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bedlamsbardBook canon only.
In the seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia, we are presented with three lines of Narnia royalty: Frank and Helen, who come to Narnia from England in the days when "Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road" (Nephew 3) and are supposedly the parents of the Kings of Narnia and the Kings of Archenland; the four Pevensies, who come to Narnia during WWII and whose reign later became known as the Golden Age of Narnia; and Caspian and his descendents, which go straight down the line to Tirian, the last king of Narnia. Although no mention is ever made of how much time has passed between Frank and Helen and the Golden Age, by the time the Pevensies arrive in Narnia, no one remembers Frank and Helen and the old kings of Narnia. Since 1300 years after that, Old Narnia still remembers the Golden Age, it can be assumed to have been a very long time. However, in The Horse and His Boy, we meet the Archenlander royalty -- who, as per The Magician's Nephew, must be descended from King Frank and Queen Helen as well. But the old line of Narnian royalty no longer exists. Lewis never says what happened to them, although the most likely theory is that they were killed by the White Witch centuries before the Golden Age, since Mr. Beaver says that "there's never been any of your race [humans] here before" (Wardrobe 81). Narnia has a long memory, but not so long that they can claim to remember the dawn of Narnia.
(We shall not discuss the following things: how Archenland, Calormene, and the Lone Islands were affected by the reign of the White Witch and why no one in Narnia thought of heading over the border into Archenland and grabbing a spare heir to say, "Hey, want to be king of Narnia? Come on!" I mean, unless of course they did and it went badly.)
However, in the movies, we only have two lines of royalty: the Pevensies and Caspian. And the Pevensies aren't a line of royalty so much as one era: the Golden Age of Narnia. But here we go: "Narnia was never right except when a son of Adam was King" (Caspian 69). Immediately after the Pevensies left, Narnia disintegrated into chaos for a millennium and change. So -- why did the Pevensies leave?
Because they weren't supposed to rule. I don't think the prophecy was created by Aslan, I think it was created independent of him, and he tried to manipulate it as best he could to serve his wishes. What we have in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe are two or three prophecies. The first is the rhyme about Aslan:
The second is the rhyme about Adam's flesh and Adam's bone (the one we hear in the movie):
The Beavers describe both these two as "old rhymes", and both sound like prophecies, maybe part of the same prophecy. But the next prophecy is explicitly stated to be "another prophecy" (Wardrobe 82), and significantly, it's not in rhyming form. This in itself means nothing, although my gut feeling is that it's meant to mean that this prophecy is older than the other two -- so old that its origins have been forgotten. As Beaver describes it, "[D]own at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life" (Wardrobe 82). No mention of Aslan in this prophecy. These three prophecies, by the way, are the only prophecies we see in the entire series except for The Silver Chair, and Father Time, who is supposed to wake at the end of the world.
Aslan names Peter High King "over all the rest" because he is "the firstborn" (Wardrobe 130). Pretty flimsy reason, hmm? Especially since it seems that Lucy is his favorite. This said as well, Father Christmas gave them the gifts -- not Aslan. Aslan lets Peter kill the wolf -- but he kills the White Witch himself. And Peter becomes king "by the gift of Aslan", but also "by election, by prescription, and by conquest" (emphasis mine) (Caspian 176). So what did Peter conquer? My original assumption was that it was the Lone Islands, but in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund says, "They were Narnian before our time -- in the days of the White Witch" (Voyage 38-8). So what did Peter conquer? I have no idea, but I bet it was something that Aslan didn't want conquered. (My assumption is Archenland, but I have no evidence to base this on. I also bet that Peter had to spend the next decade or so systematically eradicating every piece of the White Witch's hold on Narnia and the surrounding lands, and probably had to reconquer Terebinthia and the Lone Islands.)
Bear in mind that when Peter went to war for the first time, it was on the assumption that Aslan was dead and he would have to win his own crown. Aslan's reappearance -- Aslan killing the White Witch in what was meant to be his kill -- must have been a real shock for him. And Peter was the oldest, after all, a boy used to giving orders. Aslan had already named him High King over all the rest. I assume that originally, Aslan meant that he would have precedence over his brother and sisters; rather than say, "Oh, yes, the King of Narnia...which king?", one could simply say, "The High King" and know immediately. But by Prince Caspian's time, he's known as "High King over all Kings in Narnia" (Caspian 176). But...there should only be one other king in Narnia -- Edmund. And at this point, both Caspian and Miraz. So is this Peter's own conceit? Is he pointing out his superiority over Edmund, Caspian, and Miraz? Or was there another king in Narnia? Was Peter not only High King of Narnia, but Emperor of more than just the Lone Islands? In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund reminds Caspain that, "You are under allegiance to the High King my brother" (Voyage 128), a threat that still means something when Caspian remembers Peter personally, but is in itself useless because Caspian knows that Peter cannot return to Narnia. Later, in The Last Battle, Jill introduces Peter as "Peter the High King over all Kings in Narnia" (Battle 155) and Aslan addresses him as "Peter, High King of Narnia" (Battle 181) before charging him with shutting the Door. At this point, however, Peter's position as High King is largely ceremonial: he has no real power, because he is forbidden from ever returning to Narnia.
But wait -- who tells Peter this? Aslan, of course. After Peter and the rest of the Pevensies have saved Narnia for a more manageable king. But who called the Pevensies into Narnia in Prince Caspian in the first place? Caspian -- not Aslan. On Susan's horn. The horn that was given to her by Father Christmas -- not Aslan. And the Pevensies show up in, well, one of the most inconvenient places ever. Conclusion? Aslan didn't want the Pevensies to show up, because he couldn't control Peter. The rest of them are more likely to listen to Aslan, but Peter won't always do so. He may not directly disobey Aslan, but he has a little too much independent thought for Aslan to be comfortable with, as does Susan. Aslan can and does control Edmund and Lucy, as we see in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He does the same for Caspian, something that's transferred to his children, because they are Narnians: the fear of Aslan is something they grow up with. But the Pevensies come to him from England, and only Edmund and Lucy were young enough to have that same impact made on them as the rest of the Narnians. That's why Aslan says Peter and Susan have got to go: not because they've learned everything they could from Narnia, but because they're too old to listen to him anymore. That's why he picks younger and younger children: because they're young enough he can control him.
Aslan never should have made Peter High King. It had the adverse reaction of making Peter think he was actually in charge. Why do we know that Peter won't listen to Aslan? Simple: The Last Battle. Despite the fact he's been charged by Aslan with never returning to Narnia, it's Peter who breaks into the house (or the garden, rather) to steal back the rings -- Peter with the help of Edmund. But whose bright idea do we think this was? After all, Peter thinks he can't return to Narnia, and he thinks that Aslan controls that. But Tirian appears in England without Aslan's help and Jill and Eustace get there by dying -- and Aslan's presence in The Last Battle is minimal. This is beyond Aslan's control. The one thing he can control is the Pevensies because he's directly charged them not to return.
Aslan still controls Peter -- but only barely. The only reason Peter -- the High King over all Kings of Narnia -- is staying away from Narnia is because he thinks he can't go back. But he's holding the rings -- one of many things Aslan doesn't control -- in his hand. If only Peter had touched them with bare skin. If the Pevensies and Co. really trusted Aslan, they would have waited, but instead they got a direct sign of how hurt Narnia is. Would anything else get Peter's attention more? After all, as soon as he names himself, Tirian vanishes.
Peter is undoubtedly -- named numerous times throughout the series -- the High King over all Kings in Narnia; every King that comes after him from Edmund to Tirian owes him their loyalty. He gives birth to not one, but two ages of Narnia, his own Golden Age and the rule of Caspian X and his descendents. So why is he forbidden to return to Narnia? Because he's too old? No -- because his loyalty isn't to Aslan, as all the rest of the children from England are. His loyalty is to Narnia, which just happens to coincide with Aslan's occasionally. He thinks Aslan's loyalty is to Narnia as well, which it may be, but Aslan has bigger things on his mind. He can't deal with one wayward Pevensie, especially when this is the one Pevensie who can sway the course of Narnian history with a word. After all, Aslan himself named him High King, and fifteen hundred years later he's still remembered. What has more power? A god that only occasionally appears and hasn't directly interfered for more than a thousand years, or a High King and his people who have put things right for that and half again? The High King, of course; the man who brought peace to Narnia.
Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. The Magician's Nephew. New York: Scholastic, 1983.
--. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. New York: Scholastic, 1978.
--. The Horse and His Boy. New York: Scholastic, 1982.
--. Prince Caspian. New York: Scholastic, 1979.
--. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. New York: Scholastic, 1980.
--. The Silver Chair. New York: Scholastic, 1981.
--. The Last Battle. New York: Scholastic, 1984.
In the seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia, we are presented with three lines of Narnia royalty: Frank and Helen, who come to Narnia from England in the days when "Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road" (Nephew 3) and are supposedly the parents of the Kings of Narnia and the Kings of Archenland; the four Pevensies, who come to Narnia during WWII and whose reign later became known as the Golden Age of Narnia; and Caspian and his descendents, which go straight down the line to Tirian, the last king of Narnia. Although no mention is ever made of how much time has passed between Frank and Helen and the Golden Age, by the time the Pevensies arrive in Narnia, no one remembers Frank and Helen and the old kings of Narnia. Since 1300 years after that, Old Narnia still remembers the Golden Age, it can be assumed to have been a very long time. However, in The Horse and His Boy, we meet the Archenlander royalty -- who, as per The Magician's Nephew, must be descended from King Frank and Queen Helen as well. But the old line of Narnian royalty no longer exists. Lewis never says what happened to them, although the most likely theory is that they were killed by the White Witch centuries before the Golden Age, since Mr. Beaver says that "there's never been any of your race [humans] here before" (Wardrobe 81). Narnia has a long memory, but not so long that they can claim to remember the dawn of Narnia.
(We shall not discuss the following things: how Archenland, Calormene, and the Lone Islands were affected by the reign of the White Witch and why no one in Narnia thought of heading over the border into Archenland and grabbing a spare heir to say, "Hey, want to be king of Narnia? Come on!" I mean, unless of course they did and it went badly.)
However, in the movies, we only have two lines of royalty: the Pevensies and Caspian. And the Pevensies aren't a line of royalty so much as one era: the Golden Age of Narnia. But here we go: "Narnia was never right except when a son of Adam was King" (Caspian 69). Immediately after the Pevensies left, Narnia disintegrated into chaos for a millennium and change. So -- why did the Pevensies leave?
Because they weren't supposed to rule. I don't think the prophecy was created by Aslan, I think it was created independent of him, and he tried to manipulate it as best he could to serve his wishes. What we have in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe are two or three prophecies. The first is the rhyme about Aslan:
Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
The second is the rhyme about Adam's flesh and Adam's bone (the one we hear in the movie):
When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done.
The Beavers describe both these two as "old rhymes", and both sound like prophecies, maybe part of the same prophecy. But the next prophecy is explicitly stated to be "another prophecy" (Wardrobe 82), and significantly, it's not in rhyming form. This in itself means nothing, although my gut feeling is that it's meant to mean that this prophecy is older than the other two -- so old that its origins have been forgotten. As Beaver describes it, "[D]own at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life" (Wardrobe 82). No mention of Aslan in this prophecy. These three prophecies, by the way, are the only prophecies we see in the entire series except for The Silver Chair, and Father Time, who is supposed to wake at the end of the world.
Aslan names Peter High King "over all the rest" because he is "the firstborn" (Wardrobe 130). Pretty flimsy reason, hmm? Especially since it seems that Lucy is his favorite. This said as well, Father Christmas gave them the gifts -- not Aslan. Aslan lets Peter kill the wolf -- but he kills the White Witch himself. And Peter becomes king "by the gift of Aslan", but also "by election, by prescription, and by conquest" (emphasis mine) (Caspian 176). So what did Peter conquer? My original assumption was that it was the Lone Islands, but in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund says, "They were Narnian before our time -- in the days of the White Witch" (Voyage 38-8). So what did Peter conquer? I have no idea, but I bet it was something that Aslan didn't want conquered. (My assumption is Archenland, but I have no evidence to base this on. I also bet that Peter had to spend the next decade or so systematically eradicating every piece of the White Witch's hold on Narnia and the surrounding lands, and probably had to reconquer Terebinthia and the Lone Islands.)
Bear in mind that when Peter went to war for the first time, it was on the assumption that Aslan was dead and he would have to win his own crown. Aslan's reappearance -- Aslan killing the White Witch in what was meant to be his kill -- must have been a real shock for him. And Peter was the oldest, after all, a boy used to giving orders. Aslan had already named him High King over all the rest. I assume that originally, Aslan meant that he would have precedence over his brother and sisters; rather than say, "Oh, yes, the King of Narnia...which king?", one could simply say, "The High King" and know immediately. But by Prince Caspian's time, he's known as "High King over all Kings in Narnia" (Caspian 176). But...there should only be one other king in Narnia -- Edmund. And at this point, both Caspian and Miraz. So is this Peter's own conceit? Is he pointing out his superiority over Edmund, Caspian, and Miraz? Or was there another king in Narnia? Was Peter not only High King of Narnia, but Emperor of more than just the Lone Islands? In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund reminds Caspain that, "You are under allegiance to the High King my brother" (Voyage 128), a threat that still means something when Caspian remembers Peter personally, but is in itself useless because Caspian knows that Peter cannot return to Narnia. Later, in The Last Battle, Jill introduces Peter as "Peter the High King over all Kings in Narnia" (Battle 155) and Aslan addresses him as "Peter, High King of Narnia" (Battle 181) before charging him with shutting the Door. At this point, however, Peter's position as High King is largely ceremonial: he has no real power, because he is forbidden from ever returning to Narnia.
But wait -- who tells Peter this? Aslan, of course. After Peter and the rest of the Pevensies have saved Narnia for a more manageable king. But who called the Pevensies into Narnia in Prince Caspian in the first place? Caspian -- not Aslan. On Susan's horn. The horn that was given to her by Father Christmas -- not Aslan. And the Pevensies show up in, well, one of the most inconvenient places ever. Conclusion? Aslan didn't want the Pevensies to show up, because he couldn't control Peter. The rest of them are more likely to listen to Aslan, but Peter won't always do so. He may not directly disobey Aslan, but he has a little too much independent thought for Aslan to be comfortable with, as does Susan. Aslan can and does control Edmund and Lucy, as we see in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He does the same for Caspian, something that's transferred to his children, because they are Narnians: the fear of Aslan is something they grow up with. But the Pevensies come to him from England, and only Edmund and Lucy were young enough to have that same impact made on them as the rest of the Narnians. That's why Aslan says Peter and Susan have got to go: not because they've learned everything they could from Narnia, but because they're too old to listen to him anymore. That's why he picks younger and younger children: because they're young enough he can control him.
Aslan never should have made Peter High King. It had the adverse reaction of making Peter think he was actually in charge. Why do we know that Peter won't listen to Aslan? Simple: The Last Battle. Despite the fact he's been charged by Aslan with never returning to Narnia, it's Peter who breaks into the house (or the garden, rather) to steal back the rings -- Peter with the help of Edmund. But whose bright idea do we think this was? After all, Peter thinks he can't return to Narnia, and he thinks that Aslan controls that. But Tirian appears in England without Aslan's help and Jill and Eustace get there by dying -- and Aslan's presence in The Last Battle is minimal. This is beyond Aslan's control. The one thing he can control is the Pevensies because he's directly charged them not to return.
"But the High King Peter has them [the magic rings]," said Tirian.
"Yes," said Jill. "But we don't think he can use them. When the other two Pevensies -- King Edmund and Queen Lucy -- were last here, Aslan said they would never come to Narnia again. And he said something of the same sort to the High King, only longer ago. You may be sure he'll come like a shot if he's allowed." (Battle 60)
Aslan still controls Peter -- but only barely. The only reason Peter -- the High King over all Kings of Narnia -- is staying away from Narnia is because he thinks he can't go back. But he's holding the rings -- one of many things Aslan doesn't control -- in his hand. If only Peter had touched them with bare skin. If the Pevensies and Co. really trusted Aslan, they would have waited, but instead they got a direct sign of how hurt Narnia is. Would anything else get Peter's attention more? After all, as soon as he names himself, Tirian vanishes.
Peter is undoubtedly -- named numerous times throughout the series -- the High King over all Kings in Narnia; every King that comes after him from Edmund to Tirian owes him their loyalty. He gives birth to not one, but two ages of Narnia, his own Golden Age and the rule of Caspian X and his descendents. So why is he forbidden to return to Narnia? Because he's too old? No -- because his loyalty isn't to Aslan, as all the rest of the children from England are. His loyalty is to Narnia, which just happens to coincide with Aslan's occasionally. He thinks Aslan's loyalty is to Narnia as well, which it may be, but Aslan has bigger things on his mind. He can't deal with one wayward Pevensie, especially when this is the one Pevensie who can sway the course of Narnian history with a word. After all, Aslan himself named him High King, and fifteen hundred years later he's still remembered. What has more power? A god that only occasionally appears and hasn't directly interfered for more than a thousand years, or a High King and his people who have put things right for that and half again? The High King, of course; the man who brought peace to Narnia.
Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. The Magician's Nephew. New York: Scholastic, 1983.
--. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. New York: Scholastic, 1978.
--. The Horse and His Boy. New York: Scholastic, 1982.
--. Prince Caspian. New York: Scholastic, 1979.
--. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. New York: Scholastic, 1980.
--. The Silver Chair. New York: Scholastic, 1981.
--. The Last Battle. New York: Scholastic, 1984.
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-03 04:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-04 12:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 05:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-14 02:33 am (UTC)Question, comment, question:
1) Father Christmas, as the giver of gifts that are emblazoned with Aslan-imagery - if Aslan doesn't control him, who does? Is he his own person? If so, why are the gifts covered in pictures o' lions?
2) I think the "by conquest" in Peter's extended title has to do with the fact that in the history books, Peter is the one who defeated the White Witch and took over Narnia; and Aslan allows that.
3) There is a general populace of humans that are in Narnia - on the islands and in Calormen. I've always wondered where THEY came from; what do you think?
4) Do you think that Aslan makes Peter close the door on the dying Narnia as a punishment? SO LONG TO YOUR LANDS AND YOUR COUNTRY, MATE, AND WELCOME TO MINE. Next question: I've always been bothered that Peter is the High King over All the Kings in Narnia, and yet in Aslan's heaven, FRANK IS THE #1 KING. Frank who is just a taxi driver turned royal. What up. Oh Peter.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-14 03:30 am (UTC)1. I think he is his own person. And I think that, at least in this situation, he and Aslan are on the same "side" against the White Witch. Moreover, the prophecy of Narnia about the four thrones of Cair Paravel is for, well, Narnia, and Narnia is Aslan's country. It makes sense that his gifts would bear Narnian emblems -- the lion.
2. True. My personal canon holds that the golden age was filled with fighting and Peter was at war nine-tenths of the time as well (see The Horse and His Boy, where Peter is mentioned as being off fighting giants in the North), just because, from a practical viewpoint, it seems likely that Narnia and its outlying territories (Terebinthia and the Lone Islands) would be wracked by conflict, both internal and external, and Peter that down.
3. Archenland, too. I'm assuming that they're more humans who have wandered into the Narnian "world" via doors from Earth, like the Telmarines. The Archenlander royals are canonically descended from Frank and Helen as well.
4. Supposedly it's biblical imagery -- St. Peter had the golden key to heaven -- but I'm not Christian, so what do I know? In that case I'm very annoyed with Aslan for letting the Pevensies die, because sure, go to Narnia, learn everything, get kicked out, and then die before you can use any of it in the "real world"; it seems a little counter to the point.
Well, Peter's just a schoolboy from London turned royal, so. I don't think Lewis really thought everything through, there. It's a situation where -- Frank is this ancient founding king who nobody remembers four thousand years later, and Peter is Queen Elizabeth and King Arthur all rolled up in one. I mean, what did Frank do? Be in the right place at the right time with a horse? Peter did everything. (Fixed all of Aslan's problems, for one. Saved Narnia -- twice -- for another.) *snort* Aslan probably has more control of Frank than he does Peter; Aslan gave Frank everything he has. Peter took it on his own, mostly.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-22 07:39 pm (UTC)Good points about Peter being loyal to Narnia, as her High King; while Aslan has his own schemes and plans. I tell you, if you read the books and see the movies playing the problems out, it really makes you wonder what the heck he's playing at sometimes. (Well, *me*, that is.)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-22 11:35 pm (UTC)For all I know, Aslan is trying to one-up Tash in their annual poker tournament. That's the only idea I have of what Aslan is doing. (Because it makes so much sense to, when you lose, END THE WORLD AND KILL EVERYONE.)
My opinion is if Peter was given a choice between being loyal to Aslan and being loyal to Narnia, he'd choose Narnia. And it might kill him doing it, but he'd do it anyway.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-23 05:47 pm (UTC)I swear, Aslan=Dumbledore. They're both very manipulative. *scowls*
I DO think Peter's loyalty is primarily with Narnia. He's very "It's MY job to take care of everybody", very much the leader of the pack-only the "pack" is the whole country. Don't get in his way!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-23 11:03 pm (UTC)(The thing that always gets me about Aslan is that he gives them Narnia, takes it away, gives it to them away, takes it away because they've already learned all they can or something, adnt then kills them off before they can use that knowledge. I mean, what the hell.)
Exactly! He's the High King, and I don't know if Aslan originally meant it to mean what it came to mean in later years -- note that in Prince Caspian, it's Peter who names himself High King over all Kings in Narnia and not Aslan. I don't think Aslan ever refers to Peter as High King over all Kings -- but everyone else does. And that means a lot.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-13 02:05 pm (UTC)I would love to see your take on Susan; especially in light of the fact that when people called Lewis on her treatment he basically said "Oh, get over it, she finds her own way back to Narnia. [I just didn't write that bit]"
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-13 06:55 pm (UTC)Take on Susan as in what happens to her after The Last Battle? Or just my appraisal of her character?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-13 08:44 pm (UTC)Mind if I friend you? :D
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-13 10:50 pm (UTC)Susan, to me, is cool-headed and calm -- as much a homebody as any of them are. She's also very astute politically; she does a majority of the international negotiations that Narnia's involved in. She's a little more willing to be fair-minded than Edmund, she cares more about not angering their allies than Lucy, and she's better at seeing shades of gray than Peter (who doesn't have the patience for politics anyway). While she's gone to war with Peter and Edmund, it's not her first choice; she'll be the one trying to resolve things peacefully, or the one left at Cair Paravel to watch and ward Narnia. Like we see in the books and the movies, she's a bit of a mother figure and a caretaker, and she's extended this to Narnia as well, although she's much more distant from the commons than Lucy, who's most beloved of the people. Susan does very well in a court setting. She never married, although she came close a few times; her reasons for not marrying weren't as dramatic as Peter's. A few times, it was joked that it was Susan who really ran the country and not Peter; her usual reply was that there was a reason there were four thrones in Cair Paravel.
When Susan returned to England the first time, she kept nearly as many memories as Peter did. Of the four of them, she was the one who tried hardest to assimilate back into life in England. After the second time, she tried to forget Narnia. Despite Edmund's comment in The Last Battle, she doesn't think that Narnia was just a game -- she knows full-well it wasn't, and she never could admit it because it hurt too much to think about and easier to just not. After The Last Battle, well -- I've never really thought about it, mostly because I don't like admitting The Last Battle exists. *sheepish grin*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 05:41 am (UTC)As for your comment "While she's gone to war with Peter and Edmund, it's not her first choice," that really depends on whether you're talking about book canon or movie canon. It's pretty explicitly stated in The Horse and His Boy that Susan never went to war. Lucy "rode with the archers" sometimes after she reached adulthood but Susan the Gentle could not bear such things despite her skill with a bow. Even in Prince Caspian she rescues Trumpkin but purposely misses the soldiers as she wasn't shooting to kill. Her reaction to Edmund and Trumpkin sparring with no intention of doing more than disarming one another is to shout at them fretfully to be careful. Then she can't bring herself to kill a wild bear despite the fact that it wants to eat Lucy. Her adventure with Aslan and Lucy in the book Prince Caspian involves a lot more partying than danger and don't forget that in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe she was nowhere near the battle until it was over.
She did go to war with Peter and Edmund in the movie but her character from the movies was vastly diferent from her character in the books and the movie Prince Caspian deviated grossly form the book. (It carried a few similar plot elements but the characterization of four of the five major characters were done entirely differently and the themes of the book and even the tone of the story were changed.) So perhaps there isn't much use trying to connect the Susan potrayed in the movie with the Susan briefly mentioned by people who didn't know her very well in the book The Last Battle.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-19 03:30 pm (UTC)Also....
Aslan = Dumbledore = Gandalf?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-20 12:35 am (UTC)*considers* I don't think Gandalf is as manipulative as Aslan and Dumbledore. Of the three, I like Gandalf the best; he really seems to be more...human.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-19 03:41 pm (UTC)Do you think that Tash might have done the same things with some of his followers? Maybe that's how the Tisroc royalty in Calormen started, Tash bringing people from our world into their world to free Calormen from the Narnians or whatever?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-20 12:38 am (UTC)killing them off
Date: 2008-11-20 12:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-25 06:32 am (UTC)You must keep in mind that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was originally written as as a stand alone book and then followed by its sequel, Prince Caspian, followed by the rest. The Chronicles were not planned out from beginning to end. Lewis wrote the books to teach morals and introduce Christian ideas to children. Things like plot, characterization, logic, and consistency took a back seat. His focus was on the themes and ideologies he wanted to get across to young readers. For all his good points as an author he was not his friend, Tolkien. The backgrounds and histories and languages and mythologies of his made up countries were not meticulously planned out. As a child you don't really care about these things if the story is entertaining but as an adult it is hard to ignore the plot holes and inconsistencies that are in the Chronicles. As an adult you also tend to move from the "it would be so cool to go to Narnia" reaction to the "What! They just had their entire lives and kingdom and friends (and spouses?) ripped away from them! And what happens to Narnia now?" reaction. Not to mention the fact that Lewis tended to romanticize the idea of middle-age warfare a bit and as an adult its hard to get past the notion of children going to war even though you know that the main characters are only children in the hopes that young children will relate better to them.
As for the question of how Peter went from High King of his siblings to High King over all Kings of Narnia. It's simple. Lewis wrote on with book without real thought about how it would work out further down the road and then later decided to give Peter more authority. It's an inconsistency pure and simple.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-26 05:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-02 04:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-02 04:31 am (UTC)