Occasionally one comes across a person who makes bold claims about “The Chronicles of Narnia”, not only denying that it’s the greatest children’s fiction ever written, but also that it is filled with sexism and racism. Dr. Devin Brown returns to the show to respond to these accusations.
S5E54: “Sexism and Racism in Narnia”, After Hours with Dr. Devin Brown (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
“[Narnia] is monumentally disparaging of girls and women. It is blatantly racist. One girl was sent to hell because she was getting interested in clothes and boys.”
Philip Pullman, Q&A at the Guardian Hay festival
Biographical Information
Dr. Devin Brown is a Lilly Scholar and Professor of English at Asbury University where, in addition to other literature classes, he teaches a course on Lewis and Tolkien.
He was the recipient of The Frances White Ewbank Award, Asbury’s highest honor for teaching. He has a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s degree from the University of Florida. Dr. Brown is a frequent speaker at conferences and college campuses and an award-winning author of books such as Inside Narnia and A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewis.
Biographical Information for Dr. Devin Brown
Chit-Chat
–
Beverage and Toast
- David was drinking Typhoo Tea.
- Dr Brown was drinking an espresso.
- They toasted Patreon supporter Joell Low:
Joell, we toast your good health… May you be found in the great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, who will stand before the throne and before the Lamb.
Patreon Toast
Discussion
1. “The Critics”
I had chosen the opening quotation for this episode before I had read the text of the keynote, but you also reference this quotation from Philip Pullman. Although others have joined the chorus, Pullman really seems to have been the one who has championed the claim that The Narniad is sexist and racist. So before we begin answering the question, who is he, and who are some of the other people who have made similar claims?
- Pullman is author of His Dark Materials
- John Goldthwaite (The Natural History of Make-Believe)
- “Lewis feared women and disliked them categorically… The actual provocation for executing these seven novels sprang from his need to put a woman in her place…”
- J. K. Rowling (July 17, 2005 issue of Time)
- “There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She’s become irreligious basically because she found sex. I have a big problem with that.”
- Laura Miller (The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventure in Narnia)
- “The racism, sexism, and snobbery (of various types) lies pretty close to the surface in some parts of the Chronicles… When I returned [to the Narnian books] I could see, oh so clearly, all of the flaws… I winced at the depictions of the Calormenes and understood for the first time that the White Witch is a dominatrix”
- Other critics
- A. N. Wilson (CS Lewis: A Biography)
- Kath Filmer (The Fiction of C. S. Lewis)
- Philip Hensher (“Don’t Let Your Children Go to Narnia”, The Independent)
- Karin Fry (Gender in Narnia”, The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy)
2. “Observations”
In your speech, you pointed out some commonalities we see when people attack Narnia. What are they?
- Observation #1: Hit-and-run, rather than fair investigation
- Observation #2: little or nothing is cited
- Observation #3: Inaccurate summarization
- Observation #4: Ignores contradictory material
- Observation #5: Inconsistent standards
3. “Susan’s fate?”
One of the most common criticisms of Narnia is in regards to the fate of Susan Pevensie in The Last Battle. Not only do some people not like it, but they claim that it’s sexist. However, we first need to talk about what actually happens in The Last Battle. So, Dr. Brown, what happens, what’s the controversy and how do you respond?
“My sister Susan,” answered Peter shortly and gravely, “is no longer a friend of Narnia.”
“Yes,” said Eustace, “and whenever you’ve tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, ‘What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.’”
“On Susan!” said Jill. “She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.”“Grown-up, indeed,” said the Lady Polly. “I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.”
C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
- Objection #1: It’s about vanity!
- Objection #2: Lewis doesn’t think vanity is an exclusively-female vice
- Objection #3: Lewis has no animus against growing up and getting married
- Objection #4: Susan isn’t dead yet!
- Objection #5: Susan’s story isn’t finished!
“The books don’t tell us what happened to Susan. She is left alive in this world at the end, having by then turned into a rather silly, conceited young woman. But there is plenty of time for her to mend, and perhaps she will get to Aslan’s country in the end—in her own way”
C.S. Lewis, Letters to Children 67
4. “Sexist remarks?”
Another common complaint about the Narnia Chronicles is that there are many sexist remarks found in the books. What do you say to that?
- Objection #1: The remarks are not endorsements!
- Objection #2: These characters are work-in-progress
5. “Sexist Santa and women in war?”
One comment in particular which irks some critics is what Father Christmas says to Susan and then to Lucy when he gives them their gifts. He says to Lucy…
“…the dagger is to defend yourself at great need. For you also are not to be in the battle.”
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“Why, Sir,” said Lucy. “I think—I don’t know—but I think I could be brave enough.”
“That is not the point,” he said. “But battles are ugly when women fight…”
So what’s with St. Nick? Is Santa Sexist?
- Point #1: Lucy is brave
- Point #2: Lewis knew what war was like
- Point #3: Changing positions over the course of the Chronicles
6. “Sexist Narrator?”
Another comment which some people don’t like isn’t from a character, but the narrator at the end of The Silver Chair, when it’s noted that the head of Experiment House was a woman:
And then the Head (who was, by the way, a woman) came running out to see what was happening. And when she saw the lion and the broken wall and Caspian and Jill and Eustace (whom she quite failed to recognise) she had hysterics… After that, the Head’s friends saw that the Head was no use as a Head, so they got her made an Inspector to interfere with other Heads. And when they found she wasn’t much good even at that, they got her into Parliament where she lived happily ever after.
C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair
What do you make of that?
- Objection #1: The Head has to be some gender!
- Objection #2: The Headmistress isn’t bad due to her gender
- Objection #3: There are good and bad characters of each gender
7. “Progressive gender roles in Narnia?”
Earlier you said that the critics often fail to mention the positive case for Narnia. So when it comes to issues of gender, in what ways is Narnia rather progressive?
8. “Racism in Narnia?”
- Objection #1: There are diverse skills among the female characters
- Objection #2: Femininity is not rejected
- Objection #3: Female characters have different vocations
- Objection #4: The bad characters demonstrate the worst sexism!
- Objection #5: Men and women in Narnia are equally capable of good and evil
This season we read The Horse and His Boy, and it is often claimed that this work is Islamophobia and Racist. Some people say this was unconscious, but others do not. In the Atlantic, Gregg Easterbrook writes:
“The principal bad guys, the Calormenes, are unmistakable Muslim stand-ins… I have three children, aged six to twelve, and a few months ago I finished reading the Chronicles to them. Even as a fan I must admit that certain passages made me wince. For example, the wicked Dwarfs ridicule the Calormenes as ‘darkies’; I skirted the word, because I don’t want it in my kids’ heads.”
What do you make of these claims?
- Objection #1: There are fundamental dissimilarities with Islam
- Objection #2: The racial slurs comes from the antagonists
- Objection #3: It’s not an allegory!
- Objection #4: Good and evil isn’t based on skin colour or race!
- Objection #5: Aslan’s Country is open to the Calormen country
- Objection #6: Lewis experienced racism as an Irishman
- Objection #7: Aspects of Calormen culture is praised
- Objection #8: It’s about content of one’s character, not colour of one’s skin
9. “Progressive race relations in Narnia?”
Earlier you gave the positive case for gender, is there a positive case for race as well?
- Objection #1: Narnia is a most diverse world!
- Objection #2: Lewis chooses to have a mixed-race marriage
- Objection #3: The Narnians are willing to be friends with anyone
10. “The Horse and His Boy reimagined”
If Lewis were writing The Horse and His Boy today, do you think he would have written it differently? Would he have foreseen some of the criticisms we’ve discussed?
- Change clothes
- Change architecture
11. “Netflix Adaptation“
If Netflix ever gets around to producing an adaptation of The Horse and His Boy, do you think they should tweak the setting of the Calormen and Tashbaan, and if so, how? How do you distinguish it from Narnia without mimicking some other culture from our world?
- Make it like Star Trek, making it otherworldly!
12. “Final thoughts”
Any final thoughts?
- Be gentle and offer reasons for your understanding of Narnia.
More Information
- Devin Brown (Asbury | Amazon)
- The keynote
