User:Lilolov3r/sandbox

Courtney's Peer Review

The article is very organized and formatted properly. I really liked how you separated the themes as such. It helps to clarify what your end result goal was and helps for us to understand the background of LWW. I thought it was good to include that the author said he didn’t intentionally make it religious but it could be used as a tool to help children understand their faith.

One thing that originally stood out to me was the “confirmed” term used in the Planets section. I would suggest re-wording this particular statement to be something along the lines of “suggests” “propose” or something along those lines. Confirmed even with the “” seems to me to be to formal for this statement. Also in the Planets section maybe include a insight of how the planet and the story go together. This would help wiki readers with understanding. I’ve personally read and watch LWW but don’t really get the planets thing. Just an idea to beef it up to provide more explanation.

The BIGGEST improvement to your article I would suggest would have to be the “confirmed” or any other area of misleading (ish) wording. I noticed you used a lot of information from one particular person besides the actual Author themselves. This is totally fine and works great with your section but just remember to not lose what the other was trying to do with their story. I didn’t feel there was much that didn’t set well when reading. Overall, It’s a great addition to the current Wiki article and I think you guys have done a great job with the information provided.

I wish I would have been more organized coming into the peer review. Your organization made the review seamless for me and I wish I would have planned ahead in my talk page with the organization part.

MrsAggie1114 (talk) 18:05, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Themes

Religion

One of the biggest themes seen in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is the theme of Christianity. Various aspects of characters and events in the novel reflect biblical ideas from Christianity. The lion Aslan is one of the largest examples, as his death is very similar to that of Jesus Christ. While many readers made this connection, Lewis denied that the themes of Christianity were intentional, saying that his writing began by picturing images of characters, and the rest just came about through the writing process. While Lewis denied intentionally making the novel a strictly Christian story, he did admit that it could help young children accept Christianity into their lives when they were older.

After the children enter the world of Narnia through the wardrobe, Edmund finds himself in trouble under service of the White Witch, as she tempts him with Turkish Delights. When Edmund is threatened to be killed, Aslan offers to sacrifice himself instead. Aslan is shaved of his fur, and stabbed on an altar of stone. This is similar to how Jesus was publicly beaten, humiliated, and crucified. After his sacrifice, Aslan is later reborn, and continues to help the children save Narnia. While this sequence of events is comparable to the death of Jesus, it is not identical. There are a few differences, such as the fact that Aslan’s death was not done to save the entirety of Narnia because they broke the law, his death was only for Edmund. Aslan is also only dead for one night, and comes back the next morning, as opposed to Jesus returning on the third day. Despite these differences, the image of Aslan and the event of his death and rebirth reflect those of the biblical account of Jesus’s death and resurrection, adding to the theme of Christianity throughout the novel.

Cold War

Themes other than religion are uncommonly researched. Many scholars focus on the theme of religion and seldom are other themes discussed. One scholar, Roger Chapman, focuses on the underlying theme of the Cold War. It is speculated that this theme of war contributes to the massive popularity of The Chronicles of Narnia novels. The characters are on a quest to help Narnia, much like the west was doing; launching a quest against communism. The trials many of the children face in Narnia are comparable to those children faced in resilience to communism, which Chapman compares to a spiritual testing. Chapman points out that C.S. Lewis was a fan of the novel Animal Farm, which spread the anti-communism ideology.

When Lucy enters the land of Narnia, she meets Tumnus who explains that the world is always winter and how they never have Christmas. This correlates with how the Cold War was perceived, with the cold symbolizing a negative political ideal. The cold and freezing temperatures were also the stereotypical image of Russia. There is also this hint of atheism with the lack of Christmas, which the Soviet Union was associated with.

Narnia is full of secret police and spies, much like Nazi Germany and Russia. Chapman points out that Lewis names chapter fourteen "The Triumph of the Witch", which he claims is an obvious play of words for the Nazi film "Triumph of the Will". Then, with the arrest of Tumnus it resembles Stalin's purges, or Stalinization. Chapman claims that the similarities to Narnias totalitarian government is undeniable and was something many children connected to during the time of the Cold War.

Then, the White Witch's description matches what many Westerners thought of the Iron Curtain and the lives behind it; where she shuts out others, isolating herself and those under her rule, and making them incapable of moving from under her rule. This leaves many inhabitants, much like Mr. And Mrs. Beaver, awaiting freedom and help from someone else. That someone else being Aslan. Aslan is not only a representation of Christ in the religious aspect, but also the United States. The President of the United States of the time was described as "a kind and magnificent lion who can roam wifely and do great deeds" (Chapman 7). Which correlates to Aslan being a lion as a symbol of the United States.

Chapman, Roger. "The Lion, the Witch and the Cold War: Political Meanings in the Religious Writings of C.S. Lewis1." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 24.1 (2012): 1-14. ProQuest. W"Communist Spy Jailed for 14 Years." BBC News. BBC, 01 Mar. 1950. Web.

Leith, Sam. "CS Lewis's Literary Legacy: 'dodgy and Unpleasant' or 'exceptionally Good'?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 19 Nov. 2013. Web.

Lindskoog, Kathryn Ann. "Article by Kathryn Ann Lindskoog." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jean C. Stine and Bridget Broderick, vol. 27, Gale, 1984. Contemporary Literary Criticism Online. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017. Originally published in The Lion of Judah in Never-Never Land: The Theology of C S Lewis Expressed in His Fantasies for Children, by Kathryn Ann Lindskoog, Eerdmans, 1974.

Russell, James. "Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity, and National Purpose in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Cinema Journal, vol. 48 no. 4, 2009, pp. 59-76. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/cj.0.0145

Schakel, Peter J. "Hidden Images of Christ in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis." Studies in the Literary Imagination, vol. 46, no. 2, 2013, pp. 1-18

Action Plan for LWW

Works Cited

Russell, James. "Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity, and National Purpose in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Cinema Journal, vol. 48 no. 4, 2009, pp. 59-76. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/cj.0.0145 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/317403

• Russel examines the marketing techniques used in the production of the 2005 film adaptation of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Russel argues that the film used marketing techniques which specifically targeted an Evangelical Christian audience.
• While this article is focused on the film and not the novel, there is a section about the book that gives some helpful insight into Lewis's view of the Christian themes throughout the book, which could potentially be useful as it is coming from the author and not just someone's own interpretation of the novel.

Chapman, Roger. "The Lion, the Witch and the Cold War: Political Meanings in the Religious Writings of C.S. Lewis1." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 24.1 (2012): 1-14. ProQuest. W"Communist Spy Jailed for 14 Years." BBC News. BBC, 01 Mar. 1950. Web. http://bs6vx4ge6d.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=The+Lion%2C+the+Witch+and+the+Cold+War%3A+Political+Meanings+in+the+Religious+Writings+of+C.+S.+Lewis&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+Religion+and+Popular+Culture&rft.au=Chapman%2C+Roger&rft.date=2012&rft.issn=1703-289X&rft.eissn=1703-289X&rft.volume=24&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=1&rft.externalDocID=R04693288&paramdict=en-US

• Roger Chapman is taking a different route in his paper, acknowledging the religious themes of LWW, but also pointing out the themes of negativity to totalitarianism. He points out that Lewis incorporates anti-Soviet ideologies inspired by the West during the early Cold War.
  • I feel this article is really important for LWW because it showcases a different theme and argument. Most scholarly work focuses on the different aspects of religion, which is obviously a main theme of the novel, but hardly are others discussed. So, this is an article I can use to explain how there are other themes throughout the novel.
    • The article also gives another example of another theme, or hidden meaning, in the opening paragraph. There's a theory the the Narnia books reflect the seven planets that the medievalist knew.

Leith, Sam. "CS Lewis's Literary Legacy: 'dodgy and Unpleasant' or 'exceptionally Good'?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 19 Nov. 2013. Web.

• Leith presents various opinions and outlooks on C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, relating both to his themes of Christianity and to his writing process. These views analyze whether or not Lewis's writing is unpleasant, or genius.
• While this source gives a little bit of insight here and there into Lewis's relation to Christianity and how that comes out in the novel, a lot of the points are opinions on his writing style or technique, which wouldn't be helpful for analyzing themes. I do think we could potentially pull some information about the way in which he wrote in themes of Christianity (for example, in the beginning where it talks about how he didn't write it as an academic theologian), but I do want to be weary that we don't make it too opinionated to the point that it is not factual or helpful.

Lindskoog, Kathryn Ann. "Article by Kathryn Ann Lindskoog." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jean C. Stine and Bridget Broderick, vol. 27, Gale, 1984. Contemporary Literary Criticism Online. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017. Originally published in The Lion of Judah in Never-Never Land: The Theology of C S Lewis Expressed in His Fantasies for Children, by Kathryn Ann Lindskoog, Eerdmans, 1974.

• Lindskoog explains that the Narnia series is Lewis' expression about nature and the supernatural. He sees nature in three ways: romantic and appreciative, analysis and acceptance of the supernatural, and is awareness of the evil quality of nature.
  • This article covers more generally each of the novels, there is a small portion in there that talks about LWW being a clear example that evil is beneath good powers. We could probably manage to fit this supernatural aspect to the religion aspect. The morals of good and evil are a theme in religion that we could apply as well.

Schakel, Peter J. "Hidden Images of Christ in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis." Studies in the Literary Imagination, vol. 46, no. 2, 2013, pp. 1-18. http://bs6vx4ge6d.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Hidden+Images+of+Christ+in+the+Fiction+of+C.+S.+Lewis&rft.jtitle=Studies+in+the+Literary+Imagination&rft.au=Schakel%2C+Peter+J&rft.date=2013&rft.pub=Department+of+English%2C+Georgia+State+University&rft.issn=0039-3819&rft.eissn=2165-2678&rft.volume=46&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=1&rft.epage=18&rft_id=info:doi/10.1353%2Fsli.2013.0010&rft.externalDocID=574597_S2165267813200018&paramdict=en-US

• Schakel focuses on the imagery of Christ used by Lewis in three of his major works: The Chronicles of Narina, Space Trilogy, and Till We Have Faces. By breaking down these images for each of the works, Schakel focuses not only on how audiences have interpreted these images and themes, but also includes quotes from C.S. Lewis on his intentions behind them.
• I think this would be a good source to use because Schakel gives an in-depth analysis of the religious images in the story, while, again, giving Lewis's take on his process in creating them, which could be beneficial in providing background information.

Action Plan:

We will be moving forward with the article for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Our plan is to create a Themes section within the article that will be split into two topics. One will focus on themes of religion throughout the novel, and the other will focus on themes of politics and The Cold War.

Possible Team Topics

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

-Have a lot of sources on it

-We have both read it and/or researched it

-Background knowledge on C.S. Lewis

Evelina maybe

-Reading it in another class

C.S. Lewis

-Lots of sources/background knowledge

-We're both familiar with him as a writer

Gulliver's Travels

-Read it in another class

-Currently researching it in another class as well

The Rape of The Lock

-Read it in another class

-Currently researching it in another class as well

Little Women

-Lots of sources on it

-Researched previously

We have decided to narrow our options between The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and The Rape of The Lock. We picked these texts because we are both very familiar with them, and we have researched them, so finding sources or pulling from sources we have already used will be easier. Our plan of action for both of these texts would be to add a themes section to the Wikipedia page, as that is a section they are both missing. The reason we chose not to work with the other texts is because C.S. Lewis's page seemed to have a lot of information already, and we were less familiar with the other texts, or had minimal previous research.

Absalom, Absalom! Plan Of Action

• I would want to add a themes section. Every novel has some sort of underlying theme, sometimes even multiple themes. It's crazy to me that this wiki page has no themes section, or even a symbolism section! Light in August doesn't have symbolism, but it at least has themes, a quite a few of them.
• I would first read the book. It does not seem like the synopsis on the page is sufficient according to the talk page. I have not read the book, so I'm not entirely sure what is wrong with the summary, so I would have to read the novel. I would then google some main themes to get a general idea, then take those ideas to Summon, or any of our other scholarly article sites, and dive into searching for research on those themes. The university provides us with a lot of search engines to find scholarly work, so I'd start there before using articles from Google or other random search engines.
• From reading the talk page, it seems like there is not enough factual information, so I would go through and remove anything that's an opinion and try to reword it in a way that is more factual to the novel.

Article Evaluation

• Nothing distracted me. I thought everything was relevant in the feed article.
• I felt the article was neutral and well informed. I didn't notice any bias.
• The theme of authority seems to be lacking a little more than the other themes presented.
• yes, the sources seem to work and support their claims.
• Yes, the sources seem reliable and unbiased.
• The information is up to date. Nothing needs to be added that I can think of.
• The article is a C-class article. It's a part of the novel project and a part of an educational assignment for Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis.
• Wikipedia definitely is more interested in the facts of the novel and the more surface level themes. I feel that we got deeper into the novel and took things to a level that could be buried underneath the surface.