Chronicles of Narnia around the blogosphere

One of the hottest Narnia topic of discussions around the blogosphere is a letter supposedly from C.S. Lewis to the BBC congratulating them on a job well-done in their radio adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis also appears to be totally against any live action version of the books:

But I am absolutely opposed – adamant isn’t in it! – to a TV version. Anthropomorphic animals, when taken out of narrative into actual visibility, always turn into buffoonery or nightmare. At least, with photography. Cartoons (if only Disney did not combine so much vulgarity with his genius!) wld. be another matter. A human, pantomime, Aslan wld. be to me blasphemy.

I have no idea if the letter is real or not, but it would stand to imagine that Lewis had no idea the advances in computer animation that would take place in 40 years since his death. If I were him, I would not want to see a live action version of the novels in the 1950's either. They would be horribly cheesy and ruin the images that many had created of the Narnian creatures - especially Aslan.

Slice of Laodicea is upset with a poster promoting a upcoming Narnia themed church event that says:

In many ways, we all need "freedom", whether it's from stress, family pressure, finances or emotional pain. Join us this weekend as we take a closer look at Aslan's power and learn about the power that is available to all of us.

SOL responds this way: "Jesus died a bloody death on the cross so we could have freedom from stress? Jesus came to deliver us from emotional pain? Whatever happened to sin as the cause for Christ's death on the cross?" A very valid point, I think.

Kingdom Blog takes a look at Christopher Tookey’s review of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in the Daily Mail:

For the fact is that The Chronicles of Narnia is a wonderful, colossal, stupendous film that should entertain anyone of any age, nationality or religion.
It is not just a ‘must see’ but a ‘must see again and again’.
Where is that sixth star when you need it?

My Blog About Africa gives an interesting look at the role lions play in world religions (including the Judeo-Christian tradition) and in literature (including, of course, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe).

A mother shares her thoughts as she is rereading the novels with her children and the moment she first heard of the movie release:

During a break, Disney gave a sneak preview of the movie, and I froze in my tracks, mesmerized by what I saw. I broke out in gooseflesh, and I swear, tears filled my eyes.

One Voice Now is upset at the lack of diversity on the Music Inspired by The Chronciles of Narnia album. He has a point until he makes this statement:

I wonder what the actors look like?

Chronicles of Narnia and the same old, same old.

I'm not sure what else the actors should look like when they were written as white English children. It wouldn't make much sense to have a Hispanic, an Africa, or a Southerner from America play any of the lead roles.

Wasp Jerky brings up many of the "pagan" influences on Chronicles of Narnia. Did Lewis use Greek mythology and other fantasy elements in his novels? Of course, but this does not negate the Christian symbolism. Nor does it lead one to think that Lewis was a pagan as much as he was a Christian. He liked the "pagan" man in that he was much easier to reach as a "pre-Christian" than the modern "post-Christian" man.

Tim Bayly takes apart some of Lewis critic Phillip Pullman's statements on the Narnia novels.

Finally, of course Quizilla has a Narnia quiz to tell you which character you are. For me, I am:

...Edmund. Thoughtful and philosophical, you
have made mistakes in the past but have
straightened things out and are now where you
need to be. You are content to be a wise
counsellor, rather than a great leader, though
you can be either if you must.


Which Chronicles of Narnia character are you?
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