Re-read for the umpteenth time. I go back to these at least every few years, always with enjoyment and various types of annoyance. New or salient thoughts this time around:
- Why oh why did idiotic HarperCollins choose to re-order the series chronologically rather than by publication date? It ruins Lewis’ internal references and makes no sense. I feel sorry for kids today reading them in the wrong order.
- As a writer, I’m always trying to pick up on exactly how Lewis manages to be so freaking economical with words and scenes and still have huge story impact. He is one of the best at making the reader fill in gaps. Notice how little we know about anybody’s physical appearance, although the wonderful Pauline Baynes illustrations fill that in. He does rely heavily on his imaginary creatures having middle-class English lives—Mr. Tumnus with his afternoon tea and crumpets, etc.
- Christian apologetics fascinate me—I find so much to disagree with!—and the particular flaw I noticed this time is how in The Last Battle, the animals are taken in by the fake Aslan specifically because of the whole “he’s not a tame lion”/Abraham-and-Isaac dynamic. Lewis has it both ways—we know Aslan would never command cutting down the Talking Trees, but we’re not supposed to recognize that means we have independent moral judgement.