C. S. Lewis

Any page dealing with Fantasy Literature for Young Adults ought to begin with C. S. Lewis' immortal Chronicals of Narnia. His other books, whether fiction or philosophy, are more than heartily recommended.

News Alert: According to latest sources, the rumour that the Chronicals would be edited to "de-Christianise" them are not true. Meredith Briski writes:

There have been quite a few rather ugly rumors flying around about the way Harper Collins has been marketing The Chronicles of Narnia, and a supposed “de-Christianisation” of the books and merchandise. Doug Gresham, C.S. Lewis' step son and a consultant for C.S. Lewis Ltd., is one of my very dear friends, and one of the strongest Christians I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I know for a fact that he would never allow anything like what people are talking about to happen, and I have spoken with him about it. It is a very ugly business, but there is no truth to the rumors. I trust Doug explicitly and know this for a fact.

The accusations being thrown at C.S. Lewis Ltd., Harper Collins, and Douglas Gresham are serious indeed. Have any of us sat down and actually considered what we are accusing them of when we condemn them based on our belief in the rumors that have been flying? To accuse them of this is to accuse them of disarming a beautiful tool which God has used to bring many souls into a relationship with Him and which He will, no doubt, continue to use in such a capacity well into the future. To accuse them of de-christianising the Chronicles is to accuse them of preventing the possible salvation of many lost souls. This is one of the most terrible things I can imagine anyone accusing another person of. If we are going to make accusations of this sort we had better be positive that our information is correct.

There has been quite a lot of online discussion lately of a big screen film of The Chronicles of Narnia. I know most of us would recoil in horror, afraid for the Christian message that probably would never make it to the script. But it’s looking like the film will happen. And it’s looking as if we’ve got little to fear, as well.

It is confirmed that Walden Media has optioned on the film rights to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and are hoping to release it in 2004. They have approached New Line, the producers of the films The Lord of the Rings, for the actual creation of the film. It remains to be seen if New Line will pick it up.

It is a stroke of luck (if you believe in such a thing—I don’t) that Phil Anschutz, the owner of Walden Media, is a dedicated Christian. It is also of benefit that C.S. Lewis Ltd. will be involved in the production in the form of my friend Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis’ stepson and a consultant for C.S. Lewis Ltd. Doug has been involved in the monitoring of stage productions of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the past, and always looks for the most accurate representation of the book and Lewis’ thought. In his last letter he told me, “I will be involved with the production and can assure you that their intention is to be faithful to the book.

Related Links:

Into the Wardrobe: News

Coming Attractions

Guardian Unlimited

Yahoo Daily News

C. S. Lewis: Rumors

MSNBC

The Chronicals of Narnia

Literary Quality:
Christian Morality: Excellent
Age Appropriateness: Child

Comprised of seven books (The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and his Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Last Battle), Lewis tells the story of children from England who by various means enter the wonderous realm of Narnia, where Christ is literally the Lion (Aslan), and epic battles of good vs. evil are waged. This particular boxed set also includes all of the original interior illustrations. Highly, highly recommended!

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Updated 22 July, 2007
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