Where the Past Meets the Present: The Last Battle

One more C.S. Lewis book to discuss this month...

The Last Battle.

Certainly has an epic title! There's a solemn ring to it, though - after all, "last" suggests finality, a conclusion to a series and thus a farewell to the characters and the land of Narnia.

For those who haven't read the book, there are a lot of references to the book of Revelation within the pages. We won't discuss the theology behind it, but let's grab onto that idea of a book being inspired by events past, present, or future - or by other important works, stories, etc.

C.S. Lewis "Chronicles of Narnia" series fits within the fantasy genre. In The Last Battle Lewis takes elements of Revelation - people/creatures and events - and looks at them through a fantastical perspective. Narnia is taken over by an ape and a gullible donkey, and the Narnians buy into the fake Aslan these two present because they're desperate for any sign of him. But those who truly know Aslan cannot be fooled by a costume...

And so it begins.

Obviously The Last Battle is not some new form of the book of Revelation. It is simply inspired (not divinely, just to clarify!) by Scripture and presents one man's wrestling with his understanding of it, as well as his attempts to help others think about things in a new way. (At least, that's what I'm assuming. But I'm not C.S. Lewis, so only God knows what he was thinking as he was writing!) And that can be a great impetus for other stories, as well.

Consider historical fiction. Those books are not attempting to replace true history. Rather, they are often representations of authors' passions for certain eras, their struggles with getting into the hearts and minds of people who lived during certain historical events, and their efforts to help readers understand timeless truths in a different light.

How do you feel about historical fiction? Biblical fiction? Fantasy?

How about your own writing? Is there a certain historical event you want to look at from an entirely different perspective? Is there a famous story that you think could be told in a new, thought-provoking way? (Consider the popularity of fairy-tale retellings!)

P.S. If you missed them, here are my posts on Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

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Where the Past Meets the Present: Prince Caspian

Well, another week has come and gone (said in a wistful, Charlie-Brown-like voice). Last Monday I stated my desire to give new life to this feature (and my reading habits) by diving into some C.S. Lewis books this month (What I Should Be Reading). But I must confess that my reading goals on my personal blog - catching up on review books during the End of Summer Push - has taken precedence over Prince Caspian...

However, I did at least start Prince Caspian, I'm happy to say! I'm not quite a third of the way through, so I'll focus today's post on novel beginnings.

Prince Caspian is a sequel (technically the fourth in the "Chronicles of Narnia" series, but from what I've heard of the third book, this is really the sequel to the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). The first paragraph references The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and it doesn't quite stand out as a shining example of an exciting hook, although it is interesting in its own right. 

So let's just move on to the opening scenes. While our schooling experiences might not be the same as that of the Pevensie children, most readers can relate to the drag of school starting again. What better time for an adventure to begin than when the main characters are least expecting it, and are, in fact, expecting the future to be rather dull and sad? Then, boom!, they're called away to the land of Narnia where everything is the opposite of what they had been dreading. Now they're concerned about survival, about remembering past glory, and about figuring out the mystery of their return to Narnia.

In our own writing, starting a story out in a place of uncertainty or fear or even boredom and then quickly changing up the pace and the expectations can be a great way of drawing the reader in and creating sympathy for and interest in the characters. It's certainly one option worth exploring! 

I could go on and talk more about sequels... But for the moment it's late Sunday night (or early Monday morning - whichever way you want to look at it) where I am, so I'm going to leave it at this for now. Hopefully I'll have some more reading and preparation under my belt for the next post! Thank you for your patience, and I look forward to exploring Narnia more in my reading and through these posts!

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Where the Past Meets the Present: How Novel!

Dictionary.com defines the adjective "novel" as -

Of a new kind; different from anything seen or known before.

While novelty is not the only thing that causes a novel or other literary work to resonate with the reader and stand out in the ever-growing crowd of books, it still is something worth considering.

C.S. Lewis' writing certainly draws attention, if my college literature class dedicated entirely to the study of the works of C.S. Lewis is any indication. And he certainly shows quite a bit of novelty in The Screwtape Letters.

Here's the definition of the book from HarperCollins Publishers:

"In this humorous and perceptive exchange between two devils, C. S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good vs. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace. Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better understanding of what it means to live a faithful life."

What can writers learn from The Screwtape Letters about novelty?

• Presentation: The third-person POV is pretty popular, as is narration shared in first-person. Generally, these are good avenues for telling a story through a novel - and I'll be the first to admit that I'm fond of writing in third-person! But if you really want to shake things up, perhaps a change in presentation/layout can help. If you haven't read The Screwtape Letters, I'm sure you can surmise from the title that the story is told through letters. While the viewpoint is quite biased, this offers a chance for the reader to really get into the mind of a character. (Another interesting example is Dracula by Bram Stoker - the story is told through journal entries, newspaper clippings, and recordings in order to give the feel of a factual account. So different - but it works!)

• Perspective: While this is tied in a way to the previous point, it bears noting that The Screwtape Letters is told from the perspective of a demon. Talk about unique and unusual! If you want a new look at the story you're writing, perhaps you should try telling it (or parts of it) from a different character - maybe someone unexpected, like the villain or a shy, overlooked secondary character. Even if you decide to eliminate those scenes in the editing process, the exercise can help you create secondary characters with depth.

• Pondering: Avoid the superficial! If you want your book to blend in, keep it sweet and non-lasting like candy. This isn't to say that romantic comedies and such aren't valuable and that they won't sell - but no matter what genre you write in, the book that shines is the one that causes the reader to really think and take away something from the story. What would I do in that character's situation? Or, What is this demon actually saying, and how does that apply to my life (avoiding temptation, etc.)? (Another good example of a book series that made me think recently is "The Hunger Games." Lots of different opinions, but books that flat-out challenge you to ponder the messages and implications certainly make you curious, don't they?)

Connecting the past to the present - Is there a classic that stands out as really "novel" to you? What can we learn from past "bestsellers" about keeping our work fresh and unique?

More about C.S. Lewis:

• Visit the C.S. Lewis website!

• Check out the C.S Lewis blog!

• Follow C.S. Lewis (sort of) on Twitter!
  

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