Prince Caspian

With Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis ventures into the broader world of Narnia. Now, it's certainly true that we visited Calormen in The Horse and His Boy—so learning in this book that Telmar, the land from which Caspian's people once hailed, is yet another of Narnia's neighbors is perhaps no great surprise.

But the world of Narnia becomes broader not just due to geography. It grows because the lines between the White Hats and Black Hats becomes just a little fuzzier. The titular hero of the story, it turns out, is really the most chief of the Black Hats. And more than just one of the folks in the camp of the White Hats turns out to be a villain. So, in our own twisted way, and in more ways than one, Narnia starts looking more and more like our own world.

This month, in addition to a rather tongue-in-cheek story synopsis that Jenn and I intend as a nod to the story structure of Prince Caspian itself, George Rosok offers up a critique of the novel against the very standards which Lewis himself set for the genre of “children's stories.” Also, Kathy Bledsoe takes a look at the spiritual significance of yet another (seemingly) warped aspect of the story: Aslan's “holiday” with Bacchus and the boys—and girls!