A non-Christian appreciation of Narnia

The Lion, the Witch and the Metaphor - New York Times:

"As a child, I never knew that Aslan was 'Jesus.' And that's a good thing. My mother recently remarked that if she'd known the stories were Christian, she wouldn't have given me the books - which are among my dearest childhood memories."

So says Jessica Siegel in an NYT Op-Ed. I didn't discover Narnia until I was in my mid-20s, so I never had the opportunity to see the Chronicles as merely "ripping good yarns." But I do believe that, while it is important to recognize that great literary works have multiple layers of meaning, the first requirement is a good story that keeps the audience interested to the end. You can look at Richard III as a treatise on legitimacy in government or the Merchant of Venice as an essay against racism, but if they weren't good stories no one would still be reading them after all these years.

Some commentators (although not Ms. Siegel) on the controversy surrounding release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie have questioned how some Christians can be so positive about the role of "magic" in the land of Narnia and so negative about its role in Hogwarts School. Part of the answer is the underlying Christian metaphor of Lewis' stories, but only part. I believe another factor is the uses of magic. The good folk in Lewis' tales (like those in most of the much older stories collected by the Brothers Grimm) are not casting spells and seeking their own power. Their use of magic is mostly defensive and reactive. Of course, some also see Snow White, Rose Red and other Grimm tales as metaphorical retelling of stories with Christian themes.