A question that I have had for quite some time is, why a lamp post? If this was the first book that Lewis wrote about Narnia, where did the lamp post come from? What inspired it? What was the purpose besides just being a peculiar landmark? He explains how it got there in the Magicians Nephew...which was written later, though I am not sure how much later. But why have a lamp post?
Some things I have been pondering: Was it supposed to be a light in a dark world? It was always winter and never Christmas. Was it supposed to be hope of something to come? Was it just a fun interesting object that Lewis decided to throw into the story to make people question it's being there? Is it mentioned again outside of the two books LWW and MN? It might be mentioned in Prince Caspian, but I believe that is the last.
I don't have an answer to it, but if others do I would love to talk about it. Maybe it's not such a big deal, but maybe there is something we can learn from looking at it.
I think that's a really interesting observation, Renee! I know I never really gave the whole point of the lamp post a thought either. It was just one of those "Narnian peculiars" that added to the charm and mystic of the book for me. But now that you've brought up the "why" of the lamp post, I like your insight to it being "a light in a dark world". That's definitely a cool representation. Perhaps the lamp post is like a light house, guiding ships back home through the darkness? Is it a marker so that there's always the choice of remaining in Narnia or not? Crazy stuff!
ReplyDeleteI'm also struck by the way this emblem of modernity is standing in the middle of a medieval Narnian wood. In The Magician's Nephew, very little of modern England survives entry into Narnia -- in spite of Uncle Andrew's plots and plans.
ReplyDeleteI hard that he C. S. Lewis put the lamppost in Narnia because J. R. R. Tolkein said that no good fantasy story could/would have a lamp in it... However, sadly, I cannot find proof :(
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