Chronicles of Narnia book frustration
Warning: Slight mention of my personal dissatisfaction with organized religion is contained in this post. While it's not my intention to offend anyone, those that are particularly zealous Christians ought to skip this.
I know, it's shameful that a 26-year-old self-proclaimed lover of fantasy is just now reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time, but there you have it. Like LOTR, Narnia was one of those book series that I always intended to read someday, but got sidetracked by other obsessions (read: Star Trek TNG & DS9, X-Files, SG-1, anime, etc.). As everyone who knows me is aware of, I've become extremely, EXTREMELY obsessed with the LOTR books and movies. I've been desperate and hungry for more fantasy since then, and have sought it in books (Go Harry Potter! and yay for Aravan and the Mithgar series!), video games (Legend of Zelda gives me another pointy-eared blonde wearing green and using a bow and going on quests...perfect!), and loads and loads of LOTR fanfiction. It seemed like a logical step, especially considering the movie coming out this December, that I take the time to read the Narnia series now. I was terribly excited at the prospect of a whole new fantasy world to fall in love with, especially one that I would soon see brought to life by the brilliant Richard Taylor and his WETA Workshop--Praise them with Great Praise!
However, I'm finding it slow going. I've been reading these for weeks and even now, I'm only a little more than halfway through the Narnia series. I've read 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe', 'The Magician's Nephew', 'A Horse and his Boy', and I'm 2/3rds of the way done with 'Prince Caspian'. The problem is not the language and description, like it was for me in the hobbity first half of 'Fellowship of the Ring'. Quite the contrary; the Narnia series is far, far more juvenile than I had expected, even knowing that it's a children's book. Even 'The Hobbit' seems young adult in comparison. No, the real problem for me is two-fold. One, I'm pretty sure that post-LOTR, most fantasy is going to seem to lack depth to me, when compared with the enormous amount of world building that Tolkien did before he even penned a single line of the trilogy. There are exceptions, most notably the Harry Potter books, which despite some niggling flaws, definitely don't skimp on building a detailed wizarding world and a very compelling driving story. Another exception is the aforementioned Mithgar series, though that in itself draws heavily from Tolkien, and so the world building there is a little less original-seeming than HP, at least in my limited fantasy-reading experience. Not that I'm complaining...I quite enjoy stuff similar to Middle-earth. *G* But compared to these, the world of Narnia seems to fall flat somehow. Yes, there are tons of mythological animals, many of them cute and/or quirky, but I found myself more rooting against evil than for anything or anyone in particular.
Narnia though...I'm really not finding myself captivated by any characters in particular. Every time I start to like a character (for the longest time, I was really, really relating to Susan), something happens and then I dislike them or am disappointed in them, so that Narnia really has no character arc that grabs me, save that of Shasta and Aravis in 'The Horse and his Boy'. That book was the closest so far that Narnia has had me on the edge of my seat, or that I even felt like the characters were in real danger and time was pressing. Also, call me silly, but Archenland kinda feels like the 'Rohan' to Narnia's magical version of Gondor, and what happens to them seems more real and compelling somehow. Anyway, I'm not liking the random appointments of various kings and Queens, and I truly hate the fact that they go back to the normal world and it's like nothing ever happened. What a letdown, even if they do go back later. Apparently they weren't important enough Kings and Queens to keep ruling the world, or bother to establish any form of succession to the throne or anything. Even if it's fantasy, these things bother me.
The other thing that's irritatating me, the thing that makes me keep putting the book down in frustration and having to pick it up later when I'm ready again, is the blatant Christian allegory. I'm speaking as someone who was raised Catholic. I went through all the routine Sacraments, was dragged to church every Sunday, and was forced to go to Religious Education every Tuesday night for years, where I did what I did at any school, memorized all the right answers and spit them back upon command so I did well on the tests and all the teachers liked me. Though at the time, I don't think I really questioned what they were telling me. Later on, as I was exposed to other viewpoints and more facts about the world, and history, and other cultures and beliefs, I have decided that traditional organized religion is not for me. I can't take the bigotry, the exclusionary nature, the self-righteousness, the atrocities that are so often committed in the name of one god or another, with each party so completely convinced that their way is the only right way. I realize that not every believer fits this description, nor even every religion, but I much prefer to live life by my own morality, and not that which is forced upon me by large groups with a financial interest in converting me, brainwashing me, or 'saving my soul'. I figure that if evangelical Christians are right, and I go to hell, at least I'll be in good company with many of the greatest minds thoroughout history.
What this means for Narnia is that the Christian references literally make me cringe. Time and time again, I feel like I'm being lectured by a Sunday School teacher, not reading a fantasy. I read fantasy to escape from today's world, not be reminded that the Christian Right is ever seeking the power to force me to live my life by their morals and rules. C.S. Lewis has the right to put whatever overtones he wants into his stories, but it's driving me to distraction how often he needs to remind us of the moral of his story. Even little kids aren't so unperceptive as to keep having THE MESSAGE beaten into their heads again and again and again, as though with an anvil. Yes, Aslan is like Jesus and he'll protect us and we should believe in him and not doubt him no matter what...I GET IT! I got it the first time, not the 27,000th!! ARRRGHH!!!!
I realize that much of my frustration is colored by my personal experiences, so I'm definitely going to do my best to remain objective and enjoy the movie when it comes out. I trust that WETA will produce some awesome armor and weapons and that I will again be wowed by the beauty of New Zealand, so here's hoping I will once again be swept away by an epic! This is one area where I wouldn't mind eating my words later. *G*
I know, it's shameful that a 26-year-old self-proclaimed lover of fantasy is just now reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time, but there you have it. Like LOTR, Narnia was one of those book series that I always intended to read someday, but got sidetracked by other obsessions (read: Star Trek TNG & DS9, X-Files, SG-1, anime, etc.). As everyone who knows me is aware of, I've become extremely, EXTREMELY obsessed with the LOTR books and movies. I've been desperate and hungry for more fantasy since then, and have sought it in books (Go Harry Potter! and yay for Aravan and the Mithgar series!), video games (Legend of Zelda gives me another pointy-eared blonde wearing green and using a bow and going on quests...perfect!), and loads and loads of LOTR fanfiction. It seemed like a logical step, especially considering the movie coming out this December, that I take the time to read the Narnia series now. I was terribly excited at the prospect of a whole new fantasy world to fall in love with, especially one that I would soon see brought to life by the brilliant Richard Taylor and his WETA Workshop--Praise them with Great Praise!
However, I'm finding it slow going. I've been reading these for weeks and even now, I'm only a little more than halfway through the Narnia series. I've read 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe', 'The Magician's Nephew', 'A Horse and his Boy', and I'm 2/3rds of the way done with 'Prince Caspian'. The problem is not the language and description, like it was for me in the hobbity first half of 'Fellowship of the Ring'. Quite the contrary; the Narnia series is far, far more juvenile than I had expected, even knowing that it's a children's book. Even 'The Hobbit' seems young adult in comparison. No, the real problem for me is two-fold. One, I'm pretty sure that post-LOTR, most fantasy is going to seem to lack depth to me, when compared with the enormous amount of world building that Tolkien did before he even penned a single line of the trilogy. There are exceptions, most notably the Harry Potter books, which despite some niggling flaws, definitely don't skimp on building a detailed wizarding world and a very compelling driving story. Another exception is the aforementioned Mithgar series, though that in itself draws heavily from Tolkien, and so the world building there is a little less original-seeming than HP, at least in my limited fantasy-reading experience. Not that I'm complaining...I quite enjoy stuff similar to Middle-earth. *G* But compared to these, the world of Narnia seems to fall flat somehow. Yes, there are tons of mythological animals, many of them cute and/or quirky, but I found myself more rooting against evil than for anything or anyone in particular.
Narnia though...I'm really not finding myself captivated by any characters in particular. Every time I start to like a character (for the longest time, I was really, really relating to Susan), something happens and then I dislike them or am disappointed in them, so that Narnia really has no character arc that grabs me, save that of Shasta and Aravis in 'The Horse and his Boy'. That book was the closest so far that Narnia has had me on the edge of my seat, or that I even felt like the characters were in real danger and time was pressing. Also, call me silly, but Archenland kinda feels like the 'Rohan' to Narnia's magical version of Gondor, and what happens to them seems more real and compelling somehow. Anyway, I'm not liking the random appointments of various kings and Queens, and I truly hate the fact that they go back to the normal world and it's like nothing ever happened. What a letdown, even if they do go back later. Apparently they weren't important enough Kings and Queens to keep ruling the world, or bother to establish any form of succession to the throne or anything. Even if it's fantasy, these things bother me.
The other thing that's irritatating me, the thing that makes me keep putting the book down in frustration and having to pick it up later when I'm ready again, is the blatant Christian allegory. I'm speaking as someone who was raised Catholic. I went through all the routine Sacraments, was dragged to church every Sunday, and was forced to go to Religious Education every Tuesday night for years, where I did what I did at any school, memorized all the right answers and spit them back upon command so I did well on the tests and all the teachers liked me. Though at the time, I don't think I really questioned what they were telling me. Later on, as I was exposed to other viewpoints and more facts about the world, and history, and other cultures and beliefs, I have decided that traditional organized religion is not for me. I can't take the bigotry, the exclusionary nature, the self-righteousness, the atrocities that are so often committed in the name of one god or another, with each party so completely convinced that their way is the only right way. I realize that not every believer fits this description, nor even every religion, but I much prefer to live life by my own morality, and not that which is forced upon me by large groups with a financial interest in converting me, brainwashing me, or 'saving my soul'. I figure that if evangelical Christians are right, and I go to hell, at least I'll be in good company with many of the greatest minds thoroughout history.
What this means for Narnia is that the Christian references literally make me cringe. Time and time again, I feel like I'm being lectured by a Sunday School teacher, not reading a fantasy. I read fantasy to escape from today's world, not be reminded that the Christian Right is ever seeking the power to force me to live my life by their morals and rules. C.S. Lewis has the right to put whatever overtones he wants into his stories, but it's driving me to distraction how often he needs to remind us of the moral of his story. Even little kids aren't so unperceptive as to keep having THE MESSAGE beaten into their heads again and again and again, as though with an anvil. Yes, Aslan is like Jesus and he'll protect us and we should believe in him and not doubt him no matter what...I GET IT! I got it the first time, not the 27,000th!! ARRRGHH!!!!
I realize that much of my frustration is colored by my personal experiences, so I'm definitely going to do my best to remain objective and enjoy the movie when it comes out. I trust that WETA will produce some awesome armor and weapons and that I will again be wowed by the beauty of New Zealand, so here's hoping I will once again be swept away by an epic! This is one area where I wouldn't mind eating my words later. *G*