God in the WW?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 132258

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "logic_alley" 
<logic_alley at y...> wrote:

Logic Alley:
> I have read writings by Lewis in which he stated that he did not 
> intend The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to be a retelling of 
> biblical stories, but rather he was trying to tell a story which 
would 
> give children an understanding of what it would mean for someone to 
> give his life for them.  
> 
> He might have said other things elsewhere, but I didn't think it 
was a 
> well-documented fact, as you suggest.

Geoff:
One of my dictionaries defines "allegory" as:

"A story, poem or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden 
meaning"

I think that we actually agree because this definition really fits 
what you are saying above. CSL was trying to tell a story to children 
to reach the aim mentioned.

But, by the time he started publishing these books in 1950, he had 
been a Christian for almost twenty years, having made a profession of 
faith in September 1931. He was a well-known writer on Christian 
apologetics and already had a series of science-fiction books which 
presented the Christian faith - the second of which (Voyage to Venus) 
was very allegorical.

If he wanted to influence children in the way you point out, it would 
be along the lines of Christianity and the first Narnia book 
certainly mirrors in story form the real events of the crucifixion 
and resurrection of Christ.

My comment was based on the biographies of Lewis and Tolkien and the 
fact that there was some friction between the two because Lewis wrote 
his books so quickly - seven books, one a year (JKR please note!) and 
also Tolkien disliked allegory. He made it clear that LOTR was a 
story without connections to world events. I believe that the HP 
books are also in this category but that JKR does aim, like Lewis, to 
point readers in what she feels is the right direction which reflects 
her Christian background.