Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia
by Devin Brown
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Book Summary Information
Author: Devin BrownEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-01-01
ISBN: 0801068029
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Baker Books
Book Reviews of Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia
Book Review: Literature Scholar Returns to Narnia
Summary: 5 Stars
Asbury College professor Devin Brown, author of Inside Narnia, has returned to Narnia again, this time dedicating an entire volume to the second book in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles series, Prince Caspian.
Lewis's popular children's series has now warranted two major Hollywood adaptations, but some may wonder if the delightful fantasy books deserve two scholarly examinations which are intended for a more serious audience.
Perhaps more simply, we may ask, "Why write a book for adults, about a book directed toward children?"
Appropriately, it is C. S. Lewis himself who is a supporter of Brown's scholarly endeavor. More than any other writer in recent memory (except perhaps J.R.R. Tolkien), Lewis worked to dispel the stigma which surrounded reading fairy tales. In 1952, Lewis wrote, "When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret, and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so... When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
In his own way, Brown establishes the legitimacy of a book-length treatment in Inside Prince Caspian by noting again and again the deep connections between Lewis's fairy tales and the wider world of literature.
As he notes in the introduction, Brown takes a literary approach to Lewis's work. Like Lewis, Brown earns his living as a Professor of English, which positions him well to explore Prince Caspian's connections to the world of mythology and fairy stories.
Viewers of the recent film adaptation of Prince Caspian will be aware of the mythological creatures with which Lewis fills the world of Narnia. Many, like Prince Caspian himself, will for the first time encounter centaurs, dryads, giants, and minotaurs, and wonder where Lewis drew his inspiration. Brown's book is a good place to begin this journey.
Brown also explores the theological dimension of Lewis's work. As a famous Christian thinker, Lewis is well known for popular apologetic works like Mere Christianity. Yet, Prince Caspian is not so obviously connected to the Christian story as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which features a dying and rising Christ figure, the lion Aslan.
Aslan's presence in Prince Caspian, which takes place over a thousand years after the first book, suggests by his longevity that he is more than a normal lion. But in Prince Caspian it is often Aslan's teaching and example which Brown illuminates for those interested in the Christian dimension of Lewis's thought. In Prince Caspian, Aslan's guidance is first felt by Lucy, the youngest of the four main characters, suggesting that her child-like simplicity and honesty are key building blocks for faith.
It is primarily the well-constructed nature of Lewis's story, however, which is Brown's chief concern, as he shows the skill of the storyteller. Tracing themes of faith, wonder, and freedom, Brown illuminates the depth of Lewis's thinking which might well slip past us as children, only to be understood when we revisit the books as adults.
In a scene which appears in the book and the film adaptation, Lucy encounters Aslan again. Now a year older since their last meeting (Brown discusses the differences in Narnian time and earth time), Lucy marvels that Aslan has grown bigger. Aslan replies "I have not... [But] every year you grow, you will find me bigger." In a similar way, Brown's book rests on the conviction that as we also grow, our appreciation of Lewis's work will grow as well.
Summary of Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia series has sold over 85 million copies worldwide and introduced people of all ages to the central doctrines of Christianity. Anticipating the May 2008 Walden Media/Walt Disney Pictures release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, this book guides readers through the second novel of the Chronicles of Narnia series. As he did in the successful Inside Narnia, Devin Brown takes readers through Prince Caspian chapter by chapter, illuminating the features of C. S. Lewis's writing, providing supplemental information on Lewis's life and other books, offering comments and opinions from other Lewis scholars, and uncovering the work's rich meanings. Long-time fans of C. S. Lewis and those who have met him through the movies will want to read Inside Prince Caspian.General Books
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