| C.S. Lewis & Narnia For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 8 reviews)
Sales Rank: 285123
Category: Book
Author: Richard J. Wagner
Publisher: For Dummies
Studio: For Dummies
Manufacturer: For Dummies
Label: For Dummies
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0764583816
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9780764583810
ASIN: 0764583816
Publication Date: July 14, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
C.S. Lewis & Narnia For Dummies is your guide and traveling companion as you journey into the life of C.S. Lewis, the enchanted world of Narnia, and his other classic fiction and Christian apologetics works. In December 2005, Disney will release a live-action movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first in a series of films based on C. S. Lewis?s best-known works, The Chronicles of Narnia. For fans of the classic children?s series and of Lewis?s other books, this guide illuminates the underlying symbolism in Narnia and examines the many parallels between the Narnian Chronicles and Christianity. The book also tackles such works as Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, and The Screwtape Letters,and makes these challenging books approachable and accessible to modern readers. In addition, the book chronicles how C.S. Lewis, the died-in-the-wool atheist, was transformed into arguably the most influential Christian spokesman since Martin Luther.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Dummy no more September 15, 2008
Great book!! Every question you thought you had about C.S.Lewis+ those never even thought to ask, answered in EASY-FUN to read art piece of a book.
Amazon is thee only place to purchase books. Used like NEW for penneys on a dollar & NO gas bill!!
Great book with great info! July 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wanted this to help me understand Chronicles of Narnia, and love that it comes with info about C.S. Lewis. "For Dummies" always presents information in a fun way and this is no exception. Another great resource book.
 Note which comes first in the title. May 25, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
"C. S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies" was timed to capitalize on the first Narnia film. It assumes, though, that the reader is seeking solely spiritual guidance and not critical insight and is more interested in the author than his best-known work. That limits its usefulness.
Wagner covers the characters and how they embody Christian values and human frailties in great detail, examining point-by-point how readers can identify with their great deeds and mistakes and apply the lessons they learn to one's own everyday life. (A discussion of how the dwarves of "The Last Battle" represent modern cynicism is particularly good.) The author's knowledge of Lewis's personal life lends insight (Jill Pole's rough experiences in her "experimental school" were based on Lewis's own in a similar institution; Digory's quest to save his ill mom was wish-fulfillment for Lewis, whose own mother was not so lucky). And hey - there's even a recipe for Turkish Delight!
The author's a bit weak, though, when it comes to the plots - each individual Narnia book receives the briefest of outlines (less than a page). At times, this leaves his analysis of Narnia's spiritiual lessons a bit facile; he would have been wise to cut some of the pages belaboring how, yes, Aslan is meant as an analog to Jesus in favor of exploring specific meaningful moments, like Puddleglum's "I will live like a Narnian even if there is no Narnia" speech. Also unexamined are Lewis's views on Islam as depicted through the Calormenes (no "Tash is Aslan; Aslan is Tash" here) and the Problem of Susan debacle. Both are significant, frequent fodder for challenges to the books, yet Davis elides them; judging from his tone and focus, I'd conclude that's he's perhaps loathe to present theories to which he does not subscribe or which present Lewis in a less-than-ideal light, even if only to defend him. Readers can wish to explore Lewis's allegory without fullying agreeing with its perspective, and I wish this author hadn't chosen to limit his viewpoint.
Also, the book is called "C. S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies" for a reason, as it's more dedicated to the former. The first couple chapters are an introductory paean to what a swell guy Lewis was personally, and the second half deals with Lewis's other works - Screwtape, his books on his conversion to Christianity, and so forth. (Only about 100 of the book's 350 pages deal with Narnia.) Wagner's work is, again, thorough and slightly evangelical. It's questionable, though, how much of this will be of interest to a ...for Dummies reader; these works are of a different nature, written for a different audience, and reading through Narnia is a task in itself. The level of detail - down to an exhaustive enumeration of Lewis's famous friends and his own favorite authors - is overwhelming; this is more for those already obsessed than those seeking an introduction to Lewis and Narnia.
Perhaps, then, this book shouldn't have been published under the Dummies label; it's not for a general audience lured in by a mass-market movie. If your church is planning a Narnia read-along, this book'll provide plenty of discussion ideas, but it's too vague for book-by-book discussion. If you want (much) more info on C. S. Lewis and his other writings, have at it. Those looking for a little light shone on the message of Narnia specifically, though, might look elsewhere.
 Great Information December 18, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Other than a few editing errors (such as using contractions all the time--Aslan's coming to Narnia), I have found this book to be very factual and informative about C.S. Lewis and the series itself. The author has definitely done his homework. I teach a writing class for junior high students using the Chronicles of Narnia and found the information in this book very interesting to read. I have learned a few more things about Lewis and how he thought, which makes the Chronicles even more fun to read.
very clear, impressive and thoughtful December 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the first book of Richard Wagner I have read. What a impressive and thoughtful it is! Very enthusiastic and at the same time easy-to-follow. I am going to use this book as a text for my sunday school class.
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