Glumpuddle wrote:Gotta mention: I love that the interviewer calls SC the fourth book in the series and this is not questioned at all.
And yes, it is just as good that both interviewer and interviewee took the trouble to do their homework, or at least some homework, in preparation for the event.
Either could have learned that SC was the fourth book, and the fourth Narnia film, by consulting the relevant IMDb board.
Rose-tree Dryad wrote:I was thinking this morning about why I think that the LotGK is, in my opinion, the scariest villain in the entire series. (Not counting the werewolf in PC... that guy gives me the creeps. )
Rose, I agree that LotGK definitely has to be one of C.S.Lewis' scariest Narnian creations, an expansion of a legendary figure, based on his knowledge of British mythology, in particular, and especially his acquaintance with English medieval history and literature, including Shakespeare's Hamlet. That encompasses the historic period between 1066AD to the accession of James 1 & VI on 24th March, 1603 AD. C.S.Lewis, as one of the Inklings, was interested in what myths and legends had to tell us about ourselves.
You and I, amongst others, had a quite extensive discussion on this very forum, across a few threads, on which mythological creature LotGK might be related to, as well as matters such as the symbolism of silver, mirrors and the moon in SC. And we did discuss LOTGK's possible derivation from Melusine, who was alleged to have turned into a snake when her bathing or birthing was unfairly interrupted by her husband, Raymond of Poitou, a very real historic figure, related to any amount of European historic figures of the time. Melusine was also allegedly an ancestor of the St Pol family of Luxemburg, of which Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, the mother of Elizabeth Woodville belonged.
If you want similar usage of Melusine in literature, you would have to investigate the historical fictitional works of Philippa Gregory, in which she enlarges on this very theme of British monarchial descent from Melusine to explain, most entertainingly, how the Plantagenets gave way to the Tudors, and how karma just might have been involved in Henry VIII's horrible marital history. By contrast, C.S.Lewis seems to have based LOTGK on this obscure and half-forgotten mythological figure but making of her a more terrifying figure of literature than poor slandered Melusine ever was. This is mainly my own opinion based on my own reading, and I don't know if scholarly reading would bear me out, especially as those I've read seem to be too busy analysing C.S.Lewis' attitudes to women, rather than his knowledge of mythology.
But, Rose, given that my NarniaWeb moniker has more to do with this werewolf, is there any need to be so frightened of me? Yes, the werewolf from PC was just the sort of creature who would want to carry out what Nikabrik was suggesting about the White Witch in PC but when Peter and Edmund arrive with Trumpkin, he was soon demolished. Caspian, who was bitten by that werewolf, didn't go on to be a werewolf, himself, the usual fate of bitten humans. As we see at the end in Silver Chair.
Werewolves, themselves, are Northern Hemisphere mythical constructs who destroy others by biting them. There aren't any proper wolves of any sort in Australia outside of zoos, let alone werewolves. Unless you count wolfhounds and other doggy relatives of wolves. Or, Australia's very own native dog, the dingo. Besides, our government, with some of the strictest biodiversity laws in the world, would not approve of illegally imported werewolves, or their like, running around the countryside, especially if they started feasting on native fauna.
Meanwhile, whilst listening to the podcast, I remembered that Hannah Minghella is the President of a company that markets films other companies produce, that marketing a movie isn't the same thing as actually making that movie, and that the movie isn't totally about Jill, herself, but whether or not she, Eustace and Puddleglum succeed in the journey they take to rescue Rilian, despite LOTGK.