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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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Discussion Questions

When Lucy Pevensie first enters Narnia, it seems like a mystical winter oasis. However, Lewis soon reveals that Narnia has some very real dangers of its own. To what extent can The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe be described as an escapist fantasy? Support your response with textual evidence.

Mrs. Beaver bakes a “great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll” that both satiates the children’s hunger and delights their senses (83). Food features as an important motif in the novel. Trace the appearance of food and consider how Lewis’s use of food imagery changes as the plot progresses.

Certain aspects of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have been read as Christian allegory . Identify two chapters in the novel that employ religious symbolism and analyze them, strengthening your answer with textual support.

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A Summary and Analysis of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , published in 1950, was the first of the seven Chronicles of Narnia to be published. The book became an almost instant classic, although its author, C. S. Lewis, reportedly destroyed the first draft after he received harsh criticism on it from his friends and fellow fantasy writers, including J. R. R. Tolkien.

How should we analyse The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe : as Christian allegory, as wish-fulfilment fantasy, or as something else? Before we embark on an analysis of the novel, it might be worth briefly recapping the plot.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe : summary

The novel is about four siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie – who are evacuated from London during the Second World War and sent to live with a professor in the English countryside. One day, Lucy discovers that one of the wardrobes in the house contains a portal through to another world, a land covered in snow.

Soon after arriving there, she (quite literally) bumps into a faun (half-man, half-goat) named Mr Tumnus, who takes her to his house and gives her tea while he tells her about the land she has wandered into. Its name is Narnia, and it is always winter (but never Christmas) ever since the White Witch cast a spell over the land. Indeed, Tumnus confesses to Lucy that he should report Lucy’s presence in Narnia to the White Witch, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he helps her find her way back to the portal so she can return home.

When Lucy gets back and tells her three siblings about her adventure in Narnia, none of them believes her – although Edmund, intrigued, follows her into the wardrobe when she goes back there and finds himself in Narnia, where he meets the White Witch. She gives him Turkish Delight and he tells her about himself and his brother and sisters. She tells him she will make him a prince if he persuades his other siblings to come with him to Narnia.

However, when Edmund talks to Lucy about where they’ve been, and he learns that the White Witch is bad news, he denies that Narnia even exists when Lucy is telling Peter and Susan about it. He accuses her of lying. But eventually all four of them go through the wardrobe into Narnia. When Lucy takes them to visit Mr Tumnus, however, they find that he has been arrested.

The children are befriended by Mr and Mrs Beaver, from whom they learn more information about Narnia. There is a prophecy that when two boys and two girls become Kings and Queens of Narnia, the White Witch will lose her power over the land; this is why the White Witch was so keen to lure the children to Narnia, with Edmund’s help, so she can destroy them and ensure the prophecy does not come true. The Beavers also tell the children that Aslan, the great lion, is on the move, and that he is due to return.

Edmund slips away from them and goes to the White Witch, telling her everything he knows. She takes him to the Stone Table, where Aslan is due to reappear, and orders her servants (wolves) to track down Edmund’s siblings and kill them so the prophecy cannot come true. Mr and Mrs Beaver take the other three children to the Stone Table to meet Aslan.

The snow in Narnia is melting, and Father Christmas appears: proof that the White Witch’s spell over the land is losing its power. Father Christmas gives Lucy, Peter, and Susan presents which will help them in their quest. They arrive at the Stone Table and meet Aslan. The White Witch’s wolf captain Maugrim approaches the camp and attacks Susan, but Peter, armed with the sword Father Christmas gave him, saves his sister and kills the wolf.

The White Witch arrives, and she and Aslan discuss her right to execute Edmund for treason, invoking ‘Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time’. Edmund is spared, but that night the children witness the White Witch putting Aslan to death on the Stone Table. Aslan has gone willingly to his death, in order to save Edmund.

However, the children are surprised and relieved when, the following morning, Aslan comes back to life, citing ‘Deeper Magic from before the Dawn of Time’, which means that a willing victim who sacrificed himself in place of a traitor can be brought back from death. Aslan and the children march to battle against the Witch, with Aslan raising additional troops for his army by breathing on the stone statues in the White Witch’s castle courtyard: traitors she had turned to stone with her magic.

Many years pass. The four Pevensie children have grown into young adults, and have been Kings and Queens of Narnia (reigning jointly) for many years. One day, while they are out hunting the White Stag (which, when caught, can grant wishes), they ride to the lamppost where Lucy first met Mr Tumnus: the location of the portal leading to and from their (and our) world.

Without realising this, the four of them pass through the portal and find themselves back in the wardrobe in the professor’s house. They are children again, as they were before they left all those years ago: time hasn’t passed in our world while they have been away.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe : analysis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a classic children’s novel which looks back to both earlier fantasy fiction by Victorian writers like William Morris and George MacDonald (the latter a particular influence on C. S. Lewis) as well as pioneering children’s novels by E. Nesbit.

Indeed, the Pevensie children were partly inspired by Nesbit’s Bastable children, who feature in a series of her novels, including The Story of the Treasure Seekers . Nesbit, however, had also written portal fantasy novels (as had George MacDonald, such as his 1895 novel Lilith ) involving children leaving our world behind for a fantastical other world: see her novel The Magic City , for example.

Say ‘ Chronicles of Narnia ’ or ‘ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ’ and many people will say, ‘Oh, the C. S. Lewis book(s) that are Christian allegory, right?’

But C. S. Lewis didn’t regard them as allegory: ‘In reality,’ he wrote, Aslan ‘is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia, and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?” This is not allegory at all.’

In short, Lewis rejects the idea that his Narnia books are allegory because, for them to qualify as allegorical, Aslan would have to ‘represent’ Jesus. But he doesn’t: he is Jesus, if Narnia existed and a deity decided to walk among the people of that world. We might think of this as something like the distinction between simile and metaphor: simile is like allegory, because one thing is like something else, whereas in metaphor, one thing is the other thing.

Aslan is not like Jesus (allegory): he is Jesus’ equivalent in Narnia. Perhaps this is a distinction without a difference to many readers, but it’s worth bearing in mind that if anyone should know what allegory is, it’s C. S. Lewis: he wrote a whole scholarly work, The Allegory of Love , about medieval and Renaissance allegory.

Readers might quibble over Lewis’s categorisation here, and decide that what he is outlining is a distinction without a difference (perhaps clouded by his Christianity, and his unwillingness to see his children’s books as ‘mere’ allegory for Christianity, but instead as something more direct and powerful).

But if we stick with mid-twentieth-century fiction and animals for a moment, we can find an example of unequivocal allegory: George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945), which we have analysed here . Certainly, there are subtle differences between Orwell’s novel in which animal characters ‘stand in’ for human counterparts, and what Lewis is doing with Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia .

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is, nevertheless, a novel in which Lewis draws on the Christian story of salvation through a godlike figure (Aslan’s sacrifice on the Stone Table, and subsequent resurrection, are clearly meant to summon the Crucifixion and subsequent Resurrection of Jesus Christ), in order to promote the Christian story. But what if we aren’t ‘sold’ on the Christian aspect of the story? Does the novel’s only value lie in its power as an allegory – or whatever term we might employ instead of allegory?

Part of the reason for the novel’s broader appeal, even in an increasingly secular age, is that it provides escapism and wish-fulfilment aplenty. The whole idea of a portal to another world symbolises the children’s literal escape from a dreary wartime world (where the danger of being bombed during the Blitz has given way to a rather dull life in the countryside with a professor) into a world of crisp snow, magic, and adventure.

Although The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was published five years after the end of the Second World War, children in the early 1950s were still living through a time of rationing and austerity. Even that Turkish Delight that Edmund is given – his thirty pieces of silver to betray his siblings, of course – must have seemed like an almost unattainable treat to Lewis’s original readers.

Even the device with which the novel ends, by which the four children learn that during the years they have spent in Narnia, no time has passed back home, recalls the force of a powerful dream whereby we feel we have ‘lived’ an intense, and intensely long, experience only to wake up and discover it’s only the next morning after all.

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5 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis”

Fascinating post. Curious that a modern counterpart Philip Pullman loathes and detests the works of C S Lewis.

Read it as a kid, and remains a favorite. As a kid, I never saw the Jesus connection, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized it. I love Turkish delight and can understand why Edmund was so tempted. I enjoyed this post.

I think this story must have combined with The Stream that stood Still and Alice in Wonderland to give me the inspiration for my new “Penny ” books as these are also a portal to another land stories with a time slip. Instead of a Christian background I have an ecological one but hope children will find them just as exciting.”Penny down the Drain” is out now and “Penny and the Poorly Parrot,” ( inspired by the pandemic) will be followed by “Penny and The Creeping Weed.” Amazon seem determined to ignore a self published author but I shall renew my marketing efforts with book 2 after the lockdown.

• Pingback: A Summary and Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’ – Interesting Literature

You’re absolutely right to point out that this isn’t allegory. It is a fictional story featuring Jesus in another world setting which is exactly what Lewis does with the ‘Out of the Silent Planet’ trilogy too – where he attempts to move the traditional Earth-centric ideology of the Christian world into our solar system. How would Christ behave with aliens, is the question Lewis poses there.

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C. s. lewis, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Introduction

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe: plot summary, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe: detailed summary & analysis, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe: themes, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe: quotes, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe: characters, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe: symbols, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe: theme wheel, brief biography of c. s. lewis.

Historical Context of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Other books related to the lion, the witch and the wardrobe.

• Full Title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• When Written: 1940s
• Where Written: Oxford, England
• When Published: 1950
• Literary Period: Postwar
• Genre: Fiction, children’s literature, fantasy
• Setting: The English countryside and the land of Narnia
• Climax: Aslan the lion, having sacrificed himself to the White Witch in order to save the traitorous Edmund from being killed, is resurrected shortly after his death.
• Antagonist: The White Witch
• Point of View: Third person

Extra Credit for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Gimme Shelter. Lewis lived in Oxford and worked as a professor there during the World War II. During the Blitz, Lewis himself sheltered three schoolgirls who sought refuge from the city in the countryside. The girls arrived in early September of 1939, and by late September, Lewis had begun work on the manuscript that would become The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe .

Chronology of the Chronicles. Though The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was the first published work in the Chronicles of Narnia , after the publication of all the installments, the books were organized and sold chronologically— The Magician’s Nephew , a prequel that explains the Professor’s backstory and his own adventures in the land of Narnia, is now presented as the first in the series.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Essays

The function of the secondary world in the lion, the witch and the wardrobe erin bassett, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe.

C.S. Lewis uses a secondary world, Narnia, to convey complex, thought-provoking messages to readers of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. This paper examines the way a selection of Narnia’s key characteristics prompt debates over logic and...

Independent Growth Through Gendered Alternate Universes: Peter and Wendy and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Anonymous College

A common theme in children’s literature is the presence of a strange, mysterious, alternate universe only accessible and comprehensible to children. This theme is often used to encourage young readers, especially those of twenty-first century...

Analyzing the Character of The White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Kaela Shelby College

When it comes to works of fiction, it is always most interesting to see where the author draws inspiration for the major characters from and what the underlying message of the story at hand. Disillusioned from faith as a child, C. S. Lewis would...

Comparing Child Protagonists in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea Kaela Shelby College

Both C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea tackle the idea of the child-protagonists having to go on a type of journey to defeat their respective foes and partaking in a search for their...

Structuralist Conventions, Religious Intents: The Uses of Fantasy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and His Dark Materials Anonymous College

Fantasy bridges the gap between reality and experience in a child’s mind, becoming a crucial part of a child’s engagement with the world around them. The fantasy genre dominates children’s literature; entailing themes of magic, adventure and...

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Essay Topics & Writing Assignments

Essay Topic 1

Aslan and the White Witch were both very dynamic leaders in this book with strong followings. What are the differences in the two styles of leadership, and how do these differences affect their characters, their followers, and their roles in the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Edmund endures many different trials before the end of the book. What are some of these trials and what lessons does he learn through these experiences?

Essay Topic 3

Mr. Tumnus was a minor character whose presence made a big difference in the plot. How does he accomplish this? What are some ways that his presence, however brief, alters the outcome of the plot? What would have happened differently if he had not been in the book at all?

Essay Topic 4

Security and safety were two themes that were touched on a number of times throughout the course of this book. What are...

(read more Essay Topics)

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Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book Essay

The unending struggle between Good and Evil has consistently been the most central theme in literature and philosophy. Numerous authors attempted to reveal the issue by evaluating it from moral, cultural, and social perspectives. For example, C. S. Lewis, a well-known British author, and literal writer, considerably enhanced the world’s literary legacy. His masterpiece “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” a fascinating tale that has captivated a global audience of all and sundry, deserves special consideration. Despite the narrative’s relatively basic style, the author succeeded in conveying important intellectual and social themes, such as the significance of reconciliation, the issue of generational differences and trustworthiness, and, obviously, the difficulty of evil and good. Undoubtedly, the essence of the goodness of an individual or people can only manifest in the existence of evil.

The contrast between good and evil can sometimes be depicted as a confrontation between humans and an internal struggle inside an individual. It demonstrates the belief that humans cannot be wholly noble or wicked; thus, both characteristics indicate humans. Certain feelings are dominant, while others are buried or suppressed. The nature of an individual’s dominating emotions is determined by their personality. Throughout the book, Lewis portrays several instances of the internal conflict of the protagonists. Particularly, the writer explains Edmund’s inner perspective after he ditches his siblings when they are misled by the White Witch’s magic.

“Son of Adam, I should so much like to see your brother and your

two sisters. Will you bring them to see me?” (p. 18).

Evidently, the above quote illustrates Edmund’s greed; precisely, he is willing to surrender his siblings in a bid to have more of the Turkish Delight. However, because of his inherent decency, he transcends his addiction to greed and is pardoned by Lucy. The sensation of guilt stifled his zeal, allowing him to regain the balance of his spirit and intellect. This specific instance demonstrates that recognizing goodwill is difficult without contrasting it with evil. This dominance of the wicked attribute in the White Witch’s heart demonstrates her antagonist’s frailty and inability to conquer her wrath and arrogance.

Moreover, the heroes of the books vividly exemplify a further external clash between Good and Evil. The most prominent conflict between Aslan, the epitome of bravery and nobility, and the White Witch, the personification of all humanity’s character flaws. Therefore, wickedness can only be vanquished by combining all malevolent human personalities “there stood Peter and Edmund and all the rest of Aslan’s army fighting desperately (Lewis, 2017, p. 93) …” and eliminating evil deeds. In this specific instance, Lewis illustrates the conflict between the modern world and the realm of nature, which humans unknowingly harm. The clash between animals and humans symbolizes the war between Good and Evil. Consequently, animals, including the mythological faun Tumnus are seen as the manifestation of all good people’s ideals and traits of personality. Moreover, the novel’s incarnation of creatures reveals that Narnia is a land of fairies in everything but name.

Overall, God’s purpose is to reprimand his people for their transgressions. In the novel, God is identified with the lion, whose purpose is to chastise his followers. Thus, the coronation of the children signified the triumph of goodwill over wickedness. In a fantasy world, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” is the finest depiction of actual human relationships. Nevertheless, this anecdote demonstrates how difficult it is to believe in miracles. Essentially, the capacity for vision surpasses the capacity for understanding since the human potential is limitless.

Lewis, C. S. (2017). The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe . Ebook Samizdat.

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IvyPanda. (2023, November 28). Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lewis-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-book/

"Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book." IvyPanda , 28 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/lewis-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-book/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book'. 28 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book." November 28, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lewis-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-book/.

1. IvyPanda . "Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book." November 28, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lewis-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-book/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Book." November 28, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lewis-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-book/.

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NPO 2023-26

Musical theatre, backstage & technical, obituaries & archive, training & drama schools, broadway & international, edinburgh fringe, jobs & auditions, acting & performance, shakespeare, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe to tour uk and ireland.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will embark on a tour of the UK and Ireland later this year following its West End run. 

The stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ novel will open at Leeds Playhouse this November before visiting cities including Newcastle, Edinburgh, Belfast and Norwich in 2025.

The tour celebrates 75 years since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first published in 1950. 

The show, directed by Michael Fentiman based on Sally Cookson’s original production, is scheduled to visit Leicester Curve, Cardiff Millennium Centre, Liverpool Empire, Theatre Royal Newcastle, Theatre Royal Brighton, Orchard Theatre Dartford, New Victoria Woking and Princess Theatre.

It will also run at Wycombe Swan Theatre, Cliffs Pavilion Southend-on-Sea, Grand Opera House York, Grand Opera House Belfast, Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Alexandra Theatre Birmingham and Regent Theatre Stoke-on-Trent. 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s tour will also include King’s Theatre Glasgow, His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen, Eden Court Highlands Inverness, Norwich Theatre Royal, Marlowe Theatre Canterbury, Milton Keynes Theatre, Winter Gardens Blackpool, Venue Cymru Llandudno,  Congress Theatre Eastbourne, Aylesbury Waterside and Sunderland Empire, with further venues and dates to be confirmed.

Fentiman commented on the announcement: "I’m delighted to be taking our beautiful production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe on a major tour of the UK and Ireland in 2025.

"The production celebrates the magic of live theatre and is led by a multi-talented cast of actors, singers, musicians, dancers and puppeteers; it is a celebration of the possibilities of the collective imagination and the boundless wonders of individual skill."

Producer Chris Harper added: "We can’t wait for both children and adults to join us on this spectacular new journey through the wardrobe, and are proud to be marking the 75th anniversary of the publication of C.S. Lewis’ novel with this tour."

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe features compositions by Barnaby Race and Benji Bower, and choreography by Shannelle ’Tali’ Fergus. 

Set and costume design is by Tom Paris, with lighting design by Jack Knowles, sound design by Tom Marshall, puppetry direction by Toby Olié and puppetry design by Max Humphries. 

Gwen Hales is the production’s aerial director, with illusions by Chris Fisher and wigs, hair and make-up design by Susanna Peretz. 

Casting, by Will Burton CDG, is still to be announced. 

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Screen Rant

7 problems with the chronicles of narnia that greta gerwig's movies must fix.

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Casting The Pevensie Children For Greta Gerwig's Chronicles Of Narnia Reboot

Greta gerwig’s chronicles of narnia movies should repeat one casting trick that actually improved the book story, zack snyder’s dceu superman trilogy ending would’ve fixed his “god-like” movie criticism.

• Greta Gerwig will adapt The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix, addressing long-standing controversies.
• Consideration is needed in book reading order and adapting the short Narnia books into films.
• Key issues include how to handle The Last Battle controversy and Susan's character ending.

Greta Gerwig is developing fresh adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix, and they can make changes to long-standing controversies and issues from the books. C.S. Lewis was a theologian and writer who first penned The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the 1940s, with the entire series released between 1950 and 1956. The Chronicles of Narnia books are considered classics of the fantasy genre and some of the most famous works of children's fiction ever written, hence the continued discussion regarding their material over 70 years later.

The upcoming movies won't be the first time Narnia has been brought to the big screen. In the 2000s, Walt Disney Pictures developed adaptations of Lewis's first three books, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , Prince Caspian , and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , to varying degrees of commercial success and consistently mixed critical acclaim. While beloved fantasy movies for some audiences, the 2000s Narnia movies made mistakes in trying to emulate The Lord of the Rings films , changing the tone of Lewis's world. These films can contribute context to how Narnia can best be adapted to film.

The 2000s Chronicles of Narnia movies are streaming on Disney+ as of May 2024

Netflix acquired the rights to C.S. Lewis's novels in 2018, with director Greta Gerwig attached to direct in 2023 after the $1 billion success of Barbie . The Chronicles of Narnia movies are in development , with hopes to begin filming in August 2024, meaning they could target a late 2025 Holiday season release date. The primary hurdle Gerwig's movies will face is establishing a version of Narnia that's faithful to C.S. Lewis's original vision and texts while also creating an entertaining movie that can introduce modern audiences to the most vital and enduring aspects of his work.

7 The Chronicles Of Narnia Has A Reading-Order Issue

C.s. lewis's intended reading order isn't the best order to adapt the chronicles of narnia.

A discrepancy regarding C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series is the proper way they should be read. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first book in the series to be released, but it's not the first chronologically in his world. Technically, the penultimate book in the series, The Magician's Nephew , is the chronological starting point, and C.S. Lewis later declared that this was the intentional starting point in his own personal reading order . While book publications have accommodated his view, many long-term readers still believe the release order is the proper way to read Narnia.

This creates an issue for Gerwig's Narnia movies. The Disney films began with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , which is generally considered to be the best and most entertaining way to start the series. However, some could suggest that Gerwig should change the Chronicles of Narnia order , beginning with The Magician's Nephew , to follow Lewis's vision and differentiate it from the Disney series. Both options have pros and cons, as The Magician's Nephew makes for a more challenging starting point narratively, while movie audiences already know the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , risking redundancy.

6 The Narnia Books Are Very Short

The chronicles of narnia books don't offer a ton of material for a feature film to adapt.

The length of The Chronicles of Narnia stories isn't exactly a problem with the books themselves, but more an issue with adapting them to film. To compare Narnia with another major fantasy franchise that's being rebooted, the Harry Potter TV series can explore avenues of the books that the movies never had time for. In that sense, there's something fresh to offer, and therefore merit to the reboot. With The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , the story has already been stretched out into a film, and there aren't really any aspects of the book left to cover .

expanding Narnia into Hollywood epic movies is a different challenge.

Of course, Greta Gerwig's differing perspective is a compelling reason to tell the story, as bringing a new perspective to classic stories is always worthwhile, as proven by countless Shakespeare adaptations. But C.S. Lewis's Narnia books are short reads meant for young audiences, and that requires the writers adapting them to fill in gaps with story and action to fit the film medium . Stretching out small stories has proven effective in HBO's House of the Dragon , but expanding Narnia into Hollywood epic movies is a different challenge.

5 The Narnia Stories Without The Pevensies Aren't As Good

The chronicles of narnia books decline in quality after the first three.

The Pevensie siblings are the main protagonists of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , serving as the human vessel for the portal fantasy. They directly lead the audience from the real world into Narnia , offering differing perspectives on how different people might handle such a fantastical, conflicted world. The magic of the Pevensie children is that each is so different, offering almost any reader a character they can relate to. However, they aren't the focal point of each novel.

The Pevensie siblings take center stage in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian , and Lucy and Edmund are the main characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader . They're included in other books, like The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle , but they don't play pivotal roles. The first three books C.S. Lewis wrote are generally considered the best , and though it's disappointing Disney never finished their version of the movie series, this is likely a significant reason as to why.

Greta Gerwig may consider actors such as Elliot Grihault, Florence Hunt, and Walker Scobell to play the Pevensies and Eustace in her Narnia reboot.

4 The Last Battle Has Major Story Problems

The last battle has multiple controversies the movies would have to navigate.

The fantasy genre stands out for having powerful, bittersweet endings. Consider The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as popular endings. The Last Battle takes a bizarre turn of events and is regarded for particular controversies. The Last Battle takes a darker tone than previous installments, with a dreadful end to the Pevensies' storyline where it's revealed that they've actually been dead the whole time after a train crash and, as true believers, got to go to Narnia. This reveal is specifically controversial for its treatment of Susan.

That's not to mention the Calormenes, which have been accused of being inappropriate depictions of Arabs. These issues may vary based on the reader's interpretation, but they undoubtedly wouldn't fly in a cinematic adaptation. If the Netflix Narnia films make it as far as The Last Battle , it's likely that there will be significant changes to the material. Narratively, it takes a sharp turn from where things began in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , and though it has some potentially cinematic conflicts, it's one of the worst volumes of the series.

3 The Horse And His Boy Can Easily Be Skipped

The fifth chronicles of narnia book is essentially a tangent.

The fifth book in The Chronicles of Narnia is widely regarded as the worst in the series. It's not the most controversial, like The Last Battle , but it feels the most like a stand-alone novel with little to do with the other characters and arcs in C.S. Lewis's world . The main characters essentially never show up again and are barely mentioned in the final two books. The one advantage of The Horse and His Boy is that it expands the world and offers glimpses at areas unexplored in any other volume.

The main characters essentially never show up again and are barely mentioned in the final two books.

While The Horse and His Boy isn't inherently a bad book, it would not make a good movie. If The Chronicles of Narnia is to be adapted into a fantasy saga spanning seven films, this would be at least a fourteen-year endeavor for the studio, assuming two years a CGI-heavy blockbuster. Diverting from the primary story for years to focus on The Horse and His Boy , introducing one-off characters, just doesn't seem like a worthy investment. Perhaps it could be handled as a spin-off , similar to how the Star Wars movies released Rogue One in the year between two sequel movies.

With Greta Gerwig's Netflix Chronicles of Narnia movies underway, one casting trick from the 2000s Disney renditions could be necessary.

2 Susan Pevensie Is Very Badly Handled By Later Narnia Books

Susan's ending is the most controversial aspect of the naria books.

Expanding on the issues with The Last Battle , Susan Pevensie's story is one of the primary sources of criticism for The Chronicles of Narnia . Celebrated author Neil Gaiman even wrote a short story titled "The Problem of Susan," offering his perspective on the long-time issue. When The Last Battle comes to a close, Aslan brings the devotees of Narnia to the "true" Narnia. However, Susan is left out of this , and it's never thoroughly explained what happens to her. The book mentions that she's "no longer a friend to Narnia."

A character also states, "She’s interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations," leading to complaints about misogyny targeted at C.S. Lewis. The implication of The Last Battle is that Susan grew up and stopped believing in Narnia. The quote about nylons and lipstick indicates that another reason Susan wasn't allowed into the paradise of New Narnia was that she discovered her sexuality . Whether this is directly what Lewis intended, the movies will likely make significant changes to avoid this religious allegory and its perception.

1 The Narnia Books Are Old-Fashioned

The chronicles of narnia's ideals will be interesting to see in a 2020s film.

Of course, it makes sense since The Chronicles of Narnia would be old-fashioned, given that they were released in the 1950s. Still, movie adaptations will have many adjustments to accommodate for elements of C.S. Lewis's writing on a macro and micro scale. In the minor sense, the language of characters in the books has a sort of "gee golly" rhythm, which will have to be modernized to attract modern viewers. The Disney Narnia adaptations have already proven that these smaller elements can be patched up without damaging the story .

The more risky aspect of adapting The Chronicles of Narnia is its religious allegory. One of the reasons why Greta Gerwig is so exciting for Narnia is her level-headed approach to classic material, proven by her excellent adaptation of Little Women . Speaking with Time , Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos described her Narnia plans as "rooted in faith," suggesting that they rightfully won't shy away from approaching C.S. Lewis's allegories. A modern examination of The Chronicles of Narnia should explore those ideas, and Gerwig is the perfect director to do so thoughtfully.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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