Too old for Narnia

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hansgeorg
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Re: Too old for Narnia

Post by hansgeorg » Mon Jul 06, 2015 9:28 am

Swanwhite wrote:Now obviously Narnia is not Neverland. There are lots of grown ups in Narnia and the surrounding lands. Lots of people even go to that world as grown-ups, the Telmarines, Frank and Helen. Though those are people who are meant to stay for some reason or other.

Another funny thing is that the Pevensies themselves have grown up in Narnia, but that didn't make them too old for Narnia while they were reigning.
It is pretty clear that first Peter and Susan and then Edmund and Lucy are getting to the Anglican/Lutheran age for getting to know Christ in our world : the age of confirmation and first communion (Catholics have since Pius X first communion at 7, though still usually confirmation same age as Anglicans and Lutherans).

Frank and Helen did not need to go back for that, in their case it was not Narnia that was their lesson for knowing Christ in Our World, it was Christianity as practised in our world which was their preparation for knowing Aslan in Narnia.

Four Pevensies had an option of same thing, possibly missed it by Susan not marrying and the rest not marrying either, and had to get back to England. They did not get any second extended reigns growing up there again. I could imagine Susan getting back as Swanwhite - alone, once she was widow after a husband in England (in that case it would no longer be Susan Pevensie but Susan NN coming to Narnia) and AFTER having very much learned to know Christ in Our World, and to a Narnian age where she would not by physically recognised as identific to Susan. On the other hand that would be against the words of Aslan as given? Perhaps still? Or shall one take "you will not return" as "you will not both return"? Or was there a passage preventing that, some time since I read books?

Frank, Helen, Telmarines are all (except the Telmarines who returned to the Island!) meant to make their salvation in the Narnian world.

And since usually, before the 16 year age limit got introduced in 18th C. as a first desperate means of limiting the outlawed practise of bride auctions, which themselves started late 17th C., marriage was licit once you were confirmed, the reason for this age of confirmation is that the minimum age of marriage was basically puberty.
jasmine_tarkheena
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Re: Too old for Narnia

Post by jasmine_tarkheena » Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:41 pm

Susan kind of thought she was too old for Narnia in The Last Battle. It reads the following
“Sir,” said Tirian, when he had greeted all these. “If I have read the chronicle aright, there should be another. Has not your Majesty two sisters? Where is Queen Susan?”

“My sister Susan,” answered Peter shortly and gravely, “is no longer a friend of Narnia.”

“Yes,” said Eustace, “and whenever you’ve tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, ‘What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.’”

“Oh Susan!” said Jill. “She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.”

“Grown-up, indeed,” said the Lady Polly. “I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.”

“Well, don’t let’s talk about that now,” said Peter.
It was never addressed before and afterwards, it's never addressed again. She gets so caught up with nylons and lipsticks and invitations. Those are not bad things, but they just don't have lasting values. She has become more like King Miraz in Prince Caspian, where he tries to convince Caspian that the old days were just fairy tales and stories, and the Lady of the Green Kirtle in The Silver Chair who tries to convince Puddleglum, Prince Rilian, Eustace and Jill that Narnia never existed, "Everything you see here, this is all there is." Even Rishda is kind of like that, where all he cares about gaining more power, though he is an upper class Tarkaan, like Tash or Aslan or any of the supernatural didn't matter to him.

I think we all wish something were real, like superheroes or princesses or dinosaurs. I love dinosaurs, and I'm glad there's not some person out there that is trying to clone dinosaurs and building an amusement park to make money off it. I might bring this up because of the third Jurassic World movie coming out this June. I don't know if I'm excited for it, but from what I've seen in the trailer, I'm thrilled they've brought back the old characters. I love the movie Jurassic Park, I'm just glad that there's not a real one that exists.

Anyhow, there's no knowing what will happen to Susan. She thought she outgrew Narnia, but who knows how long it will last?
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Re: Too old for Narnia

Post by knightofnarnia » Sun Feb 20, 2022 12:34 pm

There is no answer as Douglass Gresham once said, "Because C.S. Lewis did it on purpose to leave the story open ended. You are supposed to decide not to do what Susan did." I like one of the fan stories by Anjos (if you are reading this Anjos please finish it) where Anjos speculates what happened to Susan after The Last Battle. But that is a fanfic. The real story was written on purpose open ended
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Re: Too old for Narnia

Post by Ariel.of.Narnia » Mon Feb 21, 2022 5:52 pm

Huh, I hadn’t thought of Miraz and Lady of the Green Kirtle’s dismissal of “children’s stories” as being in a similar vein. Gonna have to think about that!
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