Review: Prince Caspian

May 22nd, 2008 · 5 Comments · Gryffindor Common Room

by Johnny
Can a movie improve upon a book which C.S. Lewis wrote that “[s]ales show that is longo intervallo [latin for "by a long interval"] the least popular of the Narnian books”? That certainly seems to be the aim of the director and producers of the film adaptation of Prince Caspian. From the lengthy battle [...]

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Around the Common Room: Prince Caspian Weekend

May 17th, 2008 · 21 Comments · Gryffindor Common Room

by Travis
First, special thanks to Johnny for the Hog’s Head Interview with Michael Ward.  Even I didn’t know that was coming until it was posted!  
Second, after you’ve digested that interview, here are some links for a little weekend reading.  

Andrew Peterson’s reflections on Prince Caspian, the book.
Greydanus’s review of Prince Caspian is up.
More from Greydanus, [...]

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Hog’s Head Interview with Michael Ward

May 16th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Hogwarts School of Literature

by Johnny
Michael Ward is the author of Planet Narnia, a groundbreaking work in C.S. Lewis and Narnia studies, which is stirring excitement and discussion. In his book, Ward argues that each novel in the Narnia series corresponds to one of the seven planets of Medieval Cosmology. I met him at the February 2008 meeting of [...]

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Dr. Ward on Prince Caspian and Mars

May 14th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Gryffindor Common Room

A couple of interesting Prince Caspian links:

 Greydanus has written his review of the film, but you can’t see it yet unless you’re subscribed.  I’m looking forward to that review.
Dr. Michael Ward, author of Planet Narnia, has a new entry on Prince Caspian at the C.S. Lewis blog.  

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Prince Caspian is C.S. Lewis?

May 2nd, 2008 · 5 Comments · Hogwarts School of Literature

by Johnny
I came across an interesting article by Devin Brown on Christianity Today, which shows some similarities between the title character Prince Caspian and the life of C.S. Lewis.
Brown, who is a Professor of English at Asbury College, wrote:
Lewis and Caspian share another element—one more significant than all the others, for it changed the direction [...]

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Zoe Sandvig: Cracking the Narnia Code

April 14th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Hogwarts School of Literature

Common Grounds Online has a lengthy write-up on Michael Ward’s Planet Narnia.

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Recommendation: Planet Narnia

March 6th, 2008 · 6 Comments · Hogwarts School of Literature

by Johnny
Anyone reading the literary criticism of The Chronicles of Narnia will notice that C.S. Lewis scholars have no answers regarding the supposed disorganized, “hodgepodge” (as Tolkien referred to his friend’s creation) that characterizes the series. That is until Michael Ward and his seminal work, Planet Narnia came along. Ward believes that the popular explanation [...]

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Understanding Ginny

June 30th, 2006 · 41 Comments · Book 7 Speculations, Ginny Weasley, Hogwarts School of Literature

I’ll admit from the start, I’m not one for the “shipping” debates (which student should date which). Nevertheless, there is some importance to the whole dating scene, not least the fact that Rowling’s a big fan of Austen’s novels, so romance will undoubtedly play a part.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the shipping debates, there [...]

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Magic in Prince Caspian

December 19th, 2005 · 3 Comments · Defense Against the Harry Haters, Hogwarts School of Literature

How good people use good magic for good purposes in Narnia as well as Harry Potter.

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Aslan and Gryffindor: Initial Thoughts

December 17th, 2005 · 5 Comments · Hogwarts School of Literature, Symbology

Over time, as I read and re-read the Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter books, I want to draw the parallels between Aslan and Gryffindor and highlight their status as Christ symbols. Let’s lay the initial groundwork.
Aslan is the manifest Christ symbol of Lewis’ Narnia books. Son of the Emperor over the [...]

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Magic in Narnia and at Hogwarts

December 15th, 2005 · 7 Comments · Defense Against the Harry Haters, Hogwarts School of Literature

Is the magic in Narnia “Christian” while the magic in Harry Potter “occultic”?

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Is Harry Potter Worth the Effort?

November 28th, 2005 · 4 Comments · Hogwarts School of Literature, Hogwarts School of Theology

Is Harry Potter worth the effort? From a literary and Christian perspective, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

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Harry Potter, Perelandra, and Alchemy

September 21st, 2005 · 10 Comments · Alchemy, Hogwarts School of Literature

The alchemical framework of Harry Potter and C.S. Lewis’ “Perelandra.”

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