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« Let's Throw Away the Key | Main | Why Touchstone is Not Really “Conservative” »

April 23, 2008

Ward at FRC

Michael Ward, of Planet Narnia fame, will be speaking at the Family Research Council in Washington DC on Tuesday, April 29. His cover story, Narnia's Secret, in the December 2007 Touchstone summarizes some of his planetary take on the Chronicles of Narnia; it has, so far, been well-received. I am sure his talk will be welcome and enjoyable to all Lewis fans.

Posted by James M. Kushiner at 04:23 PM | Permalink

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So far well received in some circles, but not (sadly) in others. That is, not received well by those who haven't actually read it, namely Dr. Paul F. Ford, author of a Companion to Narnia. Also Doug Gresham, but what with the way the movies are going and all (and Doug's commitment to the new publication order), I don't expect much from that quarter.

Honestly, I don't see how anybody who has read the books and has the slightest knowledge about the planets in medieval thought (and Lewis's love of such) can have reservations about Ward's book, much less discount it out of hand.

I expect the fundies to dislike it, but I expect them to believe it and finally be done with Lewis--he's on thin ice with them, anyway, what with witches and magic. But the people I know who disagree with Ward (or pretend to, not having actually read more than a summary of the book, and those tend to be hopelessly poor) are typically far from fundamentalism, and Dr. Ford is a Catholic.

I honestly don't get it.

Posted by: Bob | Apr 24, 2008 8:43:00 AM

If I may, here's a link to a discussion over at NarniaWeb where one of the clueless reviewers spouts some nonsense and Dr. Ward himself shows up to explain things a bit: http://www.narniaweb.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=18401&PID=1114133

Posted by: Bob | Apr 24, 2008 9:39:53 AM

I am also a fan of Michael Ward's thesis. While I can easily see it being helpfully modified by future scholars, I think it is essentially correct and provides a useful basis for considering the Chronicles in relation to Lewis' other works. I expect it will be an enduring addition to the field of study. I'm also happy that Touchstone provided a forum for its popularization.

I'm confused by the comments that I've seen in various places that essentially respond to Dr. Ward's thesis with "So what?" For some reason, there's a popular assumption that the discovery of such a schema behind the books, even if it is genuine, adds nothing to the possibilities for enjoying the books. This seems to me to be a very narrow viewpoint. While it's likely that many readers may not care much about Lewis' scheme (his primary target audience of juvenile readers are perhaps unlikely to pay much attention), for others it can have a very pronounced effect. For scholarly readers, it demonstrates a greater degree of connection between Narnia and Lewis' other writings. And for those of us enchanted by the medieval sense of intricate, though sometimes esoteric, cosmic order, it awakens us to the presence of that sense in these books. Speaking personally, Dr. Ward's thesis has greatly enhanced my aesthetic enjoyment of the Chronicles, in much the same way as knowledge of the details of sonnet form enhances my enjoyment of Shakespeare's sonnets, or my understanding of Anglo-Saxon culture enhances my enjoyment of Beowulf. I'm quite grateful for his work, and also for the spirit of generosity with which he has defended it.

Posted by: Ethan C. | Apr 24, 2008 8:40:05 PM

Excellent review of the book in this month's First Things. Generally favorable, but notes that at points Ward has to stretch his thesis to make it fit into the schema of the Narnia books.

Posted by: Stuart Koehl | Apr 24, 2008 8:47:59 PM

I have read Ward's theory only in its 2003 Times Literary Supplement version. I own Ward's book and have begun to read it; but I am at the end of semester with its work, compounded by the sudden death of my father in the same semester.

For what it's worth, my take is on page 16 of the 2005 version of Companion to Narnia.

Dr. Ward is incorrect if he claims that Lewis intended a parallel of the Chronicles to the seven planetary spheres. If he is only saying that our understanding of the meaning of the Chronicles can be enhanced by our understanding of medieval cosmology, that is another thing.

Back in the late 1970's, when I was writing my Companion to Narnia,, I studied this same line of inquiry and dismissed it when I saw I was trying to force such an interpretation as THE one intended by Lewis. I revisited the matter when I read Dr. Ward's 2003 article, weighed it again, and again found it unconvincing.

Posted by: Paul F. Ford | Apr 24, 2008 9:14:51 PM

My condolences on your loss, Dr. Ford. I hope all is well with your household.

Posted by: Bob | Apr 25, 2008 8:54:15 AM

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