Description
A fascinating look at the rich but under-appreciated Eastern sources behind the Narnia book C. S. Lewis was no great traveller but he was a prodigious bibliophile who absorbed the world's traditions of myth, religion, and cosmology. The Chronicles of Narnia are steeped in allusions to the Bible, Greek mythology, and medieval literature, all of which has been amply discussed by critics. But, until now, what has been overlooked are Lewis' significant borrowings from Eastern influences: Arabian Nights and the Persian poets, great travellers from Herodotus and Marco Polo to T. E. Lawrence and Robert Byron, and the famous fictional adventurers Baron Munchausen, Gulliver, and Sindbad. In East of the Wardrobe, Warwick Ball explores hitherto unrecognised and unexpected Eastern aspects in and influences on C. S. Lewis' Narnia books. These include storylines, themes, imagery, religious elements, and even the cities and landscapes of the East, as well as the 'Persian' style adopted by the illustrator of Narnia, Pauline Baynes. Themes borrowed from the great epics can also be found, from The Odyssey and Aeneid to the Kalevala and The Knight in the Panther's Skin. Delve deeper and Christianity is there along with paganism, but so too are Zoroastrian, Manichaean, and even Islamic and Sufi messages. Ultimately, these influences act as a reflection of the complex intellectual world that Lewis inhabited, of both his own unique philosophy and the wider social and intellectual climate of Oxford in the first half of the twentieth century. All readers of Lewis will find in East of the Wardrobe surprising new paths into the world of Narnia.
About the Author
Warwick Ball is an archaeologist who has carried out excavations, architectural studies, and monumental restoration in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, and Ethiopia. His previous books include Syria: An Architectural and Historical Guide, The Monuments of Afghanistan, Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan, The Archaeology of Afghanistan, The Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas, and Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire, winner of the James Henry Breasted History Prize.
Reviews
"a complex, wide-ranging investigation" -- Mark Vernon, Church Times
Ball's work highlights the breadth of intellectual and cultural traditions that were available to writers of his generation. * Greece & Rome *
The book's personal, digressive, and allusive qualities make it a page turner and often sheer fun to read. * Philip Irving Mitchell, Dallas Baptist University, TX , Mythopoeic Society *
A highly enjoyable and eye-opening account of the myriad ways Lewis was influenced by Eastern art, literature, and philosophy - and, indeed, religion. * Oliver Tearle, Interesting Literature *
A highly enjoyable and eye-opening account of the myriad ways Lewis was influenced by Eastern art, literature, and philosophy -and, indeed, religion. * Interesting Literature *
The book's personal, digressive, and allusive qualities make it a page turner and often sheer fun to read... Even those readers who are simply interested in comparative literature can enjoy the numerous possibilities on display. I think East of the Wardrobe will be mined for all of these for some years to come. * Philip Irving Mitchell, Mythlore *
East of the Wardrobe is as enjoyable as it is important...Laced with Ball's humour and humanity, this book has something for every reader. * Frazer MacDiarmid, The Stimulus *
East of the Wardrobe is as enjoyable as it is important. Ball betrays intimate familiarity with the Chronicles, undertaking close-reading (even exegesis) of the texts that will delight Narnia fans. Theologians will be fascinated by the variety of Eastern concepts evident in books whose secrets were thought to be long revealed... Even the endnotes were amusing and intriguing, with many meriting footnote status. C. S. Lewis emerges as a more complex and sympathetic author than commonly understood, whose bibliophilia sparked a love of beautiful stories, regardless of provenance. Laced with Ball's humour and humanity, this book has something for every reader. * The Stimulus *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197626252
Author Warwick Ball
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions(mm) 137mm * 203mm * 31mm
About the Author
Warwick Ball is an archaeologist who has carried out excavations, architectural studies, and monumental restoration in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, and Ethiopia. His previous books include Syria: An Architectural and Historical Guide, The Monuments of Afghanistan, Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan, The Archaeology of Afghanistan, The Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas, and Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire, winner of the James Henry Breasted History Prize.
Reviews
"a complex, wide-ranging investigation" -- Mark Vernon, Church Times
Ball's work highlights the breadth of intellectual and cultural traditions that were available to writers of his generation. * Greece & Rome *
The book's personal, digressive, and allusive qualities make it a page turner and often sheer fun to read. * Philip Irving Mitchell, Dallas Baptist University, TX , Mythopoeic Society *
A highly enjoyable and eye-opening account of the myriad ways Lewis was influenced by Eastern art, literature, and philosophy - and, indeed, religion. * Oliver Tearle, Interesting Literature *
A highly enjoyable and eye-opening account of the myriad ways Lewis was influenced by Eastern art, literature, and philosophy -and, indeed, religion. * Interesting Literature *
The book's personal, digressive, and allusive qualities make it a page turner and often sheer fun to read... Even those readers who are simply interested in comparative literature can enjoy the numerous possibilities on display. I think East of the Wardrobe will be mined for all of these for some years to come. * Philip Irving Mitchell, Mythlore *
East of the Wardrobe is as enjoyable as it is important...Laced with Ball's humour and humanity, this book has something for every reader. * Frazer MacDiarmid, The Stimulus *
East of the Wardrobe is as enjoyable as it is important. Ball betrays intimate familiarity with the Chronicles, undertaking close-reading (even exegesis) of the texts that will delight Narnia fans. Theologians will be fascinated by the variety of Eastern concepts evident in books whose secrets were thought to be long revealed... Even the endnotes were amusing and intriguing, with many meriting footnote status. C. S. Lewis emerges as a more complex and sympathetic author than commonly understood, whose bibliophilia sparked a love of beautiful stories, regardless of provenance. Laced with Ball's humour and humanity, this book has something for every reader. * The Stimulus *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197626252
Author Warwick Ball
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions(mm) 137mm * 203mm * 31mm
