Further Up & Further In: Understanding C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Further Up & Further In: Understanding C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Bruce Edwards, PhD
Broadman & Holman
ISBN: 0-8054-4070-4
Non-Fiction, Reference, Narnia
Reviewed by Mayra Calvani

Further Up & Further In is a handy, reader-friendly reference companion to Lewis’s famous work, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Written by pre-eminent scholar Bruce Edwards, this is a little book that will prove very helpful not only to people who have never read Lewis’s work, but also to those who have read his work yet wish to understand it at a deeper level.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is a children’s fantasy, yet it is so much more than that. It is filled with complex themes, allegories and symbolism, to such an extent that many books and articles have been written on the subject. Even though some readers would never suspect it, The Lion has deep Christian themes; indeed, C.S. Lewis used the Gospels, myth and fairy tales to weave an unforgettable “world” which continues to fascinate readers decade after decade.
After a brief yet informative background on C.S. Lewis’s life, the author lays out the major themes in groups of chapters. Most fascinating are the “background notes” in each section, offering the reader a historical context for some of the things in the story. At the end of the book there is a section with key discussion questions, making it an invaluable resource for teachers, discussion groups and book clubs.
This is one of several books on C.S. Lewis that Broadman & Holman, a Christian publisher, is releasing this fall just in time for Disney’s big motion picture of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, scheduled to be released this December. Whether you’re a novice or an experience reader, whether you plan on buying the story or watching the movie, Further Up & Further In will increase your enjoyment, and comes highly recommended from this reviewer.