Narnia as a child vs. as an adult

[sun-star]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Lotesse]

I read all the Narnia books in the fifth grade. Rather, I should say, I ravenously devoured them, and was briefly obsessed with the whole idea of there possibly being real portals hidden in unusual places all over Earth, portals like that wardrobe which led into alternate universes. I figured out the religious symbolism immediately. Having been strictly and studiously raised as a christian, the Narnia christian ideal parallel sure wasn't difficult to miss. It's not that hard to figure out - Aslan equals JesusGod, White Witch equals Satan, yada yada yada. My parents loved C.S. Lewis, too, but his grown-up books, like Mere Christianity and stuff.

Then I discovered Madeleine L'Engle. Then Robert Heinlein. Then T.H. White's The Once and Future King, which impressed me so much I did this huge, elaborate book report on it for my sixth grade english class. And then, I finally discovered the grandaddy of all fantasy books, Lord of the Rings. Everything else pales in comparison to this reigning monarch of all fantasy literature. Lewis ain't got spit on Tolkien. Tolkien is, like, the Hope Diamond, and all the other esteemed fantasy writers are just assorted gemstones. Then there's the rhinestones, all the lesser pulpy fantasy copycat novels. anyway...

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Lotesse

I read all the Narnia books in the fifth grade. Rather, I should say, I ravenously devoured them, and was briefly obsessed with the whole idea of there possibly being real portals hidden in unusual places all over Earth, portals like that wardrobe which led into alternate universes. I figured out the religious symbolism immediately. Having been strictly and studiously raised as a christian, the Narnia christian ideal parallel sure wasn't difficult to miss. It's not that hard to figure out - Aslan equals JesusGod, White Witch equals Satan, yada yada yada. My parents loved C.S. Lewis, too, but his grown-up books, like Mere Christianity and stuff.

Then I discovered Madeleine L'Engle. Then Robert Heinlein. Then T.H. White's The Once and Future King, which impressed me so much I did this huge, elaborate book report on it for my sixth grade english class. And then, I finally discovered the grandaddy of all fantasy books, Lord of the Rings. Everything else pales in comparison to this reigning monarch of all fantasy literature. Lewis ain't got spit on Tolkien. Tolkien is, like, the Hope Diamond, and all the other esteemed fantasy writers are just assorted gemstones. Then there's the rhinestones, all the lesser pulpy fantasy copycat novels. anyway...

I wouldn't say the spit thing...have you read Lewis' "Tille We Have Faces"? An excellent novel. He wasn't just good at kid's stuff.

[Rían]

"Till We Have Faces" is fabulous.

I read both Narnia and LOTR at college, and loved them both, and still love them, and get more at every reading.

[inked]

College. A friend taking a children's Lit class loaned me LW&W and I was enthralled by the CoN which led to Tolkien which led to Sayers which led to Chesterton.......

[Arien the Maia]

I was read The Lion Witch and Wardrobe in 4th grade by my teacher ( I think I was 9 years old). I attempted to read Prince Caspian but lost interest in it. Then this past Christmas I received the whole set as a gift from my dad. So I read all of them within 5 months.

I think that reading them as adults you perhaps appreciate them more....as a Christian I think I do anyway. But then again....Tolkien is my favorite!