The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade fantasy
• Originally Published: 1950
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 940L; grades 5-7
• Structure/Length: 17 chapters; approx. 208 pages; approx. 4 hours, 21 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: During World War II, siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent to live with a professor in the countryside for their safety. On a rainy day, they discover a portal to Narnia, where they are embroiled in an adventure of a lifetime as they battle to free Narnia from a witch.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Animal death; war and battle; violence; death; sexism           

C. S. Lewis, Author

• Bio: 1898-1963; British writer, scholar, and Anglican theologian; went by the nickname “Jack” after his dog Jacksie died; loved anthropomorphic animal stories as a child; Second Lieutenant with the Somerset Light Infantry during World War I; served in the local Home Guard during World War II; had academic position in English literature at Oxford University and Cambridge University; close friend of J. R. R. Tolkien; active in the Oxford literary group called the Inklings; his faith greatly influenced his work; has a wide and long-lasting legacy in the form of honors and statues and film adaptations
• Other Works: The Pilgrim’s Regress (1933); Out of the Silent Planet (1938); The Screwtape Letters (1942); Prince Caspian (1951); Till We Have Faces (1956)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Dangers of Gluttony and Sin
• The Significance of Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption
• The Journey to Adulthood

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the historical context regarding World War II and child evacuees that provides the setting for Edmund, Lucy, Peter, and Susan. 
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections with the text’s themes of religious allegory, redemption, love, and sacrifice.
• Analyze poetry written about the text and incorporate aspects of character development, plot, and the novel’s themes of gluttony, redemption, and adulthood in an original piece of poetry.
• Analyze the motifs and symbols in structured essay responses regarding the seasons, food, and the lamppost in Narnia.