Indeed Beren. That is actually a classic technique, wherein the narrator him-(or her)self actually becomes a "character". This technique is brilliantly spoofed by Daniel Handly (Lemony Snicket).

GB

You guys are flying on this thread. Very impressed.

As to CS and his imagined world - I do think folk overplay the Christianity thing. Narnia seems such a pagan world. And, of course, there were other dying and resurrecting Man/Gods in the ancient world - as you all know. I've thought for a long time that Christianity itself is fairly pagan anyway. This is not a criticism, for I find Christianity to be a life enriching myth (especially as I'm someone who is not at all keen about my own mortality!)

Anyway, excellent job of translating CS into T and T into CS, GB.

Regards,
Odo

Thanks Odo . I'm glad you liked those passages.

And again we are on exactly the same page re: Paganism and Christianity. I posted a lot of stuff about that on the Fairy Story thread, and the Feminism thread, and the Providence in LotR thread. And also in dribs and drabs around the board. It is probably my Life's Thesis, and the basis for the book I am attempting to write.

I hope to get back to Narnia and find a few more passages that could use a little "Tolkienizing". And I may have a stab at Lewisizing a Tolkien passage myself at some point.

But I am also hoping that other aspiring writers may take up the challenge (hint, hint ).

GB

I'm interested in this book you're writing, GB. I trust it's non-fiction?

As to your hint-hinting: I probably won't have a crack at doing the T to CS thing, just sit back and enjoy others doing it (call me bashful).

"Not all who write, write golden,
Some are just odd-Oh don't I know!
It's in two left hands this pen is beholden,
I therefore write very bad prose!"

And only very bad poetry, too.

Odo

Yes, t is non-fiction (I hope ). There is a lot of research involved, so it will take some time. I'm a bit too tired to give you a run-down tonight. But in short it will be focused on what I think of as Lewis's "pagan" side, and also Tolkien's and Rowling's a bit too. Like you (and Joseph Campbell) I see a lot of Universal themes that all three writers' works share to varying degrees.

GB

I've not long finished A.N.Wilson's bio of CS. So I'm ready to read your book immediately - if you can finish it in the next few days. (Never fear, I'll find room for it down the track no matter how many to-do's I've got at the time!) I'm not a T and CS scholar - but I'm awfully keen nonetheless.

Odo

Yes , Wilson's bio was quite good. He touched on a number of things often glossed over in other bios, and garnered a bit of controversy in the process. I won't be able to have the book finished in a few days. but I do have a short essay/article that served as my starting point. And some extensive notes based on Wilson's book and some articles from a compilation book on the Philosophy of Narnia.

I also recently ran some of my key points past Dr Michael Ward, Oxford Don, Anglican Minister and author of Planet Narnia. Who, despite his own (liberal) Anglican views, concurred with them to a fair degree.

I also have a number of posts all over this forum (and Narniaweb 1.0), that serve as notes from many years of reading various books on Mythology, and Religion. A lot of the work is really compiling my notes and original source material and reviewing it so as to correctly attribute the sources. Plus, I still have a number of Lewis books to read or reread. A bio of Blake to re-read...

Gaaah....I could go on for a while listing the material I still have to track down. But I think the evidence for my thesis is abundant.

In any case, I'll get back to you soon. I'm not sure if I have room in a PM to send you some of my key material--so I might have to send you an email if you want to exchange emails.

GB