The Silver Chair
2013-10-17 23:58Re-read it. Nice enough. The really fantastic underworld stuff I remembered, the land of Bism with growing gold and gems, is just a page or so, and not even seen directly.
Christian propaganda: follow Aslan's instructions, have faith in Aslan. Probably some more morals-for-children stuff too.
Christian allegory: in the land beyond the world, Caspian is revived from death by blood from a thorn in Aslan's paw. Not really subtle there.
Mention of Narnian food, like baked apples with raisins where the core used to be, and overrich breakfasts, in contrast to sausages half full of bread and Soya Bean, made me check the date (1953) and wonder if the UK was still on rationing. Narnia sounds wonderful in contrast to a dreary England, like the bullying modern school of Experiment House or the pre-Voyage existence of Eustace Scrubb.
Hmm, the Pevensies had been sent to the country in wartime evacuation IIRC, and Lucy's still a girl in Voyage, so the time in-book can't be more than a few years after the War... not even that: http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/Narnian_timeline places it in 1942.
Christian propaganda: follow Aslan's instructions, have faith in Aslan. Probably some more morals-for-children stuff too.
Christian allegory: in the land beyond the world, Caspian is revived from death by blood from a thorn in Aslan's paw. Not really subtle there.
Mention of Narnian food, like baked apples with raisins where the core used to be, and overrich breakfasts, in contrast to sausages half full of bread and Soya Bean, made me check the date (1953) and wonder if the UK was still on rationing. Narnia sounds wonderful in contrast to a dreary England, like the bullying modern school of Experiment House or the pre-Voyage existence of Eustace Scrubb.
Hmm, the Pevensies had been sent to the country in wartime evacuation IIRC, and Lucy's still a girl in Voyage, so the time in-book can't be more than a few years after the War... not even that: http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/Narnian_timeline places it in 1942.