„Further up and Further in”. Medieval Lineage of the Narnian Figure of Paradise in C. S. Lewis’s Septalogy Cover Image

„Dalej wzwyż i dalej w głąb”. Średniowieczny rodowód figury raju w narnijskiej septalogii C. S. Lewisa
„Further up and Further in”. Medieval Lineage of the Narnian Figure of Paradise in C. S. Lewis’s Septalogy

Author(s): Maria Magdalena Morawiecka
Subject(s): Maps / Cartography, Theory of Literature, British Literature
Published by: Komisja Nauk Filologicznych Oddziału Polskiej Akademii Nauk we Wrocławiu
Keywords: Middle Ages; paradise; Narnia; C. S. Lewis; symbolic geography; medieval cartography; fictional lands;

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to present the possibility of drawing a deeper connection between the medieval imaginarium and selected tropes in twentieth century fantasy literature, based on a case study analysing the concept of paradise in C. S. Lewis’s young adult book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. In order to do that, the article introduces some key elements and rules governing medieval geographical concepts and how they tie in with the highly symbolic perspective on the world adopted in that epoch, using examples from cartographic and literary sources. Next, the author takes a look at the model of paradise carefully crafted in Lewis’s novels, to later compare it with its medieval counterpart and demonstrate the analogies between the two, with the goal of providing some clues regarding possible paths for interpretation.

  • Issue Year: 2022
  • Issue No: 18
  • Page Range: 131-140
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Polish