A long time ago, I prophesied that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was going to be a pig to adapt to the screen, because of the episodic nature of the plot and the lack of a strong narrative
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I always liked this book but as you say, it is a bit meandering. My favourites were The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy - I suspect the pretty and romantic young men in danger may have added to my early adolescent affection for them. They are also, to my mind, the least didactic. I also suspect that Lewis's "faith above reason" backfired dramatically with me as I recall spending Quite A Lot of Time ruminating about this at about the age of twelve or thirteen and struggling with the concept. As I formally decided I was an atheist at about fourteen I think I rejected most of his arguments as Just Plain Dumb and recognised many of those arguments in christain apologetics and from peddlars of various forms of woo so, if anything, I think it added to and strengthened what called my "bullshit detector".
I do remember vividly the point (at about twelve) when I figured out Lewis's heavy handed Christ metaphor in TLTWATW. I remember being fairly annoyed about it...
That should have read "what Sagan called my "bullshit detector". Blame the traditional retail Xmas cold...
I also think I liked the fact Rillian was tied to a chair. Partly because he was rescued by a girl (OK, a girl, a marshwiggle and a boy...) but also - handsome young man tied to a chair? What's not to like? Although I doubt I could have articulated that at the time. There's some kinky subtext to TSC!
Now you've got my wondering about my liking for TSC too! I loved the underground land, and, of course, Puddleglum. I'm also fond of the practicality of Eustace and Jill as opposed to Lucy's mysticism.
I like bits of The Last Battle - the relationship between the king and the unicorn, and their unfailing courtesy. I also quite enjoy the Armageddon bit at the end. All the stuff about the donkey and the ape is awful, and the I have philosophical objections to the idea that the Christian God takes every good thing unto himself and every bad deed is taken on board by Tash (who I see as Allah rather than Satan.
I do remember vividly the point (at about twelve) when I figured out Lewis's heavy handed Christ metaphor in TLTWATW. I remember being fairly annoyed about it...
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I also think I liked the fact Rillian was tied to a chair. Partly because he was rescued by a girl (OK, a girl, a marshwiggle and a boy...) but also - handsome young man tied to a chair? What's not to like? Although I doubt I could have articulated that at the time. There's some kinky subtext to TSC!
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