A Reader’s Guide Through the Wardrobe

Through the Wardrobe is an enlightening guide to C.S. Lewis’s classic fairy tale The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Literature expert Leland Ryken provides readers with a chapter-by-chapter account of the story. Elements such as characterization, plot, story world, and archetypes are explained in an engaging and accessible manner. Throughout each chapter, he includes discussion and reflection questions that aid personal reading and group teaching. After reading the guide, the reader will be a more informed reader of fiction and will be greatly helped in understanding the truth and beauty Lewis tried to convey.

Ryken studied Lewis’s life and work in detail. (His suggested reading list at the end of the book is extensive.) Ryken also taught literature to college students and wrote over 60 books. In this book, he guides the reader through the ancient story types that Lewis enjoyed, studied, and drew upon in The Chronicles of Narnia, including romance literature, fairy tales, and myth. All of this is presented in concise chapters that are accessible to high school students.

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I enjoyed every chapter. In particular, the chapters on the White Witch and Edmund’s temptation, Peter’s first battle and romance literature, fairy tales, and Aslan were profound and educational. The final part of the book comprises chapters that summarize the origins of the Narnia books, their reception, the Christian vision behind them, and biographical information about Lewis.

The guide will help your child enjoy the best literature and gain a deeper understanding of the Bible and human experience.