Planet narnia

I found this very illuminating. The Chronicles were some of my favourite books as a child and although I was aware of their Christian interpretation, Ward's book brings a whole new level of meaning to them. And it all fits. His argument that each novel represents one of the planets of the mediaeval cosmos is well researched and convincingly argued. He doesn't stop at simply examining the Narniad either, but traces the planetary influence in Lewis's other works, his poetry and apologetics as well as the Ransom Trilogy.

Coming at it from an atheistic point of view I can still have some sympathy with Lewis's contention that, post Copernicus, the Universe was reduced to a mere mechanism, thus stripping it of its ancient wonder as the home of the Gods. As Lewis states, a mediaeval person looking up at the stars had a very different view and understanding of the Heavens than we do today. I can't help thinking that we lost something along the way.

A scholarly yet readable book which I feel is the definitive statement on the reasons behind Lewis's sudden detour into children's literature. Recommended.