I've never seen a normal post about C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien it's always just like: Tolkien once murdered someone and Lewis helped him bury the body but he wore a Santa costume just to spite him
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“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
-C.S. Lewis
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My favourite thing about The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is that CS Lewis very obviously knew that kids were going to go hunting in cupboards and wardrobes for Narnia because multiple times he very clearly states that the kids did not close the door behind them when they climbed in the wardrobe because that would be stupid and dangerous. He knew some kid was going to lock themselves in the closet and he obviously didn’t want to be responsible for that.
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Dear Diary,
Today I cried for Susan Pevensie’s loss today.
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Shakespeare: So, in Macbeth, the forest doesn't actually move, it's just an army holding branches
C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien: And we took that personally
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C 👏 S 👏 LEWIS 👏 WAS 👏 NOT 👏 MISOGYNISTIC
IM SO SICK OF THIS TAKE
“But he said girls shouldn’t fight in battles—" No, actually. What he said was “Battles are ugly when women fight.” Which literally translates to “in a war where women are required to fight to help win it, it means the war itself is really bad.” And this literally just means that the war has gotten so bad that women have to fight, not that women shouldn’t fight. Just that they shouldn’t be forced to. Anyway, remember Lucy?? Lucy who rode to battle in The Horse and His Boy?? Lucy who fought as an archer?? “But Susan didn’t—" Yeah. Because she didn’t want to. No one was forcing her not to fight. She had free will to fight or to not fight, and she chose not to because she didn’t want to, not because a man made her stay home.
“He punished Susan for growing up—" S i g h. This is the one I see the most often. “He did Susan dirty” “he made her suffer because she liked lipstick” “etc etc blah blah blah” First of all Narnia is a children’s book series. For CS Lewis to delve into why Susan forgot Narnia, talk about her dealing with the death of her entire family, discuss her grief, and write about her eventual return to Narnia (more on that in a second), it would’ve made for a pretty dark and heavy children’s book, and Lewis said that he didn’t think that was something he wanted to write. But he also encouraged people to finish Susan’s story themselves, and said she might eventually make her own way back to Narnia. Not only this, but Susan’s name means lily, and the waters around Aslan’s country are covered in lilies. Coincidence? I think not. I think it symbolizes she was going to go back. (Especially considering I think Lewis was very careful in choosing each of the Pevensie’s names, since they all relate to their character).
Also, Lewis did not condemn Susan simply for growing up and liking makeup and clothing and boys. If so why would he have written about Aravis and Shasta/Cor, or Caspian and Liliandil? Why would he have written about Susan and Lucy being beautiful and having many suitors? So no, he wasn’t condemning her for that, and in fact he wasn’t condemning her at all. It’s extremely probable that her family’s death would have brought Susan back to her senses. Because here’s the thing: she forgot. She threw herself so much into the world and approval and convinced herself that her life as a queen and her acquaintance with Aslan was all a silly game they played as children, that it wasn’t real. But, she very well could remember again, and I 1000% believe she did.
“All his female characters were weak and did nothing—" My friend. Lucy Pevensie was a female. She discovered Narnia. It was because of her. Her siblings would never have found it without her. Lucy is one of THE most important characters in the entire series. And her title? The Valiant. Lucy’s very title as queen denoted her bravery and fortitude without one even knowing her. As for Susan, she was not any weaker for being “The Gentle.” I would say gentleness is honestly one of the strongest traits a person can have, because it takes a lot to live and be gentle. Also remember Aravis? A major character in The Horse and His Boy and future wife of Shasta, Aravis literally nearly killed herself to escape an arranged marriage. She was not someone to be dictated to; she made her own choices and escaped rather than submitting. And in the end, she’s still fiery, just a little more humble and with less of a chip on her shoulder. Then there’s Polly, who is the more logical person in The Magician’s Nephew and tries to stop Digory from ringing the bell that wakes the White Witch. A boy causes her to awaken, not a girl. It was Digory’s fault she woke up, not Polly’s!!
Also, Peter and Edmund do not ignore their sisters because they’re girls. They listen to what they have to say and speak to them as equals. They don’t forbid them from fighting; Susan chooses not to, but Lucy goes straight into the heart of the battle with them! So don’t even say Lewis made his female characters weak. They were the backbone of much of the series and without them much of the plot would never have happened!!
So don’t you ever say to me that CS Lewis was misogynistic because it’s the furthest thing from the truth
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Some more headcanons when the Pevensies come back to England:
-All of them have a strange lisp from living in Narnia for so long. When they are together, they will often speak Narnian, and when asked about the origins of the strange language no one else understands, all they give you is a mysyerious smile.
-It is absolutely impossible to get a rise out of Susan. When taunted, ridiculed or tested by other girls who envy her confidence, all she will do is smile and offer some words of advice. She has dealt with threats far more serious and deadly than high school British kids, and she finds their little power plays nothing but funny Soon, it becomes an unwritten rule not to mess with her. She'll smile back and kill you with kindness.
-Edmund and Peter spend the first few weeks learning how to walk without a sword at their side. All their adult lives, they've worn one, and they still compensate for the weight slightly. Especially Peter, commander of the armies, feels extremely naked without his blade.
-Lucy has the hardest time getting used to England again. The girls her age are mean and stupid, and she finds it hard not to call them out on it. Her intelligence is often mistaken for arrogance. She throws herself into dancing, the one thing Narnia has given her that is of use in the normal world.
-Edmund is completely changed, overnight it seems. Where he was first a nagging, annoying brat, he now seems a beacon of calmness and wit, able to solve any problem. The bond with his brother Peter is so strong the two seem to be able to read each others minds. This is especially true during fencing class, where they are the two best students by a distance. They move so in sync some people wonder if they are twins
-The first time the Pevensies ride horses together again the rest of class gasps audibly. They all seem to grow taller in the sadle, and they communicate with their horses in a way that seems impossible.
-Peter never gets used to the disrespect other kids show him, and will respond to every insult with a blow. He doesn't get over what they have lost , and writes story after story about the most beautiful imaginary world he calls Narnia. His teachers, from English to theology to history, all agree that he should be a writer. But the fighting only gets worse. Soon, kids have to gang up on him to even be able to touch him. And when Edmund decides to help, it's basically a wrap. He is far smarter than he lets on, and his back is always so straight it seems like he is 3 inches taller than his classmates. Bullies learn to avoid him, and he is fiercly loyal to his friends, even if that gets him in trouble.
-There is a rumour that the Pevensies are royals or at least nobles . No one knows from where, but the war could have changed things. Either way, they are everyone's favorite gossip subject.
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CS Lewis is one of the very few old male authors who seems to whole heartedly get the minds of young girls. Like, all of his main female characters are distinct and likable, and they never take a backseat to the male leads in terms of story time or relevance (sometimes even overtaking them!) The best part is you can tell it’s because he had a genuine love for the children around him like his goddaughter who he wrote the first Narnia book for. If this man were alive today, I can fully see him in a pink crown and jewelry having a tea party with his goddaughter regardless of how any other man at the function scoffed
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I just need you all to understand the relationship of me, who was a CS Lewis girl as a young teenager, and my wife, who was such a Tolkien nerd that they wrote their diaries in Tengwar.
...it's exactly what you'd think. CS Lewis putting a lamppost in his fantasy series to aggravate Tolkien? That's just what we do. Like, the exact same things don't bother my wife, but the dynamic is entirely the same. I guess if anyone is out there RPF shipping Tolkien and Lewis, pls know that it has essentially happened irl, and we've been together for a decade and a half.
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Prince Caspian's story has always been so funny to me cause him and his allies obviously agree that he's much too young and brash to be the king right now, he needs to blow the horn and call upon wiser and older leaders then he, so he does, and immediately summons four even Younger and Brasher royals😭😭 Like if his flaw is he's too reckless and impulsive welp not to worry, here's mad high king Peter and lying to join the military Edmund, is that helpful? Is that what you needed?
Also the fact they're kids😭 Can you imagine having a scroll that summons the greatest figures from history and it Does but it's that figure EXCLUSIVELY as a preteen. Imagine you have a button that brings Abraham Lincoln back to life and you press it and it's Teen Abe Lincoln
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Listen I’m rewatching Reign because I didn’t finish it the first time and I can’t stop laughing about this scene…
The writers really said, “Do you guys want to make J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis roll over in their graves? Let’s give a bow to the two actors on set most likely to know how to use it.”
So they had Haldir, the Elf…
teach Susan Pevensie how to use a bow
And honestly I can’t fault them for making this happen
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publication: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, prince caspian, the voyage of the dawn treader, silver chair, the horse and his boy, the magician's nephew, the last battle
chronological: the magician's nephew, the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, the horse and his boy, prince caspian, the voyage of the dawn treader, silver chair, the last battle
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thinking abt edmund pevensie.. who gets cranky when tired, who has a fondness for food especially sweets, who ate dirt he thought was chocolate.. thinking abt 10 yr old edmund pevensie who wanted to build roads in narnia.. thinking abt 11 year old edmund pevensie who fiercely defends his older sister, abt early twenties edmund pevensie who at all costs will protect his older sister.. thinking abt edmund pevensie who is a rock climber, who had once beat susan in archery, who had swiftly beheaded someone in battle.. thinking abt edmund pevensie who enjoys reading detective novels, who is interested in trains & railways.. thinking abt edmund pevensie who is his older brothers right hand man, who is his younger sisters most loyal ally,
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