Review by Choice Review
Ward (minister, Church of England) presents an original theory about the thematic unity of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-56), suggesting that the seven novels that make up the series have a coherent plan. Searching through Lewis's poetry, lectures, and scholarly writings, Ward discovered Lewis's fascination with the seven planets of the medieval heavens, and he contends that each planet governs one of the seven Narnia books. Taking each planet in turn, he traces its progress through Lewis's works--his scholarly writings, the Ransom trilogy, the poems, and lastly in the book of the Narnia series that the planet theoretically governs. In Ward's schema, for example, Jupiter governs The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Aslan is the Jovian presence, the bringer of new life, the destroyer of winter. Attempts to link the novels to the seven virtues or sins or the seven sacraments do not, in Ward's view, provide a satisfactory understanding of the artistic unity of the Narnia books. One comes away from this study convinced that Ward's theory is believable, particularly given Lewis's knowledge of medieval scholarship and Christianity. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers, all levels. C. Holt-Fortin SUNY Oswego
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
