C. S. Lewis: Biblical Motifs in The Chronicles of Narnia

Botica, Ema. (2019). C. S. Lewis: Biblical Motifs in The Chronicles of Narnia. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Comparative Literature. [mentor Pavlović, Cvijeta].

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Abstract

The biblical subtext present in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, a writer and medievalist, is one of the most striking and palpable subtexts in the entire series. Several subtexts are present in all seven parts of The Chronicles, including the Bible, oral tradition, mythological motifs, Christianity, antiquity, medievality, and the criticism of contemporary education. In The Chronicles these layers often overlap. Biblical motifs are most frequent in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle, and appear to a lesser extent in other parts of the saga. The novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is brimming with references to Christ’s passion and death, mostly according to the Gospel by Mark; The Magician’s Nephew correlates with the Genesis and The Last Battle with the Book of Revelation. Many authors have unsuccessfully tried to link these novels together, most often through biblical or Christian motifs. Although no firm solution to the problem exists, it has been established that medieval motifs are ubiquitously present in The Chronicles. This work analyses and confirms the presence of the biblical motifs in the saga.

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