Narnia as a child vs. as an adult

sun-star · 08-08-2006, 12:10 PM

I thought it might be interesting to see how people were introduced to the Narnia books. How old were you when you first read them, and if you've read them at different stages of your life how has your perspective on them changed?

hectorberlioz · 08-08-2006, 12:26 PM

Well my dad, ever since I can remember, promulagted a deep love for Tolkien and Lewis in our family, I even remember listening to the extremely scary voice of Gollum on an audio production as a boy of four...

I really "read" Narnia later than I read LotR, so I was able to have a much maturer idea of them than my siblings did when they read them....

Lizra · 08-08-2006, 01:06 PM

I read them as a young teen...after finishing LotRs. I was desperate for something else to read.
I can barely remember that far back....

I thought the last one was boring though....or maybe my life was starting to get a little more interesting!

tolkienfan · 08-08-2006, 01:51 PM

I read them when I was about eight for the first time. First I saw the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a movie, then read the book. I then read all the rest in chronological order. I liked them, but caught barely any of the symbolism. The Last Battle just confused me. I read my favorite ones every once in a while when I was bored. When I heard about the new movie coming out, I read the whole series again. I understood them and of course really like them. I kind of wish I had known someone older to talk about them with when I was younger, to kind of explain them to me.

cee2lee2 · 08-08-2006, 09:15 PM

I read them first in a class my sophomore year in college. I still have the same set of books with my pencilled notes in the margins from class discussions. Enjoyed them then and still do. Because my memory is not good, I'm always discovering and re-remembering things every time I read them. I'm also not a careful reader and was very focused on Lucy, so did not notice Susan's absence in the last book until we were talking about it in class. The Last Battle always makes me feel sad.

GreyMouser · 08-09-2006, 02:36 PM

Read them starting about 8 years old- I would share anything I found in the library with my beloved older sister; was traumatised when she handed back TLTWTW with the scornful comment "that's a fairy-tale".

Our reading interests diverged from then on - I became a total SF, Fantasy and historical fiction freak (pre-Medieval); she has a Master's in English Lit- wrote her thesis on the later Henry James.

08-08-2006, 12:10 PM	#1
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	Narnia as a child vs. as an adult I thought it might be interesting to see how people were introduced to the Narnia books. How old were you when you first read them, and if you've read them at different stages of your life how has your perspective on them changed? __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

08-08-2006, 12:26 PM	#2
hectorberlioz Master of Orchestration President Emeritus of Entmoot 2004-2008 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Lost in the Opera House Posts: 9,328	Well my dad, ever since I can remember, promulagted a deep love for Tolkien and Lewis in our family, I even remember listening to the extremely scary voice of Gollum on an audio production as a boy of four... I really "read" Narnia later than I read LotR, so I was able to have a much maturer idea of them than my siblings did when they read them.... __________________ ACALEWIA- President of Entmoot hectorberlioz- Vice President of Entmoot Acaly und Hektor fur Presidants fur EntMut fur life! Join the discussion at Entmoot Election 2010. "Stupidissimo!"~Toscanini The Da CINDY Code The Epic Poem Of The Balrog of Entmoot: Here ~NEW! ~ Thinking of summer vacation? AboutNewJersey.com - NJ Travel & Tourism Guide

08-08-2006, 01:06 PM	#3
Lizra Domesticated Swing Babe Join Date: May 2002 Location: Reality Posts: 5,340	I read them as a young teen...after finishing LotRs. I was desperate for something else to read. I can barely remember that far back.... I thought the last one was boring though....or maybe my life was starting to get a little more interesting! __________________ Happy Atheist Go Democrats!

08-08-2006, 01:51 PM	#4
tolkienfan Elf Lord Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The Internet Posts: 803	I read them when I was about eight for the first time. First I saw the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a movie, then read the book. I then read all the rest in chronological order. I liked them, but caught barely any of the symbolism. The Last Battle just confused me. I read my favorite ones every once in a while when I was bored. When I heard about the new movie coming out, I read the whole series again. I understood them and of course really like them. I kind of wish I had known someone older to talk about them with when I was younger, to kind of explain them to me. __________________ Don't be hasty! Thanks so much to Last Child of Ungoliant, Twista, and BeardofPants for my avatar!

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08-08-2006, 09:15 PM	#5
cee2lee2 Elf Lord Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: 2nd star to the left..... Posts: 566	I read them first in a class my sophomore year in college. I still have the same set of books with my pencilled notes in the margins from class discussions. Enjoyed them then and still do. Because my memory is not good, I'm always discovering and re-remembering things every time I read them. I'm also not a careful reader and was very focused on Lucy, so did not notice Susan's absence in the last book until we were talking about it in class. The Last Battle always makes me feel sad.

08-09-2006, 02:36 PM	#6
GreyMouser Elven Warrior Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 301	Read them starting about 8 years old- I would share anything I found in the library with my beloved older sister; was traumatised when she handed back TLTWTW with the scornful comment "that's a fairy-tale". Our reading interests diverged from then on - I became a total SF, Fantasy and historical fiction freak (pre-Medieval); she has a Master's in English Lit- wrote her thesis on the later Henry James.