I've lately been reading this Narnia deconstruction

[conuly]

http://www.anamardoll.com/2011/02/narnia-narnia-deconstruction-index-post.html

She didn't finish the whole series, but that's all right. It got me thinking a bit. The whole "kid from our world goes to fantasy world and saves the day" trope is exceedingly common, which has to mean that in Narnia type worlds, the publishers are churning out books about kids coming to strange lands without magic and saving the day. That's got to be how it works :)

Comments

[the_rck]

Ana Mardoll's deconstructions have really changed how I view The Chronicles of Narnia. They're intellectually chewy, so to speak. I still love Narnia (I write fic for it occasionally), but I'm not thinking more deeply about its flaws.

If you're interested in discussion on Narnia, you might try here. It's a discussion that's kinder to the canon and to Lewis than Mardoll's critique, but it's still sporadically active, and you'd be welcome to introduce new topics.

[conuly]

I've had my issues with Narnia ever since I (belatedly) realized it was a big ol' Christian agenda. (Atheist kid, in an atheist household. This was so not on my radar.) I'd already picked up on the uncomfortable sexist and racial undertones, but I was able to file them under "everybody knows the past sucked".