C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman are two very popular authors of British Children's Fantasy. Their books The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The Golden Compass straddle the period of writing that Karen Patricia Smith calls the Dynamic Stage of British Fantasy: from 1950 to the present. Both of these books are part of a larger series and both have been made into recent motion pictures by Hollywood. This paper explores these two books through the lens of their conventional and progressive authors. I discuss in detail the gifts that the heroes and heroines are given, the setting of these books, and the function of destiny and prophecy in order to explore the irony of these books: C.S. Lewis, often viewed as the more conventional author by scholars, is in fact more progressive than his contemporary counterpart. / Master of Arts

This essay seeks to investigate identity formation and the role of the oriental other, the Calormene, in C.S. Lewis popular children’s books, The Chronicles of Narnia, as well as the threat levelled at Narnia and what it constitutes. The oriental other as a threatening corruption is a common image in European colonial discourse, therefore a brief summary on post-colonial theory and critique thereupon and a background on the occidental attitude towards the discursive Orient based mainly on Orientalism by Edward W. Said, as well as a short account of Emile Durkheims theory on social divisions of labour and identity formation in groups is provided in the first theoretical section, Images of the Other. In the second section the Narnian identity and what it is composed of is examined. Here I argue that the Narnian identity is connected to an ideal and primordial English identity. This is shown primarily through the linking of Narnian nature and food with the English countryside and its “plain food”. Consequently, food in the Narnian space possesses a great power. The food of the Other corrupts while the hearty Narnian or English food holds the power to redeem those corrupted. The third section is dedicated to the threat against Narnia. This is composed mainly of Calormenes and Witches, both of which are described to be ancient and whose evil, I argue, nonetheless is an eventual consequence of rational thinking and modernity. In the fourth section the Calormene, the Other in Narnia, is examined. The Calormene society is inextricably linked to slavery, which is portrayed as the utmost consequence of rationality, and characterized by its spiritual poverty. This section also discusses how the Narnian can be corrupted and turned “Other”.

In this thesis I have studied the British author C.S. Lewis´s conversion story as it is presented in his autobiography, more specifically his schooling at Malvern College. I have chosen to study his school period since Lewis himself puts great value on how his youth and school period made him into the person who in the 1930s became a Christian, not only including but putting great emphasis on these events in his conversion story. The purpose of my study is to examine the importance of Lewis’s schooling at Malvern College and the relation it has to his conversion story as written in his autobiography. My focus question is, “Why does Lewis describe his school period in such detail in his conversion story?”. To analyze my material, Lewis’s autobiography, I use a hermeneutic method. To answer the focus question, I use Roy Baumeister´s theory of “self-presentation”, which argues that there are two types of motives regarding why individuals present themselves in a certain way; “pleasing the audience” and “self-construction”. The first motive is that the individuals present themselves in line with thoughts and expectations of a certain group. “Self-construction”, on the other hand, is when individuals present themselves to a general audience and they are motivated, with their presentation, to achieve their own goals. Based on my contextualization of the schooling as a part of the larger conversion story told in Lewis’ autobiography, and especially through my analysis of the part describing his time at Malvern College, as well as through earlier research on the topic, the following are examples of conclusions that I have made: in comparison to prior research, in which each researcher presented one conclusion each, Lewis writes about his schooling at Malvern College for different reasons depending on the context, depending on what Lewis wants to achieve in that part. I have also made a conclusion that even though Lewis takes a firm stand that the events in the book will only be included if they contribute to his conversion story the events, the part I have analyzed in this thesis, does not contribute to the story of how Lewis abandoned atheism and turned to Christianity.

Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra C.S. Lewis bok Kung Caspian och skeppet Gryningen och filmen med samma namn för att se vilka skillnader och likheter som finns mellan båda medierna. En narrativ analys och en komparativ analys har genomförts. Fyra frågeställningar har varit underlag för analysen, vilka är:• Vad har förändrats, lagts till eller tagits bort vid filmatiseringen av boken som är mest uppenbart?• Vilka skillnader och likheter finns mellan karaktärerna i bok och film?• Vilka skillnader och likheter finns mellan tre utvalda scener i bok och film?• Hur påverkar förändringarna berättelsens tematik?Resultaten visar att den mest uppenbara skillnaden mellan de olika medierna är att bokens huvudsyfte är att finna de sju försvunna riddarna medan filmen har vinklat det till att finna de sju svärden som tillhört riddarna. Karaktärernas framställning liknar varandra med en liten avvikelse på Lucy och Ripipip och att de tre scenerna utspelar sig i olika ordning jämfört med boken. Berättelsens tema är dock detsamma i både boken och filmatiseringen. I undervisningssyfte är både boken och filmen användbara i undervisningen för årskurs 4-6 i det svenska språket. / The aim of this study is to compare C.S. Lewis's book Voyage of the Dark treader and the movie with the same name to see what differences and similarities there is between both medias. A narrative analysis and a comparative analysis have been implemented. Four issues have been the basis for the analysis, which are:• What has been the most obvious change when filming the book?• What are the differences and similarities between the characters in the book and the movie?• What differences and similarities exist between three selected scenes in the book and in the movie?• How do the changes affect the story's theme?The results show that the most obvious difference between the various media is that the main purpose of the book is to find the seven lost knights while the movie has angled it to find the seven swords that belonged to the knights. The characters' portrayal is similar to each other with a slight divergency from Lucy and Ripipip and the three scenes take place in different order compared to the book. However, the theme of the story is the same in both the book and the movie. For educational purposes, both the book and the movie are useful in teaching in the school subject Swedish for grades 4-6.

This dissertation explores theologies of suffering through engagement with five theologians from across fifteen centuries of the Christian tradition: Gregory the Great, Julian of Norwich, Jeremy Taylor, C.S. Lewis and Ivone Gebara. It uses a typological method to examine the types of responses that are advocated by each theologian, and the relation of their responses to five theological touchstones: Humanity, Sin and Evil; God’s Providence; Salvation; Christ; and Eternal Life. The Introductory Chapter provides an exploration of the definitions and etymologies of suffering and grief; a description of the typological method; an examination of notable relevant literature; and an introduction to the five thinkers. Chapter One is an examination of the life and writings of the 6th century pope Gregory the Great, with particular focus on The Book of the Pastoral Rule and Moralia. Gregory understands suffering to be a discipline sent by God to the faithful. Chapter Two is an examination of the life and Revelations text of the 13th century English mystic Julian of Norwich, who focuses on the reward God desires to give those who suffer. Chapter Three is an examination of the life and writings of 17th century Anglican bishop Jeremy Taylor, with particular focus on Holy Living and Holy Dying. Taylor places an emphasis on the lifelong practice of faithfulness in preparation for death. Chapter Four is an examination of the life and writings of 20th century Anglican theologian and author C. S. Lewis, with particular attention to The Problem of Pain, The Chronicles of Narnia, A Grief Observed, and Letters to Malcom. Lewis offers the example of one who is willing to engage with the depth of his grief and to question God on his road to acceptance. Chapter Five is an examination of the life and writings of contemporary Brazilian, feminist and liberation theologian Ivone Gebara, with particular focus on her book Out of the Depths and her engagement with Latin American author Isabel Allende. Gebara questions traditional understandings of suffering, as well as when suffering is to be accepted and when suffering is unjust and should be combated. The Concluding Chapter constructs a contemporary theology of suffering drawing on the insights and wrestling with the challenges raised by the varying perspectives of the five theologians. The goal is to provide a hopeful and nuanced way of thinking theologically about suffering for contemporary Christians. The contemporary theology affirms the importance of the call, found in Gebara, to combat unjust suffering through acts of love and mercy, while also affirming that acceptance of the reality of endemic suffering, found in all five theologians, can provide one with opportunities to grow spiritually, live more faithfully and to experience the blessings in the midst of suffering that are a foretaste of heavenly bliss.

abstract: The study of genre literature in general, and fantasy or fairy tale literature in particular, by its very nature, falls outside the normal course of literary theory. This paper evaluates various approaches taken to create a framework within which scholarly research and evaluation of these types of genre literature might occur. This is done applying Secondary World theory to better-established literary foci, such as psychological analysis and monster theory while still respecting the premises posited in traditional literary inquiry. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis English 2019

En strukturell resa genom Narnia: En komparativ analys av struktur och genre i C.S Lewis två verk Silvertronen och Hästen och hans pojke A structural trip through Narnia: A comparative analysis of structure and genre in C.S Lewis two works The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy In this essay I discuss how fiction can be used in Swedish education for younger years in the Swedish subject, to learn about the building blocks of stories and what is unique to the fantasy genre. The core of the essay is an analysis of C.S Lewis two novels The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy and how they relate to some of Vladimir Propps 31 functions of structures and some characteristics of the genre fantasy. The purpose of this essay is examine how the two works of C.S Lewis relate to chosen functions, characterises of the genre fantasy and in relation to each other. That and how it can be used in Swedish education to create an interest for fiction and reading. The analysis is built on two parts. Firstly, the two books are introduced and then analysed separately against 10 of Propps functions and described characteristics of the genre fantasy. Secondly, a comparison between the result from the two separate analyses. I find that fiction can be compared to both Propp’s functions and characteristics of the genre fantasy. However, they needed to be interpreted to fit into the definitions of chosen functions. As a result, I found that the fictions by C.S Lewis, Propps functions and elements of the fantasy genre can be used in classrooms to discuss the structure of stories and to teach about genres. I also give some ideas on how to do that.

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This dissertation examines the theology of C.S. Lewis in light of the writings of Athanasius, Augustine, and Anselm. Specifically, it looks at the role that justice and mercy play in each of these theologian’s understanding of the atonement. It proceeds on the basis that Lewis does in fact have a specific, robust, and coherent understanding of the atonement, and that his theological anthropology and his understanding of sanctification are an outworking of his understanding of the atonement. Chapter 1 lays out Lewis’ theological orientation and his method. Chapter 2 engages with Athanasius, Augustine, and Anselm on the atonement, and it lays out the particular concepts that were crucial in their understanding of the atonement, namely the justice and mercy of God. It outlines the fundamental concepts that we find in seedling form in Athanasius and Augustine and that were brought to full fruition in Anselm. It also argues that Anselm’s satisfaction theory is best understood as grounded in the nature of God, rather than in Anselm’s feudal, Medieval context. Chapter 3 examines Lewis on the atonement, and it traces the concepts that Lewis uses to describe and explain Christ’s death and resurrection. While Lewis does not adhere to any one doctrine or understanding of the atonement, there is a common thread that unites the various pictures that he takes to be true representations of the atonement. Fundamentally, for Lewis, the atonement is about the restitution of proper order that was disrupted in the Fall. Chapter 3 examines which theories of the atonement Lewis accepts and which he rejects. It also traces his understanding of the atonement to his understanding of the nature of God, relying on the concept of justitia defined as proper order, which has its source in the nature of God himself. In so doing, it aims to show that Lewis’ later understanding of the atonement is fundamentally Anselmian. Chapter 4 engages with Lewis’ theological anthropology and his understanding of sanctification, focusing on the process of “good infection” and how Lewis envisions the spread of the new life made available after Christ’s act of atonement. Sanctification, for Lewis, like the atonement, is also fundamentally about proper order. This plays out in his theological anthropology largely in terms of humility and obedience to God. Finally, chapter 5 addresses Narnia specifically and traces the concepts of justitia and proper order throughout the series and aims to show that, by focusing on proper order, we can see how the series hangs together as a whole theologically as an outworking of Lewis’ understanding of the atonement. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)