Fanmixes: The Chronicles of Narnia, Susan and Lucy Pevensie

[snacky]

Here are two fanmixes, inspired by Susan and Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia, for halfamoon 2011.

Comments

[delta_mai]

I'm actually doing a personal study of CS Lewis and his attitude towards women, and one of my focusses is Susan. His decision to not let her return still baffles me. Is he demonising female sexuality? Is the moral that you should always be loyal to your family? I'll be writing a fic in a couple of months (once I've finished my Lewis and Gender book and can access Horse and His Boy and Last Battle - my university library only has Prince Caspian and Silver Chair wtf) trying to understand Susan and giving my own opinion on why she wasn't allowed back.

But, long story attempting shortness, I feel the same as you - I once played Susan in a kids' play, and I was horrified when I found out she wasn't allowed back. It's so unfair. What worries me was whether she was on the train because, if I remember rightly, it's never made clear...

Anyway, great mixes and I have downloaded and will enjoy time again :D

Warning, long rambling ahead

[snacky]

The Susan thing is so complicated, and I think it's because the books were intended for children that makes it that way

Re: Warning, long rambling ahead

[delta_mai]

I agree with most of what you said, except the portrayal of Susan as a queen in HHB. I think she isn't portrayed as foolish at all, rather as the epitome of a perfect woman. She is gentle, beautiful, caring, and yet sensible - her handling of Rabadash is both sensitive and clever. As this incarnation she is the only positively portrayed adult female (apart from Polly ofc) and certainly the only good sexualised one. Maybe with this Lewis is saying that the only way such a woman can exist is in a Heaven/Eden like environment - whereas on Earth instead of using her sexual, gentle talents for good, Susan becomes obsessed with materialism and vanity

Re: Warning, long rambling ahead

[delta_mai]

Oh, and Digory's mum is obviously positive but she's a saintly maternal figure so she doesn't even register on my women radar :P

Re: Warning, long rambling ahead

[snacky]

I think The Magician's Nephew is where we see the most adult women in all the books! Digory's mother, Helen (the cabbie's wife and first Queen of Narnia), Digory's Aunt Letty, and Jadis.

Jadis is the most developed in the book, and she's flat-out evil. Digory's mother and Queen Helen are good, but they each get about one line, and we really don't see them developed in any meaningful fashion. We know from the text implications that they're good, because one is the hero's mother, and the other is made Queen of Narnia by Aslan, but other than that, we don't know anything about them.

Digory's aunt gets a limited but favorable portrayal - she's a tough old thing who stands up to both Uncle Andrew and to Jadis, but she's unmarried, no surprise there.

Re: Warning, long rambling ahead

[delta_mai]

Yep. It seems the only women worthy of some kind of equality with men are tomboyish and chaste. Once they are married they have to be subservient and feminine, but not too aware of their sexuality. Although I think Lewis had changed his ideas about women by the time he wrote the books (time was he was unlikely to have written female characters as protagonists or heroes), his old ideas do seep through.

Actually I just finished the Silver Chair and omg nice totally unecessary misogynistic point at the end there, Lewis!

All the way through "Experiment House" is shown to be the epitome of bad schooling, with bullies running riot and without teaching of the Bible. (In fact, Eustace's original bad character is somewhat ascribed to how he was taught in this school). And at the end OMG THE HEAD IS A WOMAN.

*rage*

Re: Warning, long rambling ahead

[snacky]

I agree with most of what you said, except the portrayal of Susan as a queen in HHB. I think she isn't portrayed as foolish at all, rather as the epitome of a perfect woman. She is gentle, beautiful, caring, and yet sensible - her handling of Rabadash is both sensitive and clever. As this incarnation she is the only positively portrayed adult female (apart from Polly ofc) and certainly the only good sexualised one.See, I disagree. I think textually, Lewis is saying she's gentle, beautiful and caring, but I'm not sure about sensible. She's more portrayed as having come to her senses. And really, I don't see her handling the Rabadash situation at all

Re: Warning, long rambling ahead

[delta_mai]

Ah, but she gives reason for why she trusted Rabadash and thought him a good suitor - he acted humble and noble in Narnia but when they got to Calmorene he "showed a different face". As soon as she realises who he really is she wants to get out of the marriage (yes her brother has to help her wtf Lewis but I try to ignore this

hmmm...

[delta_mai]

All this stuff makes me wonder what they're going to do if they make more films. So far the misogyny has been handled well (ish). But the rampant racisim in Last Battle is going to cause problems, as well as the Susan issue. Hmmm...