I don't know about the rest of you, but I really enjoyed this deconstruction. It took me a few places I knew I would go -- my frustration with the way Aslan is written, and my frustration for how Susan is treated by the text -- but it also took me in a few places I did not expect to go at all. I didn't expect to like Edmund as much as I ended up doing, and I didn't expect to feel as ambivalent about Peter (previously one of my favorite characters) as I did. That surprised me.
I would be very happy to keep going, but I would also like to hear what you all have to say about that. Do you want more Narnia or something fresh and new and different? VOTE. (And also, if we keep going, is there anything that you'd like to see done differently? Thoughts are welcome.)
Also-also, while we are doing the vote and I'm reading up on "Prince Caspian" (or starting a new series, depending on board opinions), I'm going to run weekly Claymores and finish out that series as well. Full speed ahead!
32 comments:
Yay deconstruction posts! Please do continue with all of them, from Narnia which I read and loved long ago, to Claymore, which I'd never heard of until you started your posts on it but which I've found it fascinating to read about. Love your posts, Ana!
As much as I loved your decons of LWW, I feel that the rest of the Narnia series have very similar problems and starting Prince Caspian immediately will be a bit more of the same I think. I would love if you would do another book in between or rather a set of essays on ASOIF by G.R.R.Martin :) (Similar to what you have done for The Girl with the dragon tattoo). Ultimately whatever you decide to do I will look forward to it and enjoy it.
I should mention, for voting purposes, that PRINCE CASPIAN is 15 chapters long. At one chapter a week (which will be the rate when Claymore is finished), that's a little over 3 months of deconstruction.
I've been enjoying the Narnia deconstructions very much! Part of the joy is the fantastic discussions in the comments (although I don't participate very often--sorry!) I think we'll all have new things to say about PC, and I for one am certainly not tired of the discussion!
What, no "Do Prince Caspian and do something else" option? Aww.
I think there's some new interesting implications to explore with Prince C, since we get more politics and a different worldview, so that's my vote. (Especially since I anticipate a lot of awesome flash fiction and totally awesome world-building details.)
I watched the movie version of "Prince Caspian" a few weeks back and found myself liking it far more than I'd ever liked the book -- in part because it brought aspects of the book (that were there all along!) to my attention. I immediately started looking forward to your Prince Caspian deconstruction, because I wondered if you'd see some of what I started seeing, and what you'd make of it. So I really hope you read the next book.
I don't think I've ever commented, but you should know that your Narnia deconstructions have been absolutely the highlight of my RSS reader since you started them. Thank you so much, and I hope they continue!
On the one hand, deconstructions can get stale when it's just the same issues over and over and over again - this is something Fred Clark has struggled with as he works through Left Behind at his golem-stroll pace (very slow but inexorable). Both deconner and reader can get burnt out. But I keep thinking that will happen with Twilight, too, and yet every week you do have something newly insightful to say about the fresh hell it presents us with. And it helps that in Narnia you're taking whole chapters at a time, such that there's got to be something that catches your attention in there.
Plus I'm just going to extrapolate from the movie and imagine not only Reepicheep but everyone's lines spoken by Eddie Izzard, so... yeah.
I am strongly in favor of more Narnia. Also, if you do Prince Caspian that might motivate me to actually finish my fanfic of grown-up Susan meeting the Telmarines who get sent back to Earth. :)
Definitely in favor of more Narnia decons. I really loved these books as a kid, but haven't revisited most of them since then, so I am enjoying looking at them with adult eyes and being able to discuss them (or listen in on the discussion anyway) with others.
Also, Will, LOL at Fred's "golem-stroll pace!" That's exactly what it's like!
Yay Prince Caspian!
I really would like to revisit these books in the manner of a deconstruction, perhaps (silently) hoping that some part of my childhood joy in them is validated, but nevertheless taking a delightfully new joy in them if not.
I really enjoyed the deconstruction, but at the same time... I'm so incredibly tired of Lewis' writing style... it's like struggling through mud. I'm conflicted! I really enjoyed how, in many of your points about Aslan, you basically ended up articulating my own dirty atheist feelings about common conceptions and mythos of Jesus. Well, if it's going to be an allegory, that's part of what ends up happening.
I don't really have a suggestion for a replacement deconstruction except 'Twice as much Twilight' but I'm sure that would only lead to bad places.
Well, the series really tones down the Jesus allegories after the first book at least. Well, until you get to The Last Battle, when... hooo boy. At least when it comes to books based on Revelation, it's about a million times more entertaining than Left Behind.
Basically I still like the series as a work of fantasy, but whenever the Calormen show up, I start to get really uncomfortable.
I'd prefer more narnia, but if you do change, I saw you may do a HDM
I would like more Narnia, but (as has been said) Prince Caspian, I feel, brings up many of the same issues as LWW. However, the large number of new ones (e.g. Reepicheep, dwarves) that also comes up makes it hard for me to decide...
In my perfect world, though, you'd probably do The Horse and His Boy instead. I think it is different enough from LWW to give us as bit of a break *before* you do Prince Caspian! Narnia deconstruction forever!
I definitely want you to continue with Narnia! Though Dell makes an excellent point - if you jumped to The Horse and His Boy, this brings up a raft of DIFFERENT issues to deal with.... *looks hopeful*
I'm not voting. I want you to deconstruct something, because you're awesome. And I'd like you to continue with Narnia, but I don't really mind whether you carry straight on or take a break and do something else before coming back to it.
TRiG.
I wanted to respond to each and every comment in this thread individually, but I simply have not had the time. But thank you ALL so very much -- THANK YOU!!! -- for being so awesome and sweet and encouraging and AWESOME. I freaking love you guys. *happy dance*
Could you perhaps put up a LWW index post, for the benefit of those who want to read the deconstruction to date in order?
TRiG.
That's a good idea. I was already planning to compile the posts into a downloadable file (pdf, epub, mobi), so I'll do that as well and post it all at the same time. Thank you!
I like the idea of doing a Horse and His Boy next, or one of the other ones. I feel like, with Narnia, you get people starting with LWW and getting burned out halfway through Caspian/Dawn Treader and I wanna see adaptations and deconstructions of the other ones.
I'd love more Narnia. Your Twilight deconstructions are awesome, but I feel like Twilight's (many, many) flaws are for the most part much more obvious, so I'm not as avid to dig into them.
Caspian reads really fast, so you could do two chapters at a time or something if you want to blaze through it.
I wouldn't mind seeing someone "take on" The Hunger Games of which I think has been very over-praised.
I'm all in favour of more Narnia deconstruction. There's really a lack of interesting antipathic (is that a word in English?) critical writing on the books online, so apart from being interesting and entertaining in themselves your posts have been filling a void. :)
I'd love more Narnia posts, but I'm not fussy as long as more deconstruction of any sort happens. Though if you're considering doing something else, perhaps the Dresden Files? The sexism and anthropocentrism are blatantly obvious, but it would be interesting to see what else is lurking there.
I don't suppose I could vote for the Magician's Nephew instead? :) looking forward to whatever deconstruction you choose, however :)
Have you perchance read my Storm Front review?
http://www.amazon.com/review/R9RN9R0HE62PH
However, I know a lot of people who just LOVE the book, so apparently Husband and I are very strange. It's the one book I can think of off my head that we BOTH hated with passion. We were taking turns reading it out loud and... yeah.
Huh. I found the book so incredibly "meh" that I don't really remember it. Judging by your review, this is a good thing.
Supposedly the series gets better over time as the author gets better. But I'm a vicious harridan when it comes to sexist stereotypes in my literature. *evil grin*
I've heard that as well. But I've also heard plenty of sexist and problematic stuff from later books, so, even if the incredible amount of memory dulling "meh" hadn't prompted me to read no more, that would. Also, if I don't warm to the main character in a series that's written in first person, I'm not bothering. And I didn't warm to him.
Well... it's true there's a zombie T-rex in book 7, but on the other hand we have a species of vampire that feeds on different kinds of emotion, and *of course* the ruling family feeds on sex and only contains two males, with the succubi treated pretty much the way one would expect from the first book. (Seriously, the only female villain who doesn't fit the pattern is a vampire who is very clearly a walking corpse.) And then there's his bizarre excuse for why necromancy is inherently Evil (part of which is that it tastes bad)...
I own the first eleven books. I don't know why.
As far as non-femme fatale female villains go, there's also the Corpsetaker, body-hopping necromancer, and the Tigress, ghoul assassin.
Post a Comment