Book Review: Not a Tame Lion by Bruce Edwards

Date February 28, 2006 Posted by Roger Overton

           

           

           

       

   

The vision of Not a Tame Lion is rooted in this thesis: “We most accurately discern the spiritual worlds of Narnia in the biography of Aslan.”(xvii) Author Bruce Edwards notes the dangers of becoming occupied with secondary sources, yet he also points to the need C.S. Lewis saw “to consult a map before we set out.” In this book Dr. Edwards seeks to provide a map of spiritual and moral qualities in Narnia as seen through the eyes of its characters.

Not a Tame Lion begins, after a brief prologue, with a biography of C.S. Lewis, the Inklings and the origins of Narnia. Chapter two dives into the tension between Aslan not being safe, but still being good. Aslan is met as savior and protector in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW) and as creator in The Magician’s Nephew (MN).

Subsequently, Dr. Edwards explores numerous spiritual traits found in the Narnian chronicles. First is valor, in Chapter 3, in the Pevensie children, Prince Caspian, Jill Pole and Puddleglum in The Silver Chair (SC), and Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer in MN. Next, in Chapter 4, “victory over vanity” explores the transformations of Eustace, Caspian, and Lucy in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” as well as Shasta and Aravis in The Horse and His Boy.

Continue reading at Never Enough Tea…

Related posts:

  1. Book Review: Further Up & Further In by Bruce Edwards
  2. Interview with Bruce Edwards, Part II
  3. Book Review: The Lion, The Professor, and the Movies by Mark Joseph
  4. Book Review: Into the Wardrobe by David C. Downing
  5. Disney's Next Hero: A Lion King of Kings
  6. Interview with Bruce Edwards, Part I

Category Posted in Book Reviews, Main Page, Roger's Posts

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