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Friday,
May 22, 2009
Planets
of Narnia
Yep... it may be time to head over to your bookshelf and pull out
that dusty copy of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
Michael
Ward is a priest of the Church of England and Chaplain of Peterhouse
in the University of Cambridge. And Michael is the author of Planet
Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis
(Oxford University Press, 2008).
Ward's
book Planet Narnia puts forth the fascinating and cogent
argument that Lewis cryptically constructed his allegorical Chronicles
of Narnia out of imagery associated with the "7 heavens"
of the medieval cosmos. These 7 heavens were, of course, ruled by
the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
According
to Ward when interviewed
by Julie L Rattey for the "Catholic Digest" (the article
is well worth a read):
"In
essence the thing is this: Lewis, as a medieval scholar, was deeply
acquainted with the old view of the Earth as the center surrounded
by the seven heavens, each with its own planet, and each planet
with its own set of characteristics and qualities and influences.
[Lewis] described these planets as spiritual symbols of permanent
value. He took these qualities and characteristics of the seven
planets and basically turned them into plots (i.e., the plots
of the seven Chronicles)."
Apparently
Michael is generally well thought of and respected in UK and American
C.S. Lewis literary academic circles...
"I
cannot contain my admiration. No other book on Lewis has ever
shown such comprehensive knowledge of his works and such depth
of insight." -- Walter Hooper, Literary Adviser to the Estate
of C.S. Lewis
"...
in revealing the role of the planets in the Chronicles, Ward gives
us the fullest understanding yet of just how deeply Lewis in his
own fiction drew upon those medieval and renaissance writers he
so loved." -- Alan Jacobs, Professor of English, Wheaton
College and author of The Narnian: The Life and Imagination
of C.S. Lewis
"Ward has an encyclopedic knowledge of Lewis's writings and
uses it to support his theory that each of the seven volumes of
the The Chronicles of Narnia is based on the classical, medieval
and renaissance mythography of one of the then seven planets.
Even those critics who dislike the Narnia books in principle because
of their implicit Christianity must consider their planetary structure
and its significance. Michael Ward has made an outstanding contribution
to Lewis studies." -- Derek Brewer, Emeritus Professor of
English, University of Cambridge
As
you can see... Ward's theory on C.S. Lewis' hidden planetary theme
in Chronicles of Narnia is being taken rather seriously.
Frankly... if Walter Hooper gives you a thumbs up, you're golden.
In
fact the BBC has just recently released a documentary based on Michael's
ideas called "The Narnia Code." Unfortunately, at this
point, it's only been released in the UK.
Here's
the Planetary Skinny:
- The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Jupiter
- Prince
Caspian: Mars.
- The
Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’: the Sun.
- The
Silver Chair: the Moon.
- The
Horse and His Boy: Mercury.
- The
Magician’s Nephew: Venus.
- The
Last Battle: Saturn.
Many
are likely only familiar with C.S Lewis via his incredibly popular
7 book Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series. Some are aware
of his several popular books having to do with Christian Apologetics
as well as his lesser known science fiction and fantasy books. However,
even fewer are aware of Lewis - in regard to what really consumed
his life - in his role of medieval scholar at Oxford and then at
Cambridge.
Personally
being a lifelong fan of all of Lewis' many writings (and having
my own fascination with Medieval and Renaissance history and symbolism)
- I was initially surprised by this potential revelation. However,
in hindsight, it only makes sense... in that Lewis was, at the very
least, undoubtedly knowledgeable and respectful of the 7 planetary
symbols contained in medieval astrology.
I
was (and am) fascinated by the idea, and I am now kicking myself
in the behind for having never seen it for myself.
Astrological
pundits, before you get all excited and twitterpated, please remain
calm. While it appears there is ample evidence that Lewis in a limited
figurative sense believed in the spiritual influences of the 7 traditional
planets of medieval astrology, Lewis was certainly not by any stretch
of the imagination a closet medieval astrologer. For that matter,
neither is Michael Ward.
Planet
Narnia - Michael Ward's web site for the book
And
now finally available in the US - the DVD for the British documentary:
"The Narnia Code."
Amazon
Product Description
Although C.S. Lewis penned the Narnia Chronicles more than 50
years ago, today they are more popular than ever. Using dramatizations
of Lewis' early life and career, this intriguing documentary travels
the world, meeting experts, testing evidence, and uncovering surprising
questions behind the best-selling series.
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