Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Michael Wa

Description: Planet Narnia by Michael Ward Subtitled, "The Seven Heavens In The Imagination Of C.S. Lewis". Ward explains his theory that the seven books in Lewiss "Narnia" series were each based around the seven medieval planets of the solar system. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewiss famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spensers Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the structure of Narnias symbolism has remained a mystery.Michael Ward has finally solved the enigma. In Planet Narnia he demonstrates that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on thewhole range of Lewiss writings (including previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles), Ward reveals how the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - - Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value" and "especially worthwhile in our own generation". Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that in each book theplot-line, the ornamental details, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality. The cosmological theme of each Chronicle is what Lewiscalled the kappa element in romance, the atmospheric essence of a story, everywhere present but nowhere explicit. The reader inhabits this atmosphere and thus imaginatively gains connaître knowledge of the spiritual character which the tale was created to embody. Planet Narnia is a ground-breaking study that will provoke a major revaluation not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewiss whole literary and theological outlook. Ward uncovers amuch subtler writer and thinker than has previously been recognized, whose central interests were hiddenness, immanence, and knowledge by acquaintance. Notes Subtitled, The Seven Heavens In The Imagination Of C.S. Lewis. Ward explains his theory that the seven books in Lewiss Narnia series were each based around the seven medieval planets of the solar system. Author Biography Michael Ward, Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. Table of Contents PrefaceChapter One - SilenceChapter Two - The PlanetsChapter Three - JupiterChapter Four - MarsChapter Five - SolChapter Six - LunaChapter Seven - MercuryChapter Eight - VenusChapter Nine - SaturnChapter Ten - Primum MobileChapter Eleven - The Music of the SpheresChapter Twelve - CodaList of AbbreviationsNotesBibliographyGeneral IndexBiblical Index Review "I cannot contain my admiration. No other book on Lewis has ever shown such comprehensive knowledge of his works and such depth of insight. This will make Michael Wards name." --Walter Hooper, Literary Adviser to the Estate of C.S. Lewis"Noting Michael Wards claim that he has discovered "the secret imaginative key" to the Narnia books, the sensible reader responds by erecting a castle of scepticism. My own castle was gradually but utterly demolished as I read this thoughtful, scholarly, and vividly-written book. If Ward is wrong, his wrongness is cogent: it illuminates and delights. But I dont think he is wrong. And in revealing the role of the planets in the Chronicles, Ward also gives usthe fullest understanding yet of just how deeply Lewis in his own fiction drew upon those medieval and renaissance writers he so loved." --Alan Jacobs, Professor of English, Wheaton College and authorof The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis"Michael Ward presents an absorbing, learned analysis of C.S. Lewiss bestselling and beloved series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Readily accessible to the average reader, Wards book reads so much like a detective story that its difficult to put down." --Armand M. Nicholi, Jr. M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and author of The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud"All who have enjoyed the The Chronicles of Narnia and indeed are interested in any aspect of Lewiss imaginative work should read Michael Wards book. He argues convincingly for a hitherto unrecognized inner structure of the Chronicles, and gives excellent reasons for understanding why Lewis should have worked in such a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Ward has an encyclopedic knowledge of Lewiss writings and uses it to support his theory thateach of the seven volumes of the The Chronicles of Narnia is based on the classical, medieval and renaissance mythography of one of the then seven planets. Even those critics who dislike the Narnia books inprinciple because of their implicit Christianity must consider their planetary structure and its significance. Michael Ward has made an outstanding contribution to Lewis studies." --Derek Brewer, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Cambridge"Planet Narnia is not simply one for the fans. Lewis had, and has, many enemies. This brilliant study may not persuade them that he was right, but it should convince them of his extraordinary subtlety." --The Independent"MIchael Wards stunning work of scholarship has shone a celestial light on the Chronicles of Narnia, and it will undoubtedly send many old friends of Narnia back through the wardrobe to explore the land again with new eyes."--Church of England Newspaper"An argument which is at once subtle and sensible, a combination not often found in modern academic writing. . . . This is an outstanding guide not only to Narnia, but also to Lewiss thinking as a whole, and to the genial medieval world-view which he so much loved and wished to restore, not in fact but through fantasy."--Books & Culture"Planet Narnia is one of the most creative works of scholarship I have read. . . . Ward has made a brilliant discovery. . . . [B]y thinking seriously about Lewiss life-long interest in the medieval imagination, Ward has uncovered a symbolic structure in the seven books that deepens both their literary and theological significance. He also reveals Lewis to be a better writer than we knew . . . [A]n important work of scholarship . . . absorbing . . .serious . . . rich . . . a brilliant work to be savoured, read often and kept at hand when re-reading Lewiss novels."--The Catholic Register"Brilliantly conceived. Intellectually provocative. Rhetorically convincing. A panegyric is not the usual way to begin a book review, but Michael Wards Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis is worthy of such praise. I do not mean to suggest it is a perfect book, yet what Ward attempts - the first rigorously comprehensive reading of C.S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia - is magisterial . . . stimulating and engaging . . . important . .. thoughtful, informed, perceptive. . . . [E]very serious student of Lewis should buy Planet Narnia. In effect, it is the starting point from now forward for all serious scholarly discussions of theChronicles of Narnia."--Christianity and Literature"This feat of scholarly detective work will absorb your attention from start to finish. Michael Ward proposes a heretofore unnoticed structure that unifies the Chronicles of Narnia, based on Lewiss lifelong engagement with medieval astrology. . . . The result is both surprising and persuasive."--Christianity Today"Ward builds up a painstaking case based on Lewiss other writings, particularly his works on the medieval world-view and his "planetary" trilogy. And a compelling case it is, too, built on exhaustive evidence of the way in which Lewis the Christian convert still found the imaginative universe of paganism and medieval astrology rich and allusive. . . . Wards painstaking scholarship should help dispel two critical stereotypes: Lewis the unsubtle Christianpropagandist, and Lewis the literary Reliant Robin parked next to the Rolls-Royce that is J.R.R. Tolkien."--Church Times"Wards contention, simply stated, is breathtakingly elegant." --The Journal of Religion"One comes away from this study convinced that Wards theory is believable, particularly given Lewiss knowledge of medieval scholarship and Christianity. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers, all levels."--Choice"All Narnia specialists should read this book . . . the lengthy footnotes and interesting illustrations paralleling Pauline Bayness artistry with classical pictures of the gods are further evidence of meticulous research. . . . Wards discovery is crucial to our appreciation of Narnia."--Christian Librarian: The Journal of the Librarians Christian Fellowship"An intriguing analysis."--Sacramento News & Reviews"The work that can be considered the most groundbreaking is Michael Wards Planet Narnia. This text offers an entirely new way of understanding and reading both Lewiss science fiction Space Trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia...Far from spoiling or seeming to devalue the message and rich beauty of Lewis works, Wards revelations serve to deepen ones appreciation for and understanding of them. Ward is a thorough and careful guidewho provides an in-depth textual study of how Lewiss fascination with the medieval understanding of the cosmos is found throughout the texts."--Anglican and Episcopal History Promotional A major breakthrough in the study of The Chronicles of Narnia, uncovering the underlying symbolic structure of the seven immensely popular novels Long Description For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewiss famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spensers Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the structure of Narnias symbolism has remained a mystery. Michael Ward has finally solved the enigma. In Planet Narnia he demonstrates that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on thewhole range of Lewiss writings (including previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles), Ward reveals how the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - - Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value" and "especially worthwhile in our own generation". Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that in each book theplot-line, the ornamental details, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality. The cosmological theme of each Chronicle is what Lewiscalled the kappa element in romance, the atmospheric essence of a story, everywhere present but nowhere explicit. The reader inhabits this atmosphere and thus imaginatively gains connaître knowledge of the spiritual character which the tale was created to embody. Planet Narnia is a ground-breaking study that will provoke a major revaluation not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewiss whole literary and theological outlook. Ward uncovers amuch subtler writer and thinker than has previously been recognized, whose central interests were hiddenness, immanence, and knowledge by acquaintance. Review Text "I cannot contain my admiration. No other book on Lewis has ever shown such comprehensive knowledge of his works and such depth of insight. This will make Michael Wards name." --Walter Hooper, Literary Adviser to the Estate of C.S. Lewis"Noting Michael Wards claim that he has discovered "the secret imaginative key" to the Narnia books, the sensible reader responds by erecting a castle of scepticism. My own castle was gradually but utterly demolished as I read this thoughtful, scholarly, and vividly-written book. If Ward is wrong, his wrongness is cogent: it illuminates and delights. But I dont think he is wrong. And in revealing the role of the planets in the Chronicles, Ward also gives usthe fullest understanding yet of just how deeply Lewis in his own fiction drew upon those medieval and renaissance writers he so loved." --Alan Jacobs, Professor of English, Wheaton College and authorof The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis"Michael Ward presents an absorbing, learned analysis of C.S. Lewiss bestselling and beloved series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Readily accessible to the average reader, Wards book reads so much like a detective story that its difficult to put down." --Armand M. Nicholi, Jr. M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and author of The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud"All who have enjoyed the The Chronicles of Narnia and indeed are interested in any aspect of Lewiss imaginative work should read Michael Wards book. He argues convincingly for a hitherto unrecognized inner structure of the Chronicles, and gives excellent reasons for understanding why Lewis should have worked in such a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Ward has an encyclopedic knowledge of Lewiss writings and uses it to support his theory thateach of the seven volumes of the The Chronicles of Narnia is based on the classical, medieval and renaissance mythography of one of the then seven planets. Even those critics who dislike the Narnia books inprinciple because of their implicit Christianity must consider their planetary structure and its significance. Michael Ward has made an outstanding contribution to Lewis studies." --Derek Brewer, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Cambridge"Planet Narnia is not simply one for the fans. Lewis had, and has, many enemies. This brilliant study may not persuade them that he was right, but it should convince them of his extraordinary subtlety." --The Independent"MIchael Wards stunning work of scholarship has shone a celestial light on the Chronicles of Narnia, and it will undoubtedly send many old friends of Narnia back through the wardrobe to explore the land again with new eyes."--Church of England Newspaper"An argument which is at once subtle and sensible, a combination not often found in modern academic writing. . . . This is an outstanding guide not only to Narnia, but also to Lewiss thinking as a whole, and to the genial medieval world-view which he so much loved and wished to restore, not in fact but through fantasy."--Books & Culture"Planet Narnia is one of the most creative works of scholarship I have read. . . . Ward has made a brilliant discovery. . . . [B]y thinking seriously about Lewiss life-long interest in the medieval imagination, Ward has uncovered a symbolic structure in the seven books that deepens both their literary and theological significance. He also reveals Lewis to be a better writer than we knew . . . [A]n important work of scholarship . . . absorbing . . .serious . . . rich . . . a brilliant work to be savoured, read often and kept at hand when re-reading Lewiss novels."--The Catholic Register"Brilliantly conceived. Intellectually provocative. Rhetorically convincing. A panegyric is not the usual way to begin a book review, but Michael Wards Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis is worthy of such praise. I do not mean to suggest it is a perfect book, yet what Ward attempts - the first rigorously comprehensive reading of C.S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia - is magisterial . . . stimulating and engaging . . . important . .. thoughtful, informed, perceptive. . . . [E]very serious student of Lewis should buy Planet Narnia. In effect, it is the starting point from now forward for all serious scholarly discussions of theChronicles of Narnia."--Christianity and Literature"This feat of scholarly detective work will absorb your attention from start to finish. Michael Ward proposes a heretofore unnoticed structure that unifies the Chronicles of Narnia, based on Lewiss lifelong engagement with medieval astrology. . . . The result is both surprising and persuasive."--Christianity Today"Ward builds up a painstaking case based on Lewiss other writings, particularly his works on the medieval world-view and his "planetary" trilogy. And a compelling case it is, too, built on exhaustive evidence of the way in which Lewis the Christian convert still found the imaginative universe of paganism and medieval astrology rich and allusive. . . . Wards painstaking scholarship should help dispel two critical stereotypes: Lewis the unsubtle Christianpropagandist, and Lewis the literary Reliant Robin parked next to the Rolls-Royce that is J.R.R. Tolkien."--Church Times"Wards contention, simply stated, is breathtakingly elegant." --The Journal of Religion"One comes away from this study convinced that Wards theory is believable, particularly given Lewiss knowledge of medieval scholarship and Christianity. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers, all levels."--Choice"All Narnia specialists should read this book . . . the lengthy footnotes and interesting illustrations paralleling Pauline Bayness artistry with classical pictures of the gods are further evidence of meticulous research. . . . Wards discovery is crucial to our appreciation of Narnia."--Christian Librarian: The Journal of the Librarians Christian Fellowship"An intriguing analysis."--Sacramento News & Reviews"The work that can be considered the most groundbreaking is Michael Wards Planet Narnia. This text offers an entirely new way of understanding and reading both Lewiss science fiction Space Trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia...Far from spoiling or seeming to devalue the message and rich beauty of Lewis works, Wards revelations serve to deepen ones appreciation for and understanding of them. Ward is a thorough and careful guidewho provides an in-depth textual study of how Lewiss fascination with the medieval understanding of the cosmos is found throughout the texts."--Anglican and Episcopal History Review Quote The whole book is so engagingly written, and so illuminating about medieval symbolism in general. Feature A major breakthrough in the study of The Chronicles of Narnia, uncovering the underlying symbolic structure of the seven immensely popular novelsSelling point: Draws on previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles and refers to Lewiss own private marginalia in books that have survived from his personal library. Details ISBN019973870X Author Michael Ward Short Title PLANET NARNIA Language English ISBN-10 019973870X ISBN-13 9780199738700 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2010 DEWEY 823.912 Illustrations Yes Subtitle The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis Residence Miami Publication Date 2010-05-27 Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States UK Release Date 2010-05-27 AU Release Date 2010-05-27 NZ Release Date 2010-05-27 US Release Date 2010-05-27 Illustrator Paul Barruel Birth 1940 Death 1593 Affiliation Associate Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto Position Associate Professor Qualifications PhD. Pages 384 Publisher Oxford University Press Inc Alternative 9780195313871 Audience Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:97825548;

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