Popular Literature

Popular Literature

C. S. Lewis’s novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is a fantasy for children written in 1949 and is the first in a series of seven novels of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” The novel was inspired by traditional Christian themes, characters, and ideas. The novel explores religion and issues of race and gender, which are not usually seen in children’s literature.

Overview

For the duration of the German air raids of World War II, the four Pevensie children Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent out of London to the haven country home of the weird Professor Digory Kirke, who is the possessor of an intriguing wardrobe. While playing hide-and-seek, Lucy discovers the snowy land of Narnia, which is stalled in everlasting wintertime, because of the magical influence of the wicked White Witch, Jadis. She has declared that winter will reign forever without the celebration of Christmas in the magical kingdom. Eventually the other siblings discover the land of Narnia, and the four children discover that they are the “chosen ones,” to break the Witch's timeless winter. The story unfolds as the two daughters of Eve and two sons of Adam join with the mighty lion, Aslan to defeat the evil White Witch, (Fan, UnitedKingdom, 2005).

Authors Background

C. S. Lewis was born in Northern Ireland on November 29, 1898. His parents were Albert Lewis and Flora Hamilton Lewis. He had one older brother named Warren Hamilton Lewis and the boys grew up somewhat contented and free from care in a large home with wild gardens, which the two children discovered and frolicked in together. The family home had a library filled with books from various artists and where Lewis found his love of reading.

In 1908 Lewis’ mother became severely ill with cancer and passed away. Scarcely one month later, the two children were sent to a boarding school in England. Lewis hated the school with its strict rules and hard, unsympathetic headmaster, and he missed Belfast terribly....