Planet Narnia

It's a lovely, cool morning, so I thought I'd catch up on the cookie baking, bake some for Andrew to take home with him and some to store in my freezer for future snacking! :) While I baked, I listened to a Mars Hill audio CD ( loaned to me by our friend Bill) of in interview with Michael Ward, the author of a new book called Planet Narnia:The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis.
(However, before I got into it, I had a delightful surprise visit from three bonny children, and their parents. The S family was out bike riding on the path and popped in! What fun!)
Anyway, Mr. Ward says that CS Lewis ties each of the Narnia stories to the pre-Copernican ideas of the planets which was five of our planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, along with the Sun and Moon. Linnea and I have loved talking about the meaning of stories and analyzing things. I thought she'd be interested in reading what this guy has to say, so I thought I'd just introduce his ideas and link to what he has to say. Here's what he has to say about Prince Caspian, the current Narnian favorite. Read it and tell me what you think. I think it's amazing! Once you get into that link, you'll be able to read a whole lot more about what Ward has to say about Lewis's ideas on the planets, mythology and meaning. I think the whole thing is very fascinating. One reviewer on Amazon.com puts the book summary this way:

The book centers around Lewis's fascination with the medieval concept of the Heavens. His poetry is filled with the Seven Planets, and his science fiction space trilogy (especially the last book, That Hideous Strength) is filled with medieval Planet imagery. How Lewis imaginatively integrated this love for the medieval cosmic understanding with his Christian beliefs is nothing short of amazing. It gives me a sense of what a genius he really was. (Reviewer Mark A. Sommer on Amazon.com)

Another reviewer says, "Planet Narnia opens our eyes to something we already sensed: the kingly robes that the series has worn all along."

Michael Ward's official website is Planet Narnia. On it he answers a lot of questions about his book and Lewis's ideas, as well as giving you a link to Amazon in case you want to buy it. I think this might be my next Amazon purchase!

Thanks, Bill, for a great CD!