Favorite Books: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

-
I realized today that it's been a while since I wrote one of these favorite book blogs. So, today I want to tell you about The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is one of the books in The Chronicles of Narnia series, technically, it's the third book in the series (in publication order), but it makes the most sense to read it as the fourth book. It frustrates me that, when people think of The Chronicles of Narnia, they automatically think of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Not to say that it's not a great book, but the Narnia books are so much more interesting, so much more complex that.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is so monumental in scope. They made a movie version of it, but it didn't really capture what the book was all about. They tried to make it an adventure story, which it is, but it's so much more than that. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader we see so much more of Narnia than ever before. It really begins to take form, as a physical and philosophical space, which is what makes it such a beautiful story. I love the scenes at the end where the sea starts to turn sweet. I love the idea that the water is so clear that they can see the merpeople in the water below them. It's such a lovely image.

But I think the scene at the end where they reach the Sea of Lilies is one of my favorite in literature. I love the idea that don't have to eat anymore because the water is all they need. It has a subtle sort of magic and I think it's the perfect sort of image for the edge of the world. It is implied that they've reached Aslan's country, which, of course, is a nod to the philosophical undertones in Lewis' books. In some ways, its reminiscent of of The Last Battle, the last Narnia book, but it is distinctly more subtle.

But, of course, it's also a great story. Eustace Scrubb is a hilarious character. I love how he keeps a little journal where he makes snide remarks about everything Lucy and Edmund do. He's sort of like Dwight from The Office, he takes everything so seriously and it's just perfect. The fact that he gets turned into a dragon is also fittingly just to his character and simply precious. It's a situation that only Eustace could get himself into. I also loved the scene on the Duffer's Island. They're so cute! One of the great things about this book is all the stories within the stories. The Duffers are these little mono pod creatures that are a little slow on the uptake and they're just so funny and wonderful.

I think that if all you've read of The Chronicles of Narnia is  The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, you're really selling yourself short.

Just readin'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiderman is in The Great Gatsby

-
Image
So, today I saw the new The Great Gatsby movie, to which I say "eh". I love the novel, but the movie version of The Great Gatsby sort of disappointed me. Sure, the movie was really cool from a visual standpoint, but it wasn't The Great Gatsby as it was written. They really took the substance out of the story and made it one long frat party, set to hip-hop music. Which didn't make a lot of sense to me, given that The Great Gatsby is supposed to be set in the 1920s. Apparently, no one told Baz Luhrmann. The problem with his adaptation is that Luhrmann was so heavy handed with the story. I mean, if the metaphors were any more obvious, they would jump out of the screen and beat you over the head with a herring. However, all those things are forgivable. What was not forgivable was the casting of Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. I say that not because his acting was bad, but because there is no place for Spider-Man in The Great Gatsby. Seriously, that was practicall
Read more

Noa Noa: Paul Gauguin & Romanticism

-
Image
Paul Gauguin is one of my favorite painters. (Actually, as I write this, there is a print of his painting  Mahana No Atua hanging next to me on my bedroom wall.) So, during my winter break, I decided to read his Tahitian journal, Noa Noa . Noa Noa is a travelogue written by Gauguin, first published in 1901. Although, Gauguin billed the book as his genuine experiences, it seems pretty clear to me and other critics that it's mostly fictional or exaggerated. That being said, I found the book to be very interesting. From a narrative perspective, Noa Noa is a bit dull. Gauguin's writing style has a tendency to be wordy and pedantic. However, from an ideological perspective it's quite interesting. To my mind, Gauguin is an excellent example of Romanticism and Romantic thought. If you don't know, Romanticism was an artistic and ideological movement that reacted against the Enlightenment. Romantics believed that the world could not be understood purely though the lens
Read more

The Best Viking Novels

-
Image
I don't know about you, but I love a good viking novel. I've been interested in history since I was a kid, and I've always been fascinated by the vikings. There's something about the stories of dragon ships and adventures on the sea that capture the imagination.  And, I'm certainly not the only person who thinks that way because there are a lot of books about vikings on the market. Of course, there are plenty of non-fiction books out there, and I've read (or listened to; I love audiobooks) to a couple of them, but novels about vikings seem to be much more popular. That being said, not all novels are equal. Personally, I prefer viking novels that encompass the perfect amount of adventure, drama, and (sometimes) romance.  Since I've been home a lot recently, I've been reading/listening (I love audiobooks) to some old favorites and to some new novels as well. So, today, I want to share some of my favorite viking novels (in no particular order) with you. Ha
Read more