in the Narnia stories, argues Williams: an unfamiliar world in which we could rinse out what is stale in our thinking about Christianity--"which is almost everything," says Williams--and rediscover what it might mean to meet the holy. Indeed, Lewis's great achievement in the Narnia books is just that-he enables readers to encounter the Christian story "as if for the first time." How does Lewis makes fresh and strange the familiar themes of Christian doctrine? Williams points out that, for one, Narnia itself is a strange place: a parallel universe, if you like. There is no "church" in Narnia, no religion even. The interaction between Aslan as a "divine" figure and the inhabitants of this world is something that is worked out in the routines of life itself. Moreover, we are made to see humanity in a fresh perspective, the pride or arrogance of the human spirit is chastened by the revelation that, in Narnia, you may be on precisely the same spiritual level as a badger or a mouse. It is through these imaginative dislocations that Lewis is able to communicate--to a world that thinks it knows what faith is--the character, the feel, of a real experience of surrender in the face of absolute incarnate love.… (more)
User reviews
What I liked about it is that the author did use a lot of references to support his opinions;
However, at times the book did read as a series of essays that are carefully crafted for academia. I expected he would show a little more passion for the series. Still, I enjoyed this very quick read. It sure gave me same food for thought and interest in exploring more of C.S. Lewis books I haven't read yet.
In writing The Lion’s Word, Williams “wanted simply to display some of what has mattered most to me as a reader of Lewis over more than half a century.” His deep respect and admiration of Lewis is evident throughout the book, which includes a reasoned apologetic defense of Lewis against his critics, some of whom Williams accuses of intellectual snobbery.
Williams sees Narnia (the world of the lion Aslan) as a kind of strange parallel universe, inhabited by talking animals, that allows Lewis to speak about how faith is experienced without the familiar trappings of religiosity. The major themes reflected in the Narnia books are clearly shown to be consistent with those found in Lewis’s other major works. These include the limitations of self-analysis, our failure to fully comprehend and acknowledge the consequences of our actions, and the ease by which we can delude ourselves and avoid confronting the truth.
In the end, Williams perceives the entire Narnia narrative as pointing to a new world in which grace breaks through our customary self-occupation and opens the way toward “an unending journey of light and joy.” He leaves the reader eager to re-read, or, indeed, read for the first time, the Narnia books.
One need not have read all of the work's related (although I have) to enjoy Williams' assessment and benefit from this read.
I'm not a very religious person, but I find it interesting how some authors can seamlessly weave metaphors and allusions to other narratives within their stories. Lewis was a master at this,
What I liked:
- Williams doesn't rely only on The Chronicles of Narnia for information; he talks about many other of Lewis's works, such as That Hideous Strength and The Screwtape Letters. This made for a full portrayal of Lewis's beliefs, which I really appreciated.
- The arguments are well thought out and Williams takes the reader through them step-by-step, providing a great deal of evidence from Lewis's works.
What I didn't like:
- I was looking more for background information on the religious ideas behind Narnia rather than a Christian literary analysis of the text. The title is a bit misleading on that front.
- It gets preachy at times, and I would have preferred it stay objective and informational. Similarly, the writing didn't flow as well as it could have.
Summary:
While not an example of fantastic writing, I think that this is an interesting book for those who are a fan of the Narnia books and want to learn about an expert's opinion on the religious meaning and lessons that provide the backbone of this series.
I am very glad to have read this book. I should out myself as a religious person, and a huge
So I recommend this book particularly for those who have read the Chronicles of Narnia and loved them. Those who are not familiar with the series, may want to reach for it as a companion to this book.