I reread the Chronicles of Narnia this year for about the twenty billionth time (seriously, I have completely lost track of how many times I have read this series. It's probably not that many, but close!) No matter how many times I read these books, I never get tired of them. They are still some of my all-time favorite books. This time around, I've been trying to figure out why, even after so many visits to Narnia, it never gets old.
1. Memories. An emotional connection to a book lasts a long time. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is one of the first books I remember my mom reading to me. We laid out a blanket in the hallway, camped out, and I entered Narnia for the first time. Rereading these books means revisiting that moment.
2. Adventure. These are great adventure stories! Trekking across the country to take down an evil witch. Or sailing to the end of the world. Or putting on a ring to take you who-knows-where. The adventurer in each of us calls out to join in.
3. Humor. Despite the sometimes scary situations, there is always someone who provides comic relief. It could be a talking animal (beavers and bears come to mind), a dwarf (our DLF), or a pessimistic Marshwiggle. C.S. Lewis also has a genius for inventing names - Queen Prunaprismia, Reepicheep the mouse, Pattertwig the squirrel, Wimbleweather the giant. . . Genius!
4. Layers. The Chronicles of Narnia are books that you can read as a child and as an adult, and get two completely different things out of them. The older you get, the more you see the layers of hidden Christian meaning that Lewis included. It's found to a certain extent in all the books, but some more than others. I have to admit that The Last Battle was a book I never really got as a kid. But this time around, all the imagery of heaven just leaped out at me. I think it may end up being one of my favorite books of the series.
2. Adventure. These are great adventure stories! Trekking across the country to take down an evil witch. Or sailing to the end of the world. Or putting on a ring to take you who-knows-where. The adventurer in each of us calls out to join in.
3. Humor. Despite the sometimes scary situations, there is always someone who provides comic relief. It could be a talking animal (beavers and bears come to mind), a dwarf (our DLF), or a pessimistic Marshwiggle. C.S. Lewis also has a genius for inventing names - Queen Prunaprismia, Reepicheep the mouse, Pattertwig the squirrel, Wimbleweather the giant. . . Genius!
4. Layers. The Chronicles of Narnia are books that you can read as a child and as an adult, and get two completely different things out of them. The older you get, the more you see the layers of hidden Christian meaning that Lewis included. It's found to a certain extent in all the books, but some more than others. I have to admit that The Last Battle was a book I never really got as a kid. But this time around, all the imagery of heaven just leaped out at me. I think it may end up being one of my favorite books of the series.
Narnia is a place I will enjoy visiting for the rest of my life. If you haven't ever been there, I hope I've inspired you to try it out. If you have been there, leave your thoughts in the comments. What's your favorite part of Narnia?
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