I must confess I am a bit of a Narnia fan. Naturally, I am really looking forward to visiting the Narnia Exhibition which will be at the Powerhouse museum for the next few months. Whilst preparing for my visit to the exhibition I have visited the promoters website, and it left me slightly confused. The promoters detail a myriad of themes they believe C.S Lewis covers in his novels, they tell of the mythology and his imaginative narrative. Yet not a mention of Lewis' faith, or hint that the Narnia Series is a Christian allegory.
Cogitating on this apparent oversight, I was reminded of Michael Ward’s article entitled 'C.S Lewis on imagination and story apologetics', which appeared in our last edition of Case Magazine issue #30.
………the most influential practitioner of Christian apologetics over the last hundred years. Works such as Mere Christianity, Miracles, The Problem of Pain, The Four Loves, and Surprised by Joy have been read by millions of people round the world……..
Yet as I join the throngs of crowds descending upon the museum to view the exhibition depicting Lewis’ imaginative works, I will be experiencing in person Ward’s proposition that it is indeed Lewis’
…seven Chronicles of Narnia which have been read most widely and exerted the greatest influence.
Michael Wards article analyses imagination, in theory and in practice, and describes how his narratives have influenced countless readers. The article also suggests
….the Narnia stories reveal Lewis’s personal religion more profoundly than any of his more theological works.
I encourage you to pull out your copy of Case #30 and revisit Dr Michael Wards interesting article which dissects C S Lewis’ fantastic narratives. CASE Associates receive Case magazine 4 times per year as part of their benefits. For blog followers who are yet to be CASE Associates you can sign up HERE or order a single copy HERE. As for me, I will put aside my initial disappointment that the exhibition promoters seem to have ignored an obvious component of 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. I am sure the exhibition will spur on a new generation of C.S Lewis readers and the CASE article reminds me that …..these books where his imagination has full scope he presents the Christian faith in a more eloquent and probing way than ever his more straightforward books of apologetics could…..And with that pleasing thought, I best be off….. I have an exhibition to visit!!!!!
(Details for the Powerhouse and the Exhibition can be found at the links provided)
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1 comment:
Having visited the exhibition I was intrigued by its seeming lack of reference to the underlying Christian culture, but I perceive the exhibition is more concerned with being contemporary as the ecological concerns and issues of today are interestingly at the forefront, which does make one wonder what would have been the focus a decade ago or a decade from now?
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