I teach a Narnia literature class at our homeschool co-op, which has been really fun. For me, anyway. Not quite sure what the kids think, seeing that it’s a discussion class and I make them talk. Which is such a hassle, don’t you think? :-)
In our class we’ve been reading all 7 chronicles and discussing them in light of Michael Ward’s book Planet Narnia. Actually, Planet Narnia is the adult version and is quite thick, we’ve been working through the simplified version called The Narnia Code. It’s a thoroughly Christian approach looking at (in a nutshell) how each chronicle is related to one of the medieval planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn). Lewis was fascinated with astronomy and with medieval cosmology (no, it’s not New Age, and no, it has nothing to do with the modern understanding of astrology). Basically, in medieval cosmology, each planet has a certain character and qualities that then forms the atmosphere for its associated chronicle. It’s a theory, and that’s how we’ve been studying it, but it seems pretty plausible to me. I’ve really enjoyed teaching it!
Earlier this spring I hosted a movie night of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at our house. The class is mostly made up of boys, so I decided that there’d have to be some sort of food magnet. What better food magnet for young teens than homemade pizza and ice cream sandwiches? They made their own pizzas. No surprise that the first topping to go was the bacon, right? I enjoyed hosting them — they’re a fun bunch!
Comments (5)
Hey, that stuff looks good enough to eat!
You’re a brave soul to host a pizza-making event for a group of middle-schoolers. Does sound and look like fun!
Which Chronicle is with which planet and where did you get this from? Are the planets in the C.S. Lewis Books.
Hi! I forget where we first heard of Planet Narnia. My husband read the book first and got me into it. :-)
While the planets are for the most part not explicitly mentioned in the books, their characters are felt through each book.
The Magician’s Nephew: Venus
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: Jupiter
The Horse and His Boy: Mercury
Prince Caspian: Mars
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Sun
The Silver Chair: Moon
The Last Battle: Saturn
You could check out the links in the post to find out more about Michael Ward’s theory.
Interesting. I will check it out. Thanks.