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What is your preferred reading order?

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What is your preferred reading order?

1. Original Publication Order
29
54%
2. Chronological Order
10
19%
3. Other (please explain)
15
28%
 
Total votes : 54

Re: What is your preferred reading order?

Postby Justin of Archenland » Apr 11, 2020 1:58 am

So IMHO the best reading order is:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Magician's Nephew
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle


In this way the “flagship” of the book series the LWW stays first, and follows a real chronological order without any confusion in the series. Αfter we read the main Narnia story the LWW, we starting from MN (the creation), then we move on to HB (LWW times), and then the order Prince Caspian-The Last Battle, describes without baskstories, the rest Narnia stories.

I think this makes perfect sense and satisfies both c.o and p.o fans!


I'm really glad I joined this forum. You guys are opening so many new doors for me!

I think this order does make complete sense. I've always liked for MN and HHB to be earlier in the series then the publication order, but I totally agree with LWW being the first read. This fixes those problems for me.

I'm getting really excited about reading it in this order!

Apart from that I voted 'Other', because in my experience you decide your own order after a few complete reads of the series. Yet, for new readers, I would definitely advise Dimitri's order or the publication order. :)
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Re: What is your preferred reading order?

Postby Dimitris » Apr 12, 2020 12:06 pm

My friend Justin, it grieves me to tell you that I think I am wrong, and I have to revise my order :(

In the days of quarantine Ι have plenty of time so I am reading books much of the day. So I had the opportunity to read selectively the "Chronicles" again and I find out that the "Prince Caspian" is a key-book about the shifting position of the MN and the HHB.

Let's start with the MN first. ΜΝ can't be read before PC because of the end of PC. Specifically in PC, we read:

"You came into Narnia out of Telmar," said Aslan. "But you came into Telmar from another place. You do not belong to this world at all. You came hither, certain generations ago, out of that same world to which the High King Peter belongs."

Αs you read these lines, you think: "So there are also other earthlings who get into Narnia before children...". A mystery begins...Pevensies are not the only humans..

But if you have read MN first, then you have already seen many human who visited Narnia first. You already know Digory, Polly, Uncle Andrew, King Frank, Queen Helen...there is no mystery any more. It ruins the mystery at the end of PC.

Now as about the MN's position Ι am not sure but I insist that it don't need to be read so late (6th position). Backstories should not be read too late. Αnd I will explain my thinking:

Today I saw (for the tenth time) the movie :Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time" with my brother. In the middle of the movie, in the desert, Tamina starts narrate the history of the sands of time, of the hourglass, of the whole history about sacret guardians etc. She actually narrate a backstory. Can you imagine this story to be said at the end of the movie?

I feel the same thing about MN. I have questions. What is Narnia? Ηow Narnia was created? Who is Aslan? Why some animals talking and some other not? What is this place? I need answers like the prince in the movie! And a backstory is the perfect way to answer to the questions. And a backstory should read kind of early and not at the end. This is not a "mystery novel" with Sherlock Holmes or Hercules Poirot where everything is revealed only at the end!

A backstory is like cooked food. It is not ready either early or late. :p

I suggest MN should be read after PC. Remember that PC is the only book whose the end talking about earthling who came to Narnia. So maybe It is the best "introduction" for the ΜΝ.

Αbout HHB technically speaking, the only right position is after SC. There is no doubt about that. But as I have already said, Ι think it should be reading before SC for the following reasons:

1) Βy reading the bard's song, a powerfull nostalgia is created.
2) Reading the VDT after the HHB, you feel like you have been cooled in the sea by the heat of the vast desert. A nice "contrast" is created.
3) I don't think that "ruins" the "Caspian trilogy" because in SC Caspian has a cameo playing and not an active role.

PC shows that HHB shouldn't be read earlier than PC. At the beginning of the book we read:

"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure".

What do you mean dear author? Kids had remarkable adventures in Calormen and Archenland too! Did you forget that? The author seems that ignore HHB! (of course he hadn't "discovered" it yet ). :)

It makes more sense to me that HHB should be read after MN because HHB actually is a "LWW number 2". I think reading HHB-MN It's a bit of a mess.

So: LWW / PC / MN / HHB / VDT / SC / LB

Actually the only change, is the shifting of PC.

If anyone thinks I am wrong or right, I d' like to tell me!
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Re: What is your preferred reading order?

Postby The Rose-Tree Dryad » Apr 13, 2020 7:23 pm

What about positioning MN (and perhaps HHB) after LWW/PC/VDT and before SC/LB, Dimitris? The line "There I have another name" in VDT would be an interesting set-up for learning so much more about Aslan's character in The Magician's Nephew, and I think readers would be excited to meet Eustace again when returning to 1940s England with The Silver Chair. SC is rather disjointed from the stories published prior to it, so I think sticking MN or HHB before it wouldn't be out of the question.
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Re: What is your preferred reading order?

Postby Dimitris » Apr 14, 2020 5:49 am

The Rose-Tree Dryad wrote:What about positioning MN (and perhaps HHB) after LWW/PC/VDT and before SC/LB,? The line "There I have another name" in VDT would be an interesting set-up for learning so much more about Aslan's character in The Magician's Nephew

I am not sure if the "other name" could be a set-up because this sentence isn't something "Narnianish" but is the God's name on earth. After that, He continues:

"You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

Lewis in "Mere Christianity" said that the book is an "antechamber" to christianity. I think "Narnia" has the same role; it's a "anterchamber" to know better Christ. Of course Ι don't believe read MN after VDT it's a bad idea; Just I would rather read HHB. :)

The Rose-Tree Dryad wrote:SC is rather disjointed from the stories published prior to it, so I think sticking MN or HHB before it wouldn't be out of the question.

Totally agree.
I strongly support ΗΗΒ must read before or after VDT. Here also the P. Ford's order.

p.s I know I split hairs with these thoughts but I really like reading about other people's opinions. :)
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Re: What is your preferred reading order?

Postby Justin of Archenland » Apr 14, 2020 11:02 am

Nooo, Dimitris, why has it come to this! Hahah, I'm really glad you brought this up. I have been staring at a row of post-its with the titles on them.

Right now, I do still feel like the old order is a good one to have.

"You came into Narnia out of Telmar," said Aslan. "But you came into Telmar from another place. You do not belong to this world at all. You came hither, certain generations ago, out of that same world to which the High King Peter belongs."

Αs you read these lines, you think: "So there are also other earthlings who get into Narnia before children...". A mystery begins...Pevensies are not the only humans..


I understand what you are saying here. However, the excerpt you used is inside a detailed explanation by Aslan of the island from which the pirates came that took over Telmar.
In my opinion, we can't assume the Telmarines came before the kids, just that they came from the same world. And we know how and what.

Also, when you read MN and HHB before PC, a different mystery is brought forward that PC solves in this explanation. One that I think is evenly exciting as the 'why are there other humans'. I came across it the first time I read the Chronicles because I read them in CO, since it's the HarperCollins edition.

In MN, Frank and Helen are made first King and Queen of Narnia, father and mother of many kings that shall be in Narnia... 'and the Isles and Archenland' (MN, page 204, HarperCollins ed.)

Going on into HHB shows that the Pevensies have made contact with both Archenland and Calormen. You understand the presence of Archenland, whilst Calormen is still a bit of a mystery at first.

Then when you come to PC, all of a sudden the Telmarines appear. The mystery of 'where did they come from all of a sudden and why have they taken Narnia' is bigger when you have read MN and HHB first, because you know humans have been there but for some reason these weirdos completely went against the natural order of the countries there and became this 'Calormen-like' wannabe-empire.

In the end you discover where they came from and why they did what they did. A grand - yet known to most in a lesser gradation - mystery solved.

1) Βy reading the bard's song, a powerfull nostalgia is created.
2) Reading the VDT after the HHB, you feel like you have been cooled in the sea by the heat of the vast desert. A nice "contrast" is created.
3) I don't think that "ruins" the "Caspian trilogy" because in SC Caspian has a cameo playing and not an active role.


I definitely agree!


PC shows that HHB shouldn't be read earlier than PC. At the beginning of the book we read:

"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure".

What do you mean dear author? Kids had remarkable adventures in Calormen and Archenland too! Did you forget that? The author seems that ignore HHB!


This also is not that big of a problem to me. We know that the Pevensies are quite an important part of Narnian History. If you read MN before PC you actually have a deeper meaning of the history of Jadis and why it was such a remarkable adventure that they were able to help Aslan defeat her.

Since the text specifically calls out the book of LWW, I see no reason in having to include other stories that weren't in LWW itself.

Although the adventure was great, even for the Pevensies, I believe they had many more great adventures during their reign.
I believe, therefore, that we can assume HHB was a great tale in the Narnian world, but shouldn't have to deserve being named in an introduction of a story that is specifically focused on the Pevensies and the newly-introduced Caspian.



The line "There I have another name" in VDT would be an interesting set-up for learning so much more about Aslan's character in The Magician's Nephew, and I think readers would be excited to meet Eustace again when returning to 1940s England with The Silver Chair.


I agree with Dimitris in not being too sure about using that sentence as a set-up for SC. To me, MN doesn't add that much more of Aslan's info when put after both LWW and VDT.




p.s Sorry for the long post. I just spent the last ninety minutes working on this. Thank you for keeping me sharp ;)
“Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”
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