Chronicles of Narnia

^ This. I didn't read that plotline as "Susan is doomed", but as "adolescence is crazy". It would be a little unrealistic if visiting Narnia meant that none of the kids ever struggled with Christ again.

Edmund came back, Eustace came back. My headcanon is that Susan definitely will, and her siblings will welcome her when she comes.

I agree with that, but unfortunately the actual text is rather harsh on her.

Lewis once described his conversion to Christianity as "being dragged kicking and screaming" into the faith after having abandon it earlier in life. If there was any character he could relate to, it would probably be Susan.

Lewis said that he wasn't interested in writing Susan's story, and I think that is mainly because it wouldn't be the same genre as the other books. It would be more adult and take place outside of Narnia.

Using the rings is an interesting angle, because it allows travel to other worlds, and thus allowing it to involve fantasy. She wouldn't use them right away, and I think that it would feel like a short cut if being transported by the rings brought her back to Aslan.

She should already have begun to rediscover her faith as she and a friend use the ring, and are transported to the Woods between the Worlds.

Arguably he did write something that resembled what Susan’s story would have been, and it was Till We Have Faces.

I think he meant not within the Narnia series.

Yes.

Also, didnt the ring come from dust that in theory come from atlantis?.

Because damn, that was some weird detail lewis just introduce out of nowhere

The Dust comes from the Forest Between Worlds; the implication is that ancient Atlantiens were able to travel between dimensions.

They serve as an explanation for where the dust comes from.

...........

I read somewhere that Lewis may be referencing Tolkien's Numenor with the mention of Atlantis.

Lewis uses Númenor (which he spells Numinor) as another name for Atlantis in his Space Trilogy, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had it in mind here. He also freely borrows parts of Tolkien's mythos in a few unpublished works & poems.

Edited by Jhimmibhob on Feb 20th 2024 at 1:05:59 PM

I disagree with the notion that Til We Have Faces is anything like what Susan's story would have been like. Til We Have Faces isn't about rediscovering your faith, it's about toxic love, grief, Rage Against the Heavens, and Heel Realization. I like to think Susan's tale would be nowhere near as depressing and anguished as Orual's.

and Lewis borrowed quite a bit from quite a few of the Inklings. That Hideous Strength is very similar in premise to Charles Williams' Descent Into Hell.

Edited by PhiSat on Feb 20th 2024 at 2:57:32 AM