Inside Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia have introduced people of all ages to the central doctrines and beliefs of the Christian faith. Preparing for the release of the second film in the series Devin Brown guides readers through the follow-up novel to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. As he did in the successful Inside Narnia, Brown takes readers through Prince Caspian chapter by chapter, illuminating the features of C. S. Lewis's writing, providing supplemental information on Lewis's life and other books, offering comments and opinions from other Lewis scholars, and uncovering the work's rich meanings. If you're ready to venture back into the magical world of Narnia, this careful literary analysis is the perfect place to start.

Having successfully written and published Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to coincide with the release of that film, Devin Brown has now penned Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia in anticipation of Walden Media’s release of “Prince Caspian” this spring. Brown ambitiously attempts to discuss the moral lessons presented in Prince Caspian and comment on the literary aspects of the chronicle as well. He provides discussion questions at the end of each chapter intended to help the reader “see” the devotional aspects of the story.

In his preface, Brown explains that his study of Prince Caspian “takes a literary rather than a purely devotional approach” to Lewis’s fiction. Brown does, indeed, provide an explanation of Lewis’s craft, noting distinctive qualities of fiction and how Lewis displays them. He makes reference to Shakespeare and other English writers, remarking on their influence on Lewis. He makes numerous references to Tolkien as well, drawing parallels among The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, Brown’s discussion of Prince Caspian as literature, though intelligent, occasionally digs too deep, and his commentary sometimes becomes tedious. It seems Brown has forgotten that Prince Caspian is a fairy tale, and a story meant for children (though not excluding an adult reader). In his attempt to give a fresh perspective on this chronicle, he over analyzes and neglects to “let story be story,” as Lewis himself desired.

It would appear that Brown has read everything that has been written about The Chronicles of Narnia–no small feat. His discussion of Prince Caspian is thorough. For someone who has just been introduced to The Chronicles and has read little of what has been written about Lewis and his work, Brown’s study can be useful. Inside Prince Capsian does offer insight and application. It also contains an excellent bibliography. It is not necessarily the lively discussion that Brown identifies as his intention in the preface and probably not the kind of discussion that Lewis would have enjoyed about any of The Chronicles. The target audience for the book remains unclear, for the discussion questions would most certainly insult the student of literature and the commentary could easily put off the reader who enjoys Lewis because he or she enjoys story.

Nonetheless, Inside Prince Caspian has redeeming qualities, one of which is Brown’s estimate of the success and failure of Walden Media’s film of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The discussion of the growth of the Pevensie children is thoughtful, and his delineation of themes in Prince Caspian is sound as well. His knowledge of Lewis’s work is commendable, and his appreciation for Lewis comes through clearly. -- Dr. Pamela Jordan-Long, Christian Book Previews.com

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Reviewed by Philip Tallon (Lexington, KY), June 02, 2008

What does it mean for a book to have its own book? Perhaps, it is the literary analogue of a celebrity having her own entourage: a sign of wealth and power which attract opportunists. I’ve certainly seen a few books like this in my day. Even works devoted to C. S. Lewis can sometimes fall into the moocher category. Then there is another kind of book about a book. C. S. Lewis’s own Preface to Paradise Lost, for instance, takes as its aim the illumination of the primary material without getting in the way of our enjoyment. It is hard to know what to call this sort of book. Because of our American egalitarianism we have few words for a servant that are positive descriptors. Perhaps we could call these ‘Sherpa books’: books that help us along in some greater task. Devin Brown’s Inside Prince Caspian, then, is a ‘sherpa’ book, helping us to journey through Prince Caspian with renewed appreciation and deeper insight. Some Narnia fans might, of course, question the need for a scholarly guide to a book which can be comfortably read by a 10-year-old. As Brown shows, though anyone can read the book with pleasure and understand the story (what happens to whom) the themes Lewis weaves through the book (Providence, for instance) bear up under scrutiny - repaying the reader’s attention with additional insight. I find it a little surprising that some reviewers have taken umbrage with the notion of a scholarly treatment of Narnia, given that Lewis himself wrote literary analysis about other stories. But also because of how closely Lewis interweaves his own thoughts on faith, providence, and morality into all of his works. Owen Barfield once said of Lewis that “what he thought about anything was secretly present in what he said about anything.” This is no less true of Prince Caspian than of any other work by Lewis, and so it is helpful (for those who want to truly understand Lewis’s work) to have such an accessible academic book available to us.

Reviewed by Anna (MA), May 28, 2008

A wonderful book! Surprisingly, unlike other Narnia study books, it was very interesting and I read it like a novel! Everything you ever wanted to know about the book Prince Caspian is certianly here. It truely has many eye-opening points. Excellant book!

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Author: Devin Brown
Submitted: May 24, 2008

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I am a Lilly Scholar and a Professor of English at Asbury College where, among other things, I teach a class about C. S. Lewis. My wife, Sharon, and I live in Lexington, Kentucky with our 15-pound cat, Mr. Fluff. This summer I will serve as scholar-in-residence at the Kilns (Lewis's home in Oxford) for the summer seminar put on by the C. S. Lewis Foundation.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  A number of people have told me that they wished they could take a class on Lewis and Narnia. With my book Inside Prince Caspian, I hope to provide the same background information and lively discussions that students enjoy in my class at Asbury.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  The Chronicles of Narnia are very rich works, full of meaning, full of implications. I hope that my guide to Prince Caspian will add to readers' understanding and enjoyment of this beloved classic. Lewis and the other Inklings loved to discuss their favorite stories and fairy tales, going at it "hammer and tongs" sometimes late into the night. My book lets readers into this same kind of discussion, the kind that the Inklings themselves participated in each week for almost two decades.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  Anytime you spend time with a great work like one of the Chronicles of Narnia, it is going to get "under your skin," as Lewis himself said, and become a permanent part of you--permanently changing you and the way you see things.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  Besides Lewis, I have also been very influenced by his friend and colleague, J. R. R. Tolkien. Together they continually remind me that there is more to life than what is visible to our eyes.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  If there is anyone who has seen the Narnia films but has not read Lewis's original books--buy them and read them now! You are in for a real treat.

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