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To: cloud8
I love the Chronicles, and I have read them several times. The un-PC aspects show up more in the latter books. Yeah, some people say that Lewis is sexist because 1) the girls in the stories are not good at things like finding directions, 2) Aslan says in the LWW that wars are ugly when girls fight in them, 3) the Satan-figures in the stories are witches, ie, female.

I'm sure in the later books some would accuse him of racism. 1) There are two types of dwarfs, red and black. The black dwarves are generally meaner and less trustworthy. (Actually the red and black dwarves are caucasian but with red or dark hair and beards, respectively.) 2) The Calormenes (sp?) are the bad guys in some of the stories and are dark-skinned, ie, middle eastern or mediterranean, although at least two of them are good guys (Emeth and the Tarkeena). The evil drawves even refer to the Calormenes as "darkies" in the Last Battle. 3) The evil ape in the last battle has black skin and is very lazy, and I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't brought up, if and when the last movie is made.

People who really want to be offended will be, but I suspect from what I've read and from seeing the preview, this will be such a big movie that the whining from the critics will be drowned out.

Even if Disney is 100% true to the LWW, it will be interesting if they can keep it up for the remaining six books. There are some scenes Disney may not have the guts for, like Caspian's swordfight with his uncle and the last battle. And if they stay true to the books, the Muslims will probably issue a jihad against Disney for A Horse and His Boy and the Last Battle.

My personal favorite Chronicle is the fifth book (A Horse and His Boy) but I think the neatest to see on screen will be The Silver Chair. Puddleglum will be such a neat character and I can't wait to see Prince Rilian when he's tied up in the chair and the Diggory and Jill have to decide whether to untie him or not. Ooh, I get chills just thinking about it.

152 posted on 10/17/2005 8:22:35 AM PDT by far sider
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To: far sider
1) the girls in the stories are not good at things like finding directions

How about Jill in The Last Battle? King Tirian says that she couldn't be more woodwise if she had dryad's blood in her. < g >

2) Aslan says in the LWW that wars are ugly when girls fight in them

Wars ARE ugly when women fight -- because they don't have the same code of conduct. See Kipling, "The Young British Soldier."

3) the Satan-figures in the stories are witches, ie, female.

Well, there are also good female characters who use magic - e.g. the Star's Daughter, and evil male characters, although they use force rather than magic as a general rule . . . but a woman could not use force. And the woman-disguised-as-a-knight (shades of the Faerie Queen) is in strong evidence in Aravis Tarkheena.

And Dwarves aren't Caucasian -- they're a different SPECIES (although they do intermarry - see Dr. Cornelius - there's no evidence the offspring are fertile).

But you're right, those who seek to be offended will be (as the mysterious Irish woman said in The Water Babies, "Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.")

154 posted on 10/17/2005 9:06:38 AM PDT by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
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