Planet Narnia

The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis

By: Michael Ward

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

For over half a century, scholars have labored to show that C. S. Lewis' famed but apparently disorganized Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance, and the structure of Narnia's symbolism has remained a mystery.

Michael Ward has finally solved the enigma. In Planet Narnia, he demonstrates that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on the whole range of Lewis' writings, Ward reveals how the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value". Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that in each book the plot-line, the ornamental details, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality.

Planet Narnia is a groundbreaking study that will provoke a major revaluation not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewis' whole literary and theological outlook.

©2008 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2019 Tantor

this book was phenomenal

It paints an incredibly imaginative picture of the meaning woven into the Narniad. Imagination heightened and sharp. Not frivolous fancy. Worth thought, researchlh, and discussion.

great commentary on C.S. Lewis's works.

An insightful look into the process of Lewis's writing style, and immensely useful for upcoming writers looking into weaving mythology into their own works.

Beautiful and Academic

This is a beautifully done examination of Lewis! While this book is noticeably academic, it is performed well, and progressed smoothly between sections. If I had a critique, it would be that I wanted to hear more! I am looking forward to my next reading of the Narnia septet and delving into Lewis further.

By Jove

By Jove I think he's got it. Excellent theory and I think it is spot on. Worth a listen if you enjoy C. S. Lewis' works

Fascinating

For me, as for many people, Lewis has played an important part in forming my reading habits and even my worldview. I have loved the Narnia books since childhood, though my love cooled somewhat on learning about Tolkien’s estimation of them. More recently, I have preferred the Ransom trilogy and especially some of the classic works of apologetics. Perhaps most of all, I have loved The Discarded Image, which has shaped my own professional and academic work in Renaissance music theory.

Michael Ward has completely rekindled my interest in the Narnia books, which fortuitously coincides with my older children’s reading the books for the first time. Literary scholarship is a bit outside of my usual listening habits, which tend to fiction, history, and science, but this book does a terrific job of laying out a bold claim and meticulously drawing connections between the Narnia books, Lewis’s poetry and scholarly writings, and his medieval sources. To a non-expert, the argument seems unanswerable. Viewing the Chronicles through the lens of the discarded worldview of planetary influences provides a whole new dimension to the story.

The reader does an excellent job. I would recommend this book to any admirer of Lewis.

The mind of Lewis

This work was an excellent glimpse into the mind of C. S. Lewis. such a new way to appreciate the beauty of Narnia

This Gave Me a Whole New Perspective & Depth of Understanding

I’ve been on a CS Lewis kick lately, and having recently seen Fr. Michael Ward speak on Lewis’ writing, became curious about this book that had been called “groundbreaking”. I had literally just finished the space trilogy and was blown away by the how the planetary presence portrayed in that trilogy formed the seed from which the subtle and intricate connections expressed in the Narnia Chronicles arose. The narrator’s voice was perfect and his performance conveyed the clarity and enthusiasm of the author. My mind is swirling with delight!

A Detailed and Well-presented Argument

In Planet Narnia, Dr Michael Ward provides a detailed and richly-footnoted argument (although the footnotes aren't included in the audiobook) for C.S. Lewis employing a Ptolemaic cosmology in his beloved series, The Chronicles of Narnia. If you're the kind of person who wants all the arguments considered and they fascinate you, you'll likely enjoy this book. I think Michael Ward is correct in his assertion and I find his argument compelling.

But if you primarily want the gist of his argument without all the detailed references to Lewis's scholarly works, his poetry, and particularly the Ransom trilogy, or Ward's explanation of what other Lewis scholars have thought and why they missed this insight, etc., you might prefer to listen to Dr Ward himself give a series of 12 lectures, each about 20 minutes long, called "C.S. Lewis: Christology and Cosmology," also available here on Audible.

After this, I find myself listening to Narnia and Ransom cycle for the first time

This is a scholarly book of Literary Criticism by a well-credentialed scholar and professor. Though he is also an ordained minister, this is not a book about Lewis’s faith as such, though it does discuss Christological themes. It is a grand introduction to imaginative reading and the medieval world view, so important to Lewis in his scholarship, poetry, and fiction. It has made my enjoyment of Narnia anew, as a child enchanted by it. It also got me interested in his poetry.

Discover Narnia Anew

Ward’s case is compelling, and Patterson does an excellent job narrating. Be prepared to experience Narnia with new eyes; this book is well worth the time