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Child, you said that you felt excluded when you read the Chronicles of Narnia. How old were you then? Old enough to see that they were decidedly Christian?
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Silver Shod Muse --
No, I believe you're mistaken here. That wasn't me who said that. I believe it was Craban.
I had no problem reading Narnia when I was younger, although I am not a Christian. I was very aware that the story was "Christian" but I don't like to shut myself off from a piece of literature just because it's a tradition different than my own. For me, there are too many hidden glimpses of truth in different places to put on blinders and pretend its not there.
Creban mentioned feeling that he felt there was a line drawn in the sand, but that's not how I connected with it. That's probably because I felt touched by it on a very personal level. For example, in my own neighborhood, I saw myself as a Lucy amid a whole gaggle of Susans.
Also, I think it's possible to be deeply touched by a work, even if you don't share its particular faith. To take two examples from my own tradition, many people who are not Jewish have found The Diary of Anne Frank, or Elie Wiesel's Night to be quite moving. So I guess that Creban and I had different experiences and responses.
Having said this however, I do prefer Tolkien to Lewis for the same reason that Creban alluded to. The story can be read and enjoyed on so many different levels---a good yarn growing out of ancient myths and legends, a tale which celebrates values prized by many people of good will, or a story which reflects, at least in some of its themes and allusions, the particular belief system of its author.
sharon, the 7th age hobbit