C.S. Lewis and the
Prophetic Imagination

By Dan R. Dick

There is a good chance that C.S. Lewis would be outraged by the release of Disney's, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Throughout the last years of his life, Lewis made very clear that he opposed any attempt to create a film version of his Chronicles of Narnia. His main objection reflects a valid literary conceit: allegorical fiction is best left to the reader's imagination. Lewis feared that a human in animal costume or a poorly conceived puppet would rob Aslan of the majesty and power he symbolizes in the Narnia series. Lewis felt that talking animals belonged firmly in the realm of fantasy—a realm best served by each individual conceptualizing for him- or herself what it looked like. Film and television, in Lewis' estimation, limited the imagination and forever bound characters to their onscreen representation.

Advocates of the new film claim that Lewis never conceived of the wonders of CGI (computer-generated imagery). Talking animals no longer look like rejects from an office costume party—they look "real." This defense begs the question. For many, even the gloriously rendered images presented in the new Disney film will forever imprint on the hearts and minds of modern viewers. Ask any baby-boomers to describe The Wizard of Oz, and they will likely share memories of the 1939 film, not the writings of L. Frank Baum. The same is true of Pinocchio. Carlo Collodi would scarcely recognize his story in the 1940 Disney rendition; yet, people best remember the animated boy-puppet from the film.

The most frequent complaint about the hugely popular Harry Potter films is that they fail to capture the wonder and magic of the books. J.K. Rowling is such a cinematic storyteller to begin with, that much is lost in the transition from page to screen. Many developmental psychologists speak of the importance of cultivating and encouraging active imagination in children as they grow. Many also lament the influence of television and film to narrow the scope and limit the ability to imagine and conceptualize in young children.

But these movies are so good! The Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio, the Harry Potter series—and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I am sure—are beloved because they are so wonderful. They are breathtaking in their vision. They make seem real that which exists only in our minds. What is the harm?

The United States is fast becoming a "non-literate" society. Non-literate is not the same as illiterate—it is not that we cannot read, but that we choose not to read. Reading is an important aspect of mental development—it stimulates parts of the brain in important and beneficial ways. Story has the power to expand our thinking and reasoning capabilities. Imagination strengthens our mental faculties and lays the foundation for sound conceptual thinking skills.

C.S. Lewis was part of a group of scholars who met regularly for seventeen years—from 1933 to 1950—calling themselves "the Inklings." The purpose of this group was to read their own writings aloud to one another for critique and comment. It included such participants as J. R. R. Tolkien, R. E. Havard, Charles Williams, Hugo Dyson, and Owen Barfield—all well known and respected in academic circles. The Inklings claimed George MacDonald as their spiritual mentor—a man who blended a love of knowledge, philosophy, history, and spirituality. His influence on the group can be seen in that Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams are not chiefly remembered for their academic achievements, but for the mythologies each created. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a global phenomenon. Lewis created not only Narnia, but also his revered Space Trilogy and The Screwtape Letters. Williams, not widely read in the United States, portrayed fantastic worlds where the dead and the living coexist in a daring dance of good and evil forces (Descent Into Hell, All Hallows' Eve). For the members of the Inklings, fantasy and imagination were essential components of the truly enlightened mind.

The Judeo-Christian tradition shares this opinion. The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures delivered many of God's messages in the form of allegory and metaphor. They drew from a rich well of images to impart deep and lasting truths. Jesus taught his disciples using parables, richly allegorical stories that broke convention and forced the listeners to think in new ways. The teachings of Jesus challenged established ways of understanding the world—entertaining, enlightening, enraging, and provoking all who heard. Good story does that—it fires the passions and encourages each individual to seek meaning and understanding.