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LEWIS-DUNCAN Nov-28-2005 (770 words) With movie photo posted Nov. 15. xxxn
C.S. Lewis biographer sees boom in interest in writer's works, life
By Mark Pattison
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- John Ryan Duncan was a C.S. Lewis fan before it was cool to be a C.S. Lewis fan.
Lewis has always had fans -- none of the prolific Christian writer's books has ever gone out of print -- but a bandwagon for him has begun to roll in anticipation of the Dec. 9 release of the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," based on a Lewis novel.
Duncan filmed a documentary and wrote a companion book, both titled "The Magic Never Ends: The Life and Work of C.S. Lewis" and released in 2001. The documentary is getting played again on PBS stations throughout the country, and the book is being republished by Augsburg Books, a publishing imprint of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
"The interest in C.S. Lewis is pretty astounding," Duncan said. "His readers are passionate readers -- passionate not only about the content, but the entertainment value."
In a telephone interview with Catholic News Service from Milwaukee, Duncan said that despite the research that went into the book and documentary, "I think it would be overreaching to say that I am capable of getting into the mind of C.S. Lewis." Still, he gave it a try.
"While he (Lewis) was not an avid reader of current events -- he was not someone who paid terribly close attention to world affairs -- he had more of an epic sensibility about the nature of good and evil and the way those things played out in life and in literature," Duncan said.
"You're able to see that in his work. You're able to see that in a lot of his works. His life experiences, especially in World War I, really informed a lot of his work. The same with (J.R.R.) Tolkien, (a friend of Lewis'). I really think Tolkien's work was really impacted by World War I. They both understood the horrors of war, and so the themes of good and evil permeated their work."
Lewis embraced the use of allegory in his seven-book Narnia series, but only to a point, according to Duncan.
"A lot of people would look at 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' and say, 'Oh, look, this is an allegory for the story of Christ.' Lewis himself said no, it's not an allegory, because there's no 1-to-1 ratio. 'This' is not really 'this,' 'that' is not exactly 'that,'" Duncan said.
"But he coined the phrase 'supposal,' and his version of that term, the way he defines it, is that 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is supposal: Suppose there was another land called Narnia, and suppose there was a character in Narnia named Aslan who had the characteristics of Christ, and suppose there were a story (with) elements in it that were similar to the story of Christ. That's how he gets away with the allegory."
To a non-Christian, the allegory is not overt, but to the Christian reader sees "what Lewis wants you to see -- the story of Christ," Duncan said, cautioning against any religious tradition appropriating Lewis for its own devices. Lewis was raised an Anglican, became an atheist in young adulthood, and later renewed his belief in God -- but professed Christianity without embracing the tenets of any one Christian religion.
"I am always afraid of C.S. Lewis being co-opted by any one denomination or any sect of any kind," Duncan said. "I think C.S. Lewis speaks universally to people around the world and specifically to Christians. I don't think he is any less relevant to evangelicals than he is to Catholics. He is equally relevant to both."
Lewis was a popular author in his native England, but he died in relative obscurity. On the day he died, the hugely popular Beatles released their second album in England. On the same day -- Friday, Nov. 22, 1963 -- President John Kennedy was assassinated.
Until Duncan's documentary no one had ever done a film biography of Lewis. In assembling material for the documentary, Duncan said there were apparently "no motion picture images of C.S. Lewis anywhere." However, he got the cooperation of Douglas Gresham, Lewis' stepson, in making the film.
Gresham has worked with Lewis' estate since 1973, and assisted with the upcoming movie. Taking a cue from Lewis' own spirituality, Gresham became a minister; he and his wife operate a nondenominational Christian house of ministry that specializes in counseling and seminar hosting.
END
Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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