I have a confession to make. It'll likely make you think less of me, if that's possible. But they say that confession is good for the soul, so here goes:
I've never read C.S. Lewis. As in none of C.S. Lewis. I'm 0-for-Lewis.
It's hard to explain why, exactly. Most of my friends started reading C.S. by 11 or 12 or 13. But I was different. At least I wanted to be different. Growing up in the home I did, I couldn't express my individuality by coloring my hair pink, getting a tattoo or piercing various and sundry body parts. Not that I wanted to.
So it wasn't uncommon for me to be different by doing things other kids didn't do, or by not doing things others did. Yeah, I took shop in high school, but I also took a sewing class. Made me a pretty cool shirt, pockets with snaps, buttons, western-style yoke, the whole nine yards. Needless to say, I was the only boy in the class. And most of my friends read Lewis, which was a perfect reason for me not to.
But I'm sure rebellion wasn't the only reason I said "no" to Narnia. It's kinda funny...I didn't watch a lot of TV growing up, but I still have the rather short attention span, especially when it comes to entertainment, as if I'd grown up in the 80s. I read back then, but I read newspaper columns, not books. And I wasn't into fantasy or make-believe, so the thought of reading about make-believe places with make-believe cartoon characters just didn't do much for me when I was a kid.
So now I have a lot of catching up to do. I have to admit, I'm kinda looking forward to the movie release of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in December. Not that I've read the book. But to prepare for the movie, which I'll no doubt write stories about for the newspaper, I did buy the story on CD, a dramatized reading produced by Focus On the Family. I was impressed. The Magician's Nephew, which I bought next, didn't do quite as much for me, but The Horse and His Boy is already copied to my Dell-pod, waiting for me to spend some time in the car to start that story. I reckon that I'll listen to the entire chronicles now, and when I know my Narnia, I'll probably move on to other Lewis works. Don't know which ones yet. Depends on if any are available in audio format, or if I have to buy a book.
My Lewis literate friends, provided the choose to still claim me, can feel free to recommend which titles I should explore first.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
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2 comments:
Don't reckon I've ever read any C.S. Lewis. (As I was typing C.L. Lewis, I asked Tamie, "Is it C.L. Lewis?" And she corrected me. Whoosh -- that's a relief.) Then again, I'm thinking maybe I read some C.S. Lewis in an Elmo Hall English class at OC. But I don't remember much about it. Sure wish I could go back to college and pay attention to some of them classes.
That two journalists, David and Bobby, have never read any Lewis is indeed a crime against humanity, :-) (Smiles).
Really guys, Lewis is one of the truly great authors of the English language. His Chronicles are great but they are just the tip of the iceberg. To truly appreciate his literary pedigree read "Till We Have Faces" or "Out of the Silent Planet." These books are rich on any level you want to examine them.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com/
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