Revisiting Planet Narnia

Michael Ward's hypothesis that the Seven Chronicles of Narnia each have an atmosphere and plot reflecting the Seven Astrological Influences of the Middle Ages remains controversial, as I learned (again) at the conference. People who know more than I do express strong opinions, and I am hesitant to make definitive statements either way.  I have both supported the theory and been opposed to it at different times.  It helps to listen to Ward himself defend it, as here.

 

Yet people I have some respect for reject it as "completely bogus," as well. 

I such situations I have a trick which has served me well.  I look at who is fighting fair. People can show poor judgement, little tact, or tone that is too familiar or too formal and I can work around that. Theoretically, I can get past poor logic as well and supply somewhat better arguments than the person has made themselves, but this is more unusual. Poor logic usually results from fighting unfairly, though the offender does not often notice, let alone concede that. Unacknowledged self-interest has a dishonesty at its core. Overliteral readings or declining to reverse the situation ("How would you feel, if...) might result from Aspergery symptoms and have some innocence as an excuse, but that is still a pathology, not a variant of logic. Everyone must eventually come to a point of asking Am I being fair? Which often involves a second opinion.

Tangent: These are not beyond autists, but it sometimes takes extra work, even a lot of extra work. The story of the boy who learned to connect via Disney movies - he is not the only one - illustrates it, [Ed. Section removed.  See comments.] They absorb the socialising at one remove. Try to make a coherent distinction between that and reading fiction or watching more "realistic" movies. Readers and watchers pick up cues from a lot of places.

Back in line: So applying that standard, I think those who dislike the theory are misinterpreting what is claimed.  They argue against a cartoonish version of the hypothesis, that Lewis made out some sort of spread sheet that said Venus:  must get copper in there, sex and fertility; Moon, Lunar:  lunacy, silver, I have a picture in my head of a man striking a chair with a sword.  Let's make it a silver chair. Let's make him insane, or considered so, or unpredictable in some way. Jupiter:  It would be cool if someone said "By Jove," and there should be wine and feasting.  

Instead, they contrast this to Lewis liking the planetary influences, but these just flowing naturally out of him when he thought of Saturn or Sol. A particular Greek philosophical thinker occurs to him.  A quote flows out from him. They hate the idea that this was planned, somehow, as if that invalidates it and makes it artificial. I think they are in fact arguing in favor of Ward's idea with this. Lewis frequently quotes inexactly, suggesting he is doing it from memory and not bothering to look it up exactly. (Not only in Narnia.  Everywhere.) He thinks it would be fun to do a fairy story with a Jovial air. The very idea sets off a lifetime of literary and mythological reactions.  Some are rejected: Yes, an eagle is part of that picture, but I'm not seeing it drop in anywhere.  I'm not going to force it.  No need.  A jovial air will take care of itself. Lewis is in fact influenced the way the medievals believed all events and people are. Not controlled by the stars, but nudged, even pushed a bit at times.

I don't think we are influenced that way myself, I think it is all poetry capturing a variety of atmospheres in compressed form.  Yet I don't reject it because the cartoonish version is scientific bosh, I accept it as metaphor.

Ah well, I just wanted it said.  Lewis started with LWW and I can't tell whether Jupiter was along before page one. But elements of that planet show up quickly, and by the end he has thought of pictures and outlines of a few more. No need to redo Jupiter - war suggests Mars. Even then there does not need to be a plan to force all seven into exactly seven books. The idea must have occurred to him early on, but to those who create things, as I have in a small way, one sees at once that you cannot force things or it all falls apart. You try things on, you hope they work.  Sometimes they don't. In The Horse and His Boy the influence of Mercury is present but much less strong.  There is swiftness, dividing and combining, yes, but Castor and Pollux, who are associated with Mercury show up with the many twinning elements.  Cor and Corin, Aslan harrying them from both sides. The tale, and its structure, grew in the telling. 

Flavors and feelings are part of music all the time, and they often run true.  They are in one sense imposed, but it is more correct to regard them as experienced. This is widely accepted, and a painter restricting himself to a particular palette for a single work is as well.  Somehow, folks just don't like it for Lewis and Narnia - perhaps like it less for children's literature in general.