Book Review: Inside Narnia

When my mother gave this book to me (after visiting Asbury College and hearing the author, Devin Brown, speak), I had not yet even fully completed The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I had started reading the book with my oldest son quite a few years back, but we hadn't finished it. Now, that I've read the entire series, I dug this book back up (from the endless stacks of books around my house).

In Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Devin Brown offers what few other authors provide - a literary study of the work. Most books (and believe me there are legions of books out there since Lewis's step-son, Douglas Gresham, brought the series back into the limelight by producing three movies from the books) approach the Narnia series from a theological perspective.

As a former literature major, at first, I was thrilled to immerse myself back into a work of literary analysis. The book gathers together comments from other sources concerning the Narnia series. It traces the work's development, often considering it when held up to similar works by Lewis' friend and fellow Inkling, J.R.R. Tolkien. Devin Brown walks step by step through The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, analyzing every tid-bit available.

Towards the end, however, I began to tire of the literary criticism and review. The Narnia books say so much to each and every reader, but I don't think it is really necessary to delve into every tiny aspect and tear it apart. I found myself resenting the thorough analysis ... the placing of the book under a microscope, so to speak. I wanted to pull away and return to my own opinions and understandings of Narnia.

Of course, Devin Brown himself must have acknowledged that the scouring might be too much. At one point, he writes: "In the end, TLWW is what it is - not what critics or even Lewis himself may have said it is."

For Narnia enthusiasts and literary scholars, this is an excellent book. But, it is clearly just an addendum. The real meat and the meal that only you can enjoy for yourself is within the actual series itself.