Planet Narnia : The Seven Heavens In The Imagination Of C. S. Lewis

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Christian Literature
Cover of the book Planet Narnia : The Seven Heavens In The Imagination Of C. S. Lewis by Michael Ward, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Ward ISBN: 9780195313871
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Michael Ward
ISBN: 9780195313871
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint:
Language: English
For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewis's famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the structure of Narnia's symbolism has remained a mystery. Michael Ward has finally solved the enigma. In Planet Narnia he demonstrates that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on the whole range of Lewis's writings (including previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles), Ward reveals how the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - - Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value" and "especially worthwhile in our own generation". Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that in each book the plot-line, the ornamental details, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality. The cosmological theme of each Chronicle is what Lewis called 'the kappa element in romance', the atmospheric essence of a story, everywhere present but nowhere explicit. The reader inhabits this atmosphere and thus imaginatively gains connaitre knowledge of the spiritual character which the tale was created to embody. Planet Narnia is a ground-breaking study that will provoke a major revaluation not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewis's whole literary and theological outlook. Ward uncovers a much subtler writer and thinker than has previously been recognized, whose central interests were hiddenness, immanence, and knowledge by acquaintance.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewis's famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the structure of Narnia's symbolism has remained a mystery. Michael Ward has finally solved the enigma. In Planet Narnia he demonstrates that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on the whole range of Lewis's writings (including previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles), Ward reveals how the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - - Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value" and "especially worthwhile in our own generation". Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that in each book the plot-line, the ornamental details, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality. The cosmological theme of each Chronicle is what Lewis called 'the kappa element in romance', the atmospheric essence of a story, everywhere present but nowhere explicit. The reader inhabits this atmosphere and thus imaginatively gains connaitre knowledge of the spiritual character which the tale was created to embody. Planet Narnia is a ground-breaking study that will provoke a major revaluation not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewis's whole literary and theological outlook. Ward uncovers a much subtler writer and thinker than has previously been recognized, whose central interests were hiddenness, immanence, and knowledge by acquaintance.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book Ronald Reagan by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Bakkhai by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Empire Of Liberty : A History Of The Early Republic, 1789-1815 by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Red Families V. Blue Families : Legal Polarization And The Creation Of Culture by Michael Ward
Cover of the book The Art of Conversation Through Serious Illness:Lessons for Caregivers by Michael Ward
Cover of the book To Change The World : The Irony, Tragedy, And Possibility Of Christianity In The Late Modern World by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Islam and the Arab Awakening by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Rhythms of the Brain by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Planet Taco:A Global History of Mexican Food by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Hidden Children of the Holocaust:Belgian Nuns and their Daring Rescue of Young Jews from the Nazis by Michael Ward
Cover of the book The Mechanisms of Governance by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Saving Nelson Mandela:The Rivonia Trial and the Fate of South Africa by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Muslims in America : A Short History by Michael Ward
Cover of the book Diaghilev : A Life by Michael Ward
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy