Eventually, British editions of the series were numbered chronologically. In America, however, the books continued to be released in their original publication order into the 90s. The Right Order Lewis scholars almost universally agree that we should disagree with what Lewis said about the order of publication. Lewis was not the kind of person to focus on himself, and though he remembered everything he ever read almost word for word, he lacked such perfect memory toward anything he actually wrote.
He was truly selfless not only in his actions towards others, but in his constant practice of ignoring himself in order to make God, not Lewis the center of his life. He was probably thinking about what might be easiest for children to understand.
This third factor has been almost universally misunderstood. NarniaWeb sets the stage :. In , an year-old boy named Lawrence Krieg was preparing to read the Narnia books for a second time. Lawrence wondered if he should re-read them chronologically, but his mother felt he should stick with the original published order.
So, Lawrence wrote a letter to the author…. The answer Lewis gave to this letter is Exhibit A for those who promote a chronological reading. So what exactly did he say? The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. How could someone promote a publication-order reading in light of this quote? The most obvious answer is that Lewis himself never requested a renumbering of the books.
As we learned from NarniaWeb, Lewis is answering a question about reading Narnia for the second time. As Lewis fan and film critic Steven D. Greydanus writes ,. As much as fans of Star Wars appreciate what George Lucas created, many of them reject his notion that first-comers should watch the movies in chronological order.
A similar situation exists in regards to the fantastical universe Lewis created. For that matter, why is a single, solitary lamp post in the middle of a wood? The Lion proceeds to introduce other mysteries: a tall, imperious woman named Jadis who calls herself a queen but may be a witch; talking animals; and rumors of an unseen, unknown figure named Aslan who is on his way. And, of course, there is the mysterious gateway into the Narnian world: Why should a wardrobe be a door into this magical world?
He speaks vaguely about the mysteries of his house, but on the very last page the professor drops hints that he might have been playing with them a bit: that he might know more about Narnia than he let on, though he had his reasons for being tight-lipped.
The professor has been to Narnia; in fact, he saw its founding. He had the wardrobe made from a tree that grew in London from the core of a Narnian apple he had planted along with magic rings that transported the wearer between worlds.
The witch Jadis is an evil creature from another world, and Aslan is the creator of the Narnian world. The Magicians' Nephew was written to answer questions you won't have until you've spent some time with the world and magic of Narnia.
Finish with The Last Battle. I personally like to read The Magician's Nephew just after Lion, as it gives background to the book. It spoils Lion to read Magician's Nephew first. The Horse and his Boy takes place "during" Lion, so it makes sense to read it after, but it doesn't really matter when you read it as long as it's after Lion. View 1 comment. View 2 comments. Caesar Personally I had already seen the animated and film adaptations of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before reading this book, but I'm now glad I read The Magician's Nephew first of the books since it takes place before the rest.
This was not the order they were published, but I even wish I'd read this book before seeing The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in order to get more insight on where things in Narnia came from and exactly who Jadis was before becoming the self-appointed "queen" of Narnia.
Mikey Personally, I think, if you've never read the series before, I'd recommend publication order. Start with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The rest of the books build on that magic from there. I feel like this order gives you the best of both the published order and the chronological order.
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