Summer Challenge Sharing Thread 2017

[Lucy Took]

I think I'm liking the stream of consciousness posts. I read it over lunch break, but here's what's stood out so far-

I forgot how much of this story takes place in England. It's not an unreasonable amount, but rereading it it gives it a different feel from the other books that spend the vast majority of their time in Narnia. MN spends a lot of time in England too, maybe that's what makes them both good intro books, they're more grounded and then jump into Narnia, whereas the other books assume you know the drill.

Oh. Fenris Ulf. I forgot I had picked up my American copy. I had originally planned on using my full color copy of LWW for this challenge (And I still might for later chapters) and that's the English edition. My American set is just the smallest and therefor easiest to slip in my purse for reading when I have a minute.

I tend to think of Peter as such a blank slate of a character, but he really is asserting his personality with me now. He really is the one that I see adapting best to being king right away, he's making good, balanced, brotherly choices. When he sees that Lucy wasn't making it up, he asks for forgiveness right away. He knows Lucy well enough to know she isn't outright lying, so he goes to an adult to try and get to the bottom of things, all around stand up guy.

Also, I kinda understand Peter's madness theory at first. I can see someone Lucy's age making up an imagined world to escape how bad the real world was at the time, and then getting so caught up in the imagined world that they can't tell the difference between the truth and the lie. But Professor Kirk is right of course, if that was the case then Lucy wouldn't just be gone for a minute and come back with stories.

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

(@Swan: Ah! I understand now.)

Chapter 4:

The part I like best is the application of Lewis’ own argument about Jesus being either a lunatic, liar or Lord (called the “trilemma” by theologians).

Again, we appear to be on the same wavelength, 'cause I was totally thinking about that!

Honestly, I didn't really come up with much more for this chapter, except that the Professor is clearly so open to being "quite at their disposal". In a day and age when even parents are making less and less time for their kids, it was refreshing to read of an adult (and one quite unrelated to the kids, no less) dropping whatever he was doing to listen to their concerns. (On that note too, the book makes it pretty clear that the kids had at least some kind of a relationship with him, unlike the 2005 movie in which they don't see him until Lucy made that late-night commotion. I mean, at the very least, they had meals together.)


Chapter 5:
Okay, bit of a blooper observation, but has anyone else questioned how Peter could hold the wardrobe door closed and yet be far enough into the wardrobe to be sitting on snow? I'm only noticing this now myself.
As someone else has already pointed out (sorry, don't remember who), Peter's kingly attributes are beginning to bud here. He apologizes as soon as he realizes he's been in the wrong and offers peace. He naturally falls into the leadership role, but defers to Lucy once he figures that she'd be the better leader based on her experience. And, despite the tension between him and Edmund, he's open to Edmund's counsel.
I also noticed that the kids display a level of practicality. Susan points out that the coats wouldn't leave the wardrobe (even though that turns out to not be the way it works, but it does make sense in the moment) and she expresses concern over things like the cold, their lack of food, and safety. Peter also voices his concern about the food, but he's also mindful that there's no guarantee of getting back to Narnia once you've left it. Edmund brings up the very good point about the fact that they're simply trusting the Robin when they really have no reason to, and besides that, they haven't really been paying any attention to where it was leading them. (On top of that, he's considerate enough to discuss this quietly with Peter so as not to scare the girls. That or he's hoping that, by talking to only Peter, he won't be ganged up on by all three.) And Lucy... well, this probably falls in the naive category more than it does the practical, but Tumnus got into trouble on her account, so she figures that means she must do something to rectify it.

[hobbit_of_narnia]

@Nia: I noticed the bit about the Witch knowing about where the wardrobe was, too. I think it was time before last that I first noticed it? I was reading and suddenly went, "Wait.....what?"
(Also I love how, in the Walden Media LWW, the Professor really gets interested once they mention the forest in the wardrobe. He might have thought at first that the forest being referred to was the Wood Between the Worlds.)

@Ajjie: Awwww, thanks!

@Ariel: The distance between the wood and the wardrobe door seems to be rather inconsistent. There are a couple of rows of coats when Lucy first goes in, enough space for Edmund to get properly lost the second time, and by the third it's right there.

@Ajjie and Ariel: ....I need a tinfoil hat. I thought the exact same thing (about the lunatic, liar, or Lord thing).


Day 3:

(Again, dark-haired Edmund. Skandar Keynes has completely obliterated any chances of me ever again having a blonde-Ed mental image.)

Day 4:

(I have no idea what kind of animal this is. I think it was supposed to be a beaver...? I've seriously got to get over my fear of reference pictures.)

I love that Lucy just assumes everyone in Narnia is nice (except for the Witch, of course):
"'I don't think you're a bad Faun at all,' said Lucy. 'I think you are a very good Faun.'" (chapter 2)
"Then [Lucy] turned to the Robin and said, 'Please, can you tell us where Tumnus the Faun has been taken to?'" (chapter 6)
"'I think it's a nice beaver,' said Lucy." (chapter 7)

I used to wonder how all of Narnia wasn't completely covered in snow hundreds of feet deep, until I remembered the Witch's dwarf's line (coming up in a few chapters), "This is no thaw," which implies that once in a while the snow would melt a bit for a short while. But I'm still rather uncertain as to how every plant in Narnia hadn't died. The grass and flowers we can assume came with the magic Aslan brought with him, but the deciduous trees...! I think I'll just have to do what I do with Tolkien's books all the time and go, "Well, if you say so, I'll take your word for it."

I think part of the reason I stick to the written order of the books rather than the chronological order (please no one kill me for having said that) is because of lines like "None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do." If MN was meant to be read before LWW, that line wouldn't make much sense.

Also...a sewing machine?? This feels even more out of place than the clock on Bilbo's mantelpiece in "The Hobbit"! Neither require electricity, of course, but they do require a higher level of technology than you see anywhere else in their respective worlds.

Wow, that got long.

[Ajnos]

@Tooky: I was thinking at the start how many chapters go by before the Narnian adventure starts. We also don't really realise how many weeks of their summer and other exploring (in and out of the house) happen in between Lucy's first visit and all the children finding Narnia. I find it so amazing reading the English bits these days after having lived in England. As a kid, England was as foreign to me as Narnia (and I thought I had as much chance of ever seeing it) but now I find myself appreciating better the descriptions. It reminds me of little remote train stations I got to wait at and makes me think of the grand old houses I got to tour (there were only like 2; I saw more cathedrals) and wonder where exactly this house is supposed to be since it has mountains nearby. And I can appreciate the descriptions of the woodlands and the weather so much better. And summer holidays. I didn't really get what a summer holiday is since here its synonymous with Christmas

@Ariel: I think it's kinda obvious that Lewis added in the not closing the door bits later because they bring up a few inconsitencies (like as Niff pointed out; how did Lucy and Ed get out after Ed closed it?) But if it served its purpose of preventing kids getting locked in wardrobes I guess its all good.

@Hobbit: I was also thinking about what 100 years of snow would do. Especially the scene that describes the river and dam. It's a beautiful scene, but its hard to imagine that the rushing and spurting water (even if it had frozen in an instant when the witch first cast her spell) would still be visible after all this time. Apart from new snow covering it, there would be erosion and stuff, especially if there were partial thaws and refreezes. But on the other hand; this is a magic and therefore unnatural winter. Oh well.

[narniac101]

Also...a sewing machine?? This feels even more out of place than the clock on Bilbo's mantelpiece in "The Hobbit"! Neither require electricity, of course, but they do require a higher level of technology than you see anywhere else in their respective worlds.

(My take on the sewing machine was that maybe Frank and Helen introduced the idea during their reign?? Or maybe there were a lot of avid inventor-seamstresses in Narnia, Idk.)

[Swanwhite]

Catching up I was at my Granny's all yesterday and at the Dentist's this morning, but I'm back at it now.



You see
there are three
possibilities
Yes?
Madness
A lie
Or a fact
I am quite certain that she is not mad
and you know of her trustworthy track.




I pieced together a kind of found poem from this chapter. It's kind of a fun experiment picking out fragments to try and capture the impact of the chapter.


“Isn’t is cold?”
“And it’s getting light!”
“By jove you’re right!”
“No mistaking it”
“Will you shake hands?”
… “a bit to the left
If we’re aiming for the lamp-”
“Of all the poisonous little beasts”
“I think Lu ought to lead”
Everyone agreed.

Odd looking tree
Uneven ground and valley
Terrible surprise
Wrenched off its hinges
Broken to bits
Dark cold damp
Ashes stamped out
“Pretty good washout”

“We can’t just go home
Don’t you see?
He hid me”
“A lot we could do!”
“Shut up -- you!”

“There’s a robin!”
redder chest
brighter eye
“Might as well try”
easily follow
shower of snow
“a guide we know nothing about.”

[Ajnos]

The sewing machine does kinda stand out as out-of-place but the old fashioned sort don't necessarily require overly advanced technology. More odd is the idea that she requires a sewing machine at all; Narnian animals aren't normally depicted as clothed (though Mr Beaver puts on boots). I guess she might sell to dwarves and make curtains and table cloths and stuff. There are a few other things about their house that make them seem like Lewis saw them as a lot more anthropomorphic than later depictions of Narnian animals. They have a stove, they cook their food. Where did they get milk and potatoes and butter and beer from? They have a kettle. Why do they have fishing rods if Mr Beaver doesn't need one? There was some controversy recently about beaver conservationists blaming Lewis for making people think beavers eat fish, but these were clearly not normal beavers. Having said this, I love the beavers and their homely house (beavers were my second favourite animal after hedgehogs as a kid).

Day 4: Chapters 7&8

(This didn't cone out quite how I would have liked if I'd had more time. Sorry for typos and the paragraph breaks are a bit off)

A traitor mends his ways

Mr and Mrs Beaver were settled down to a quiet evening. Dinner was finished and Mr Beaver sat smoking his pipe while Mrs Beaver rocked on her chair, her knitting needles clicking away. Suddenly there was a rap on the door and a muffled call. Mr Beaver got up and opened the door cautiously. A distraut-looking faun stood there. It had been snowing heavily and despite his umbrella he was soaked. “Mr Beaver,” said the faun, “The most terrible thing has happened!” He looked like he was going to start crying.

“Tumnus?” said Mr Beaver, and motioned him in. Mr Beaver pulled up two stools close to the wood stove and asked Mrs Beaver to bring the faun a glass of water. “Now, Tumnus, what brings you here so late in this weather?” Tumnus sipped some water and swallowed “I don’t know where to begin,” said the faun.“Start at the beginning, young faun,” said the beaver calmly.

“It..it started some weeks ago. I was on my way home, just passing the lamppost when I met...” he trailed off. “Go on,” encouraged Mr Beaver. “I met … a daughter of Eve.” You could hear the sound of Mr Beaver sucking in air. The clicking noise of Mrs Beaver’s needles stopped quite suddenly. Mr Tumnus looked like he was going to start crying again.

“Are you quite sure?” asked Mr Beaver. “Where is she now?” asked his wife.“I’m not sure,” answered the faun miserably. “I think she’s safe, but I haven’t seen her in over a week.”
“Why did you not bring her to us the moment you met her?” asked Mrs Beaver. “She insisted on leaving,” said Mr Tumnus. “But there’s more.” There was another pause. “…I…that first time I met her… Oh, bothet it all!” Pulling himself together, he finally confessed, “For the past year, I have been in the pay of the White Witch. I’m not now….” he quickly clarified, “but I have been accepting pay from her for any information regarding sons of Adam or daughters of Eve. There were rumours that they would first appear in the vicinity of the lamppost and my house is close by.

“My plan was to kidnap her and hand her over, but…” here he broke down again and pulled out Lucy’s handkerchief to blow his nose. He contined, “She was so sweet and innocent and suddenly I realised what a bad faun I’ve been. Not at all like the stories you read about humans in books. So I changed my mind, told her all and helped her find her way back home. Apparently there’s a magical portal between her world and ours.” He wiped his eyes with the handkerchief, but was starting to feel better. There was silence for a moment.

Tumnus turned to Mr Beaver. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to makes things right. I thought it was best to let her go hoem after what I’d nearly done. I didn’t want to risk her being seen with me.” Finally Mr Beaver spoke, “I thought so.”

“What do you mean?” said Mr Tumnus and Mrs Beaver in unison. “I thought Tumnus was working for the Witch,” answered Beaver, “I can tell when you’ve eaten her food.”

“But you’ve never said anything before?” said Mrs Beaver, surprised. “We’ve had him in our house before. How did you know it was safe to let him in now.”

“If I had confronted him when he was in her sway, he might have turned us over to her. But I thought he would come right. He has his father’s heart.” Tumnus was overwhelmed, “I don’t deserve your kindness. I don’t deserve anything.”

“What is past is past,” said the beaver, “Having repented, you will serve our side better than you ever served hers. But come now. This is not the end of the story, is it?”

Tumnus blew his nose. “No. A few days after our first meeting, Lucy – that’s the name of the daughter of Eve – came back to my house. She was most pleased I had not been found out. But that time she told me more about herself. She explained about the portal that lets her come and go between her world and ours, but that it doesn’t always work. She said that she had told her siblings about me but when she brought them to the door, they couldn’t get through and that her siblings didn’t believe that Narnia was real.”

“she has siblings?” said Mr Beaver, leaning forward. Tumnus nodded. “One sister and two brothers. There are four of them.” Mrs Beaver gasped and clapped her paws. “Could it be?”

“I think it could!” said Mr Beaver, his eyes lighting up. “There are rumours, messages brought on the wind. I think the time is near.”

“And that is what brings me here,” said Tumnus, suddenly getting serious. “I think I may have been found out. There have been strange noises and whisperings around my cave. The other night, in the fading light I think I saw a wolf.”

“Oh no, dear!” said Mrs Beaver, “We must find you a safe place to hide!” “No,” countered Tumnus. “My home is the only place Lucy knows. If she comes back she will go there first and I must be there for her. She said she would try convince her brothers and sister to come. My place is at home.”

“But what about her spies? If there are wolves about, you know what that means,” asked Mrs Beaver. “That is why I need your help.” If something should happen to me, I need someone to be there for the children and to guide them.”

“Of course,” said Mr BeVer, nodding. We will do what we can. Are you sure you want to stay in your cave? We could set up a round the clock watch for the children.”

“No,” said Tumnus with conviction. “I must do this. It is the best I can do to make up for my treachery.” The beavers didn’t argue. “Here,” said Mr Tumnus suddenly, with a sense of hesitancy in his voice. He shook out Lucy’s handkerchief and held it out it to Mr Beaver, “Take this. It belonged to the daughter of Eve. It will be a sign to her that you are on her side.” Mr Beaver took it carefully aware that it was not easy for Tumnus to give it up.

Mrs Beaver the offered Mr Tumnus tea and food and the three fell to discussing their plans.

[Lucy Took]

More random observations-

I really wasn't expecting one of my biggest take aways from this reread to be how great a person Peter is, but it really is. Go Peter.

You know, I used to question the sewing machine and have now some to accept it because magical world, talking animals, ect. It's not like they have to progress in the same ways and at the same rate as the human world. But what I really don't get about this section is how do you build a dam in a frozen stream? Seriously, Mr. Beaver could have chipped away at the ice and placed the logs but...the water is frozen, it wouldn't dam up. How does this work?! Also, I'm looking at my fully illustrated picture of Mrs. Beaver with her sewing machine and it is a totally charming picture. But the machine has no foot peddles? You know what, I'm just calling artistic license on this whole thing.

I have a necklace with the shield and the Wrong will be right poem engraved on the back. I rather fancy that necklace.

I was waiting for my frozen pot pie to heat in the microwave while reading about the fish. I really, really wanted some fresh caught fish instead of a frozen beef pot pie. Thanks for all of the good food descriptions, Lewis.

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

Chapter 7:
I've often wondered about some of the things in the Beavers' house. Not so much the foodstuffs (that, I just chalk up to their being Talking Animals and more anthropomorphic), but things like the boots and the fishing rods and buckets for... mortar? And bunks. Plural. Do they sleep in separate beds? Did they have kids? Did they set up for guests the way we might have guest rooms?
*sigh* I don't think I've much had this problem before, but I'd really like to try some of that fish now. And I really, really can't because of my allergy. Sadness....

Chapter 8:
Ajjie! Stop it! We're on the same page again!! (Though I will admit that my repentant-Tumnus-talks-to-the-Beavers scenario was shaping up a little differently. )
You know, I think this may be my favourite chapter. Ah, second-favourite (resurrection beats it out ). The way Mr Beaver describes Aslan with such reverence, awe, certainty, and vibrancy. Ach. It's lovely. And the chunk in which they discuss fear and trembling when one meets him, but at the same time, he's good. And the repetition of "you can't help Tumnus, but Aslan can" just rings so true. I'm running out of words.

[Ajnos]

@Swan: Love, love, love the Professor picture!! It looks just right!!!

But what I really don't get about this section is how do you build a dam in a frozen stream? Seriously, Mr. Beaver could have chipped away at the ice and placed the logs but...the water is frozen, it wouldn't dam up. How does this work?! Also, I'm looking at my fully illustrated picture of Mrs. Beaver with her sewing machine and it is a totally charming picture. But the machine has no foot peddles? You know what, I'm just calling artistic license on this whole thing.

I'm seriously starting to think that the Lewis hadn't yet decided that the winter had lasted 100 years at this point. That would explain Tumnus being able to remember summers in the wood and the whole Beaver's dam bit. (Though I suppose that the frozen status of the river *might* explain why he needed shovels and stuff ).

Alternatively (sorry, I'm thinking as I write) maybe the thaws referred to were quite substantial. It's not like it has to snow and be totally frozen all winter long (the winters I spent in Britain had remarkably little snow). "Always winter" doesn't mean "always like it is right now". There could be milder periods where the river unfreezes etc. That would also explain Hobbit's question of how the trees hadn't all died.

@Tooky, regarding the picture, Pauline's pictures are beautiful but not exactly most accurate. Like what's going on with the Beavers' tails? On the other hand, it looks like she's opperating the sewing machine with the handle, which is quite doable, but just a lot of work

@Ariel. Yes!! Those bunkbeds!! I had meant to comment on them. I couldn't help but think of Doctor Who where Amy complains about the bunkbeds she and Rory have to sleep in and he replies "bunkbeds are cool!!"