Summary
British scholar and author Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) wrote more than 40 books, including science fiction, literary criticism, Christian apologetics, and poetry, but his most popular works remain the seven children's books that constitute The Chronicles of Narnia, published between 1950 and 1956. Drawing on biblical symbols, Greek and Roman mythology, and English and Irish fairy tales, Lewis was able to create the enchanted setting of Narnia, a ficitonal world where magic meets reality. Today these novels continue to sustain an immense and wide readership, and have inspired an impressive body of literary criticism. The first published book in the series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is a perennial children's favorite. C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia is an ideal resource for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the epic topics and ethereal imagery presented in the works, and is a perfect guide for students composing compare-and-contrast essays on this enduring and endearing classic.
Specifications
Chronology. Contributors. Bibliography. Acknowledgments. Index
About the Author(s)
Harold Bloom is Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale University. Educated at Cornell and Yale universities, he is the author of 30 books, including Shelley's Mythmaking (1959), The Visionary Company (1961), Blake's Apocalypse (1963), Yeats (1970), A Map of Misreading (1975), Kabbalah and Criticism (1975), Agon: Toward a Theory of Revisionism (1982), The American Religion (1992), The Western Canon (1994), Omens of Millennium: The Gnosis of Angels, Dreams, and Resurrection (1996), and Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998), a 1998 National Book Award finalist. The Anxiety of Influence (1973) sets forth Professor Bloom's provocative theory of the literary relationships between the great writers and their predecessors. His most recent books include How to Read and Why (2000), Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds (2002), Hamlet: Poem Unlimited (2003), Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? (2004), and Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine (2005). In addition, he is the author of hundreds of articles, reviews, and editorial introductions. In 1999, Professor Bloom received the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Criticism. He has also received the International Prize of Catalonia, the Alfonso Reyes Prize of Mexico, and the Hans Christian Andersen Bicentennial Prize of Denmark.