The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

By C. S. Lewis and Adrian Mitchell

When this adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s classic children’s story opened at the RSC Stratford in November 1998, it received rave reviews and broke box office records. Four children are evacuated from London during the Blitz. While exploring the Professor’s house, they stumble across the gateway to another world, and the adventure begins. The land of Narnia is under the spell of the wicked White Witch, and the four very quickly find themselves caught up in a deadly struggle between good and evil.

• Language: English
• Publisher: OBERON BOOKS Ltd
• Release date: May 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781849435499

C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

Reviews for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

[hredwards · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent classic fable for children of all ages. Really explains the sacrifice Christ made for all of us.

[susan139 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first in the chronicles, and probably the best of all the 7 books.

[crowyhead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A truly magical novel and deservedly considered a classic.

[catherine_gv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one was good too. I loved the winter-temperature :D...

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Like The Golden Compass, I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as part of my job as a course tutor for a college first year seminar on gender and leadership in young adult fantasy. This context obviously effected my experience of the book and this resulting review.I should also probably mention that while I’d never read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before, I knew quite a bit about it going in. For most of my childhood my family went to an Episcopalian church (think the American version of Church of England), and they loved this book. I remember being shown the old animated movie and attending a two person play (the actors represented different characters with different hats) put on in the church’s cafeteria. I remember it being stressed that not only was C.S. Lewis Christian, he was specifically Anglican, and it was something the church was really proud of. So while I may not have read the book, I came in knowing the rough shape of the story.But since everyone kept telling me to read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I naturally refused. What can I say? I’ve always been stubborn. Therefore, I don’t think I have the childhood nostalgia that a lot of people have for The Chronicles of Narnia. And since I haven’t read the rest of the books in this series, my comments on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe‘s presentation of gender and leadership will be focused solely on this book.But before I get into anything else, I can see how children could love The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Even reading this as a twenty year old college student, I could feel the magic and appeal of Narnia from Lewis’s descriptions of a snow crusted world. And The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is very much a kid’s book. It’s fairly thin, and there’s not a whole lot of complexity to it (which made it much less fun to analyze than some of the other books the class read). So yes, it’s probably unfair of me to judge it as an adult reader, but just remember that experiences are subjective and star ratings are ultimately meaningless.The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published in 1950, and it falls in line with the gender norms of that era – i.e. it’s pretty straightforwardly sexist. The most notable example is Father Christmas telling Lucy and Susan that battles are ugly when women fight (and not just ugly in general?), and there’s other, more subtle instances as well. Like how the beavers follow 1950’s/40’s gender norms to an almost comical degree. Mr. Beaver goes out fishing to provide for the family. Mrs. Beaver cooks and cleans, and she gets a sewing machine from Father Christmas.The class spent a fair bit of time discussing Lucy and Susan. Lucy is the more active character; she discovers Narnia, she’s depicted as brave and strong willed. Susan’s a wet blanket without much characterization and whom the other children accuse of trying to mother them. What does the contrast between the two say about gender in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Lucy falls into less gendered patterns than Susan, but is it because she’s younger? Is the implication that when girls grow up, they become like Susan? And is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t have any answers, but they’re questions I find interesting.Jadis is another character who falls into some old gendered tropes. She’s beautiful, alluring, and evil. There’s an element of the Temptress archetype to her, but she’s also sort of a perverted mother figure – she beguiles Edmund by wrapping him in furs, feeding him sweets, and promising to adopt him. The dissonance between these two roles was strange, and it goes to show how much of her character relates to her gender. I think if she were an evil king instead of an evil queen, we’d get a very different book.The class also spent some time discussing leadership, the difference between a good leader and an effective leader (Jadis certainly wasn’t good, but she was possibly effective), and whether or not Aslan was really a good leader. As one of the other students pointed out, he doesn’t really do anything. He sacrifices himself for Edmund and he’s got some magic breath, but does that make him a good leader? And why was he waiting around for these four random children? Why not just save Narnia himself? “Because prophecy” is not a good answer.I struggled with what I was going to say about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I mentioned earlier that it feels thin, and I stand by that. It wasn’t much fun to read as an adult, and I didn’t enjoy the analysis as much as I have with some of the other YA fantasy books the course is doing.Review from The Illustrated Page.

[karnoefel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Clive Staples Lewis, Jack voor zijn vrienden, werd geboren in 1898 in Belfast. Als kleine jongen was hij dol op sprookjes, fantasieverhalen, mythen en legendes. Daarom besloot hij ze als volwassene zelf te gaan schrijven. Op zijn 16e creëerde hij al een faun die zich met een paraplu en een pakketje onder zijn arm verplaatste in een met sneeuw overdekt bos. C.S. Lewis studeerde klassieke talen, Engels, literatuur en filosofie. In de periode dat hij doceerde aan de universiteit aan Oxford, maakten hij en zijn goede vriend J.R.R. Tolkien, de schrijver van de In de ban van de ring trilogie, deel uit van de Inklings. Een informele schrijversgroep, waarvan de leden elkaar ontmoetten in een plaatselijke pub om ideeën voor verhalen te bespreken. De fascinatie van Lewis voor sprookjes, mythen en oude legenden, samen met inspiratie die hij kreeg uit zijn kindertijd, bracht hem tot het schrijven. De faun kreeg gezelschap van een witte heks en overweldigende leeuw. Hun verhaal werd Het betoverde land achter de kleerkast (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe). Het boek kwam in 1950 uit en groeide later uit tot een van de meest geliefde boeken aller tijden. De Kronieken van Narnia waren Lewis' eerste poging tot het schrijven van kinderboeken, iets wat hem in eerste instantie afgeraden werd door zijn vrienden en uitgever. Men dacht dat het zijn reputatie als serieuze schrijver zou schaden wanneer hij zich aan dat genre zou wagen. Het betoverde land achter de kleerkast, werd ook maar matigjes ontvangen en moest het vooral hebben van mond-tot-mond reclame. Toch volgden er nog zes boeken, waardoor de ongelooflijke populaire Kronieken van Narnia ontstonden. Het laatste deel uit de serie, Het laatste gevecht, werd geëerd met de Carnegie Medal, een van de hoogste onderscheidingen in Engeland voor kinderboeken. De Kronieken van Narnia waren de enige kinderboeken van C.S. Lewis, daarna verschenen echter nog vele boeken voor volwassenen, waaronder fantasy verhalen en verzamelde brieven. Hiermee verwierf Lewis grote faam in Groot-Brittannië en daarbuiten. Op bol.com vind je alle boeken van C.S. Lewis, waaronder het nieuwste boek van C.S. Lewis.

[sean191 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The one that started it all. Sure, it's Lewis so it has heavy Christian overtones...but as a kid, they flew right over my head and as an adult, although I know they're there...it doesn't make a difference one way or the other. It's a good fantastical tale and a story that challenges kids but also is manageable for younger ones. My 8-year-old enjoyed it, my 6-year-old enjoyed it more. They're looking forward to the next Narnia installment and I still have them all after 30+ years.

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who am I to critique C.S. Lewis? I didn't like the book but I recognize an excellent work. I just don't like fantasy. It was on the Elementary Battle of
the Books list which is why I read it.

[hiddenlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's amazing what's hidden under the covers of books. So many people think this is Christian. It's not. It's roots go much further back into secret knowledge.

[dylangoeagles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful adventure story to a new world

[stpnwlf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first of the Chronicles of Narnia - one of the finest fantasy stories ever. Period.

[emhromp2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A classic story about forgiveness and heroism. Loved it! Gives an extra dimension for Christians.

[dquazzo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a wonderful novel of spiritual skepticism and redemption. a classic. i could read again and again.

[heidilove_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

one of the books that started it all for me. loved this.

[faith_murri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this.

The Writing and Worldbuilding

I absolutely loved the writing style! It was very similar to J.M. Barrie, with fun asides and little comments throughout. Though definitely targeted at children, it is readable and enjoyable by all.

I loved the themes, the pacing, the world, and the characters. It was phenomenal.

The Characters

Peter, Susan, and Lucy: They were all so fun and I enjoyed following them and experiencing Narnia through them.

Edmund: Freaking Edmund. He was such a good character. His arc was awesome and quite deep, actually. Definitely my favorite character.

the White Witch: I was surprised at just how scary she actually was. Really, she was legitimately frightening!

Aslan: I was worried that he would be preachy, but honestly he was sincerely powerful and strong and just pretty darn great.

Conclusion

I am so happy that I read this. It was really great. Such a funny, emotional, and powerful story. Freaking fantastic!

[therebelprince · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You'd have to be pretty hard-hearted not to enjoy "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", at least as a nostalgia hit. There's no surprise that it has become such a prominent part of so many childhoods, with its fascinating idea of a world reached through someone's wardrobe, where bored children on summer holiday can find white witches and talking lions. It's an ideal escapist story for kids (very much in the 'Harry Potter' vein) and - unlike a lot of today's rather bland children's literature - has a real sense of being a story that can be shared. Lewis' narrative voice is wonderful, somewhere between "kindly adult" and "co-conspirator".

Of course, there is the religious element, which isn't so prominent here as in the later books, but which can leave an uncomfortable taste. Not that I think we should begrudge all items from other eras because of their cultural biases, but if I ever have children, I'd want to be able to explain to them why they should take the whole resurrection business with a grain of salt! Still, it doesn't take away from the childhood magic of this book, even if Philip Pullman is probably a worthy successor-cum-replacement!

[borrows0n0wants · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great children's fantasy book. It is exciting but the focus is more on telling the story than shocking the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as the series.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Chronicles of Narnia really define my childhood in so many ways. I remember being read to at night before bed as my parents made their way through each of these books and my imagination went running rampant. I absolutely adored each one of these stories, the children and their tumbles into Narnia, the lessons that they learned from Aslan and his people, and the greater implications it had on me as a reader and human being. I adore British literature, and especially children's British literature from the master, C.S. Lewis!

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I understand why children have loved this, although I came at it decades too late. Also, the hit-you-over-the-head similarities to Christianity bothered me.

[allieburks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about four children who discover a new world called Narnia through a wardrobe. Lucy finds the world first, then Edmund, then the other two, Peter and Susan. Edmund encounters the white witch the first time he goes to Narnia and gets deceived by her. Once they all are in Narnia together, they, they experience many unique animals who can talk and have an adventure of a lifetime. This book is categorized as fantasy because what happens in the story could never happen, but it is definitely believable because of the themes of the story. Genre: Fantasy, Age Appropriateness: Intermediate

[mindea_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have seen this movie but never read the book. It is awfully close to the movie. I quite enjoyed the book, probably more than the movie.

[berthashaver · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I never read this series as a child, but reading it now as an adult with my grandchildren, I find it a rather enchanting world of fantasy. I'm glad to visit this series.

[greeniezona · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The latest Jeffersonian bedtime story. I didn't think I remembered very much from this, but it all became very familiar again as I was reading it with Jefferson. (Compared to The Magician's Nephew, or The Horse and His Boy, which we are reading now.) It did seem much more allegorical than it did the last time I read it. A very satisfying fable for children, with happy endings for all the Queen had turns to stone. All the darkness is erased by Aslan.

Very enjoyable to read aloud.

[liladillerauthor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite books of all time--I've read it about 30 times or more!!

[mandolin82 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A contender for my favorite book of all time.

[ncgraham_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What is there left to say about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? It is a book so long- and well-loved by the public that there is no point attempting any kind of plot summary or general introduction to Lewis' world. Moreover, because it is a personal favorite I cannot bring myself to criticize it, and because it has been part of my life for longer than I can remember, I cannot approach it with any sense of novelty. I cannot even recall whether I was read this or saw the BBC miniseries first, but in any case it was the book that stuck with me, and became the first piece of literature I truly loved. (And yes, I'm quite aware that I'm describing Lewis' creation in near-romantic terms!) Other childhood favorites have been dethroned, other obsessions have faded away, but I have always remained a loyal Narnian. In light of the recent films' attempts to turn both this and Prince Caspian into Tolkienesque epics, as well as the completely misguided labeling of the books as "allegory" by fans and critics alike, I find myself returning to Lewis' own description of Narnia as a "fairy-story." As with the folktales of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson, I mainly think of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in terms of images: a parcel-laden faun and a young girl walking underneath an umbrella in a winter landscape, an imperious white-skinned queen in her reindeer-drawn sledge, a noble Lion lying shorn and dead on a cold stone table. It has a simplicity, clarity, and charm rare in twentieth-century literature. But unlike many children's stories with imagery that lingers, nostalgically, in one's mind, I find that Lewis' work is just as impressive now as it was ten years ago, and that I notice new things about it every time I pick it up. The writing is excellent; as I read it aloud to my younger sister over the past few weeks, I found the words tripped effortlessly out my mouth, despite the lengthy nature of certain sentences. Because he is here concerned with introducing a new world and a large cast of characters, there is not quite as much character development as some of the other entries in the series, but the characters are always real and (where applicable) human, fairly leaping off the page in their vitality. In today's books one rarely discovers such unapologetically good or evil characters as Aslan or the Witch, and yet there has never been a moment when I did not believe in them. I highly recommend this as well as all of Lewis' Narnia books. Indeed, I would class them in that very small but important category of books everybody should read. If you have not yet, well, shame on you! Get working.

[molliewatts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lucy discovers another world within a wardrobe in the old manor house the Pevensie siblings are staying in. None of the others believe her until they, too, find themselves in Narnia. One adventure leads to another, and soon Peter, Susan, and Lucy find themselves battling alongside the creatures of Narnia for their lives and for their brother, Edmund, who is in the clutches of the White Witch. Only the lion Aslan, King of Narnia, can save him with the greatest sacrifice of all.

[andyray_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is my introduction to 1} my head, 2}my library 3} the chronicles of narnia, and 4r} c. s. lewis as a writer. He and it wins in all four categories. Unlike "Lord of the Rings" and the Hobbit", this story is csmple enought for me to follow it and makes me want to get the other six bnooks in this series. So I shall. Although I say "simple," the abstract ideas of good and evil are not simple; in fact, there is a complexity woven through the story, especially in the case of Edmund.

[schmerguls · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I read this only because it appears on various lists of "best books" such as Time's "best 100 novels from 1923 to 2005" and Brothers Judd's "Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century.' It is a kid's book, and while it suggests it might have something to do with Christ's Redemption, it is so fantastic that any allusion thereto I found not worth thinking about. It is only 110 pages but I was glad when I go t to the last page. Fanstasy seldom does anything for me, and this fantasy was a bore. I will NOT read the other six volumes of the Chronicles of Narnia.

[jmattas_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very captivating, wish I had read this as a kid. I liked the old-fashionedness, and the timeless idea of a world unreachable by adults, with its clear (?) distinction between good and evil. I'll surely recommend this to my future children :)(added later): Looking back after reading the whole saga in about eight months, the first story seems quite small and innocent, though it did deal with the fate of a nation. What I like about it now is the sense of originality and the simple but powerful idea.