Overview of C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia books

Overview of C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia books 1. The life of C.S. Lewis: timeline 1898: C.S. Lewis is born 1908: Lewis's mother dies - Lewis is sent to boarding school 1914: World War I begins 1916: Lewis goes to university 1917: Lewis goes to fight in the war 1918: Lewis is wounded - World War I ends - Lewis returns to university 1931: Lewis becomes a Christian 1939: World War II starts 1945: World War II ends 1950-6: The Narnia books are published 1956: Lewis marries Joy Davidman Gresham 1960: Lewis's wife dies 1963: C.S. Lewis dies

2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Which order? How does the story progress? Publication order The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) Prince Caspian (1951) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) The Silver Chair (1953) The Horse and His Boy (1954) The Magician's Nephew (1955) The Last Battle (1956)

Chronological order The Magician's Nephew The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Horse and His Boy Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader The Silver Chair The Last Battle

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first story to be written, and The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy were written later as 'flashbacks'. However, the stories are presented in chronological order here to make the overall storyline of the series easier to follow.  The Magician's Nephew: Essentially, a creation story for Narnia, involving fascinating parallels with the Judeo-Christian creation stories from the book of Genesis.

Image ©2013 Thinkstock

 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Probably the most famous book - it was the first to be written - with strong parallels to the Christian story of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy discover Narnia and take part in its rescue from the clutches of the evil White Witch.  The Horse and His Boy: A flashback story from the 'Golden Age' of Narnia, when Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are kings and queens.  Prince Caspian: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia in a later stage of its history to help rescue it from invasion.  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Edmund and Lucy, together with their unpleasant cousin Eustace Scrubb, re-enter the world of Narnia to join Caspian on a sea voyage.  The Silver Chair: Eustace and his classmate Jill Pole go to Narnia to rescue Caspian's son, who has been captured by another witch.  The Last Battle: An apocalyptic account of Narnia's death - and rebirth.

3. Common assumptions of parallels between the Narnia story and Christian life  Aslan - Jesus  Witch - Devil  Stone Table - Cross

Support material for use with Teaching Narnia, published by BRF. Downloaded from www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/narnia/ Barnabas in Schools is a part of The Bible Reading Fellowship, a Registered Charity BRF, 15 The Chambers, Vineyard, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3FE Tel: 01865 319700; Fax: 01865 319701; Email: [email protected]; www.barnabasinschools.org.uk