Way Into Narnia

With a new film version of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” due to be released later this year and more films on their way, C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia are back in the public eye. How did a middle-aged professor with no children write books that have become cherished classics of children’s literature? And why have they remained so popular? “The Way into Narnia” is the perfect companion for first-time visitors to Narnia, while full of fresh insights for those who have already traveled there often.
Exploring ideas from “On Fairy-Stories,” the influential essay by Lewis’s friend J. R. R. Tolkien, veteran Lewis scholar Peter Schakel suggests that the best way to enter Narnia is to read the Chronicles as fairy tales. Taking a chapter for each of the Chronicles, he walks readers through the works, concluding the tour with a unique and practical section of notes on all seven volumes. These annotations clarify unfamiliar words, pick out allusions, highlight significant details, and offer interpretive comments on problematic passages.

This is the practical companion you will need for your next journey through the Chronicles of Narnia.