I grew up reading C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, but I don’t think I’d ever really appreciated the deep thought and theology behind the series (apart from the obvious, Aslan is a little like Jesus) before I listened to Rowan Williams’s Holy Week Lectures on Narnia. Williams is Archbishop of Canterbury and a world-class theologian; it was fascinating to hear him apply his sharp mind to a series of children’s stories. In helping me see the world of Narnia a little differently, Williams helped me see our own world differently. Which is, in the end, what Narnia was all about.
Check out the three lectures:
Lecture 1: ‘Not a tame lion’
Lecture 2: ‘I only tell you your own story’
Lecture 3: ‘Bigger inside than outside’
For those interested in learning more about C.S. Lewis himself, a highly recommend Alan Jacobs’s, The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis.
Another book a number of people have recommended to me (almost aggressively!) but I haven’t yet read is Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis, by Michael Ward. I have heard nothing but good things about this book, which claims to unpack the secret imaginative key behind the whole series.
Finally, on a slightly less serious note (and going back a few years) check out the Saturday Night Live, Chronicles of Narnia (Lazy Sunday) music video. Trust Andy Samberg to take things too far :
