LOTR or Narnia

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An arguement we had in school. The Lord of the Rings, or the Chronicles of Narnia. Which is better written, and which has the better story?

I vote Narnia, both ways. Aslan was way cooler than Gandalf.

 

Since Lewis was from N.Ireland this always made Narnia more special for me, especially as a child, but both are excellent.

 

Hmm that's very hard to answer, i love both worlds. I would have to say *Middle Earth*, since i didn't appriciate the use of religion in C.S Lewis' works.
(Edit: Shouldn't this have been a poll )

 

Well, you can see instances of religion in LOTR. Gandalf's supposed 'death', then his re-appearance for example?

And no, not really a poll, because I'd like to know reasons, rather than numbers

 

I really don't see how Gandalf's 'death' has anything to do with religion - sure, a famous mythological character did much the same, but the similarities aren't exactly very close...

And don't get started on Morgoth/Satan comparisions either - even if one is the mirror of the other, it is hardly a glaring book-breaking reference put there to advocate Tolkien's religion.

 

I should have said *the way C.S Leweis use religion in his works*

 

Since I really couldn't stomach Narnia, I'd have to say Lord of the Rings all the way

Maybe it's because I read Narnia "too late" (I was 22, and so there's no special feeling or nostalgia involved), but it's mostly because I find LotR's prose to be much more involving, and because the preaching self-righteousness of Narnia really got on my nerves once I got to book 2. By the time I got to the 7th I was almost pulling my hair out.

Maybe it's because I'm not a Christian, or much of a religious person for that matter... I don't know. Reading the books as mythology though, Silmarillion is absolutely fascinating. Especially the creation of the world.

Since both Tolkien and Lewis were equally devout, that's an interesting statement. It's easy to see religious (Christian in particular) references all over both books. I always found Tolkien's use of such references to be much more subtle, and as such less bothersome. Not that I have anything against Christianity mind you, but I don't like preaching in the books I read

 

I love both Narnia and LoTR. Since they were written for different age groups they can't be compared. It's sorta like comparing apples and oranges.

 

I had no idea there was any religion in the Narnia books

I always thought that Tolkien's stuff was far more religious - the start of the Silmarillion reminded me of the start of the Bible.

I loved Narnia as a pre-teen and I loved Lord of the Rings as a post-teen. They both rule in their own way.

 

Hmm, I'm thinking back on those stories, which I read so many times I think I know them inside out. I still can't see any religious themes. There was a lion, and a witch, and a place where time went faster than in our world, and a ship, and a faun, and a mouse, and some islands. What does any of that have to do with Christianity? I don't remember there being any turkish delight in the Bible.

 

Is he?! Wow. Who were his Father and Mother then? This is fascinating. I plan to look into this further (but am unlikely to buy a whole book on the topic - sorry).

Hmm, come to think of it, they do go to a sort of 'heaven' at the end of the Last Battle, don't they?

 

Yes, though my guess is it's closer to the post-JUdgement Day "heaven" than the "present" heaven, since the entire Last Battle really is The End of the world.

I have to disagree with Tal about the religious influence not being forced (or at least stated openly). As I never read the books as a child I can't comment on this point, but as an "adult" (let's say young adult) I thought it was very obvious, and I'm not that familiar with catholicism. True, it is in service of the story, but then again most of the "big" story entirely revolves around Catholic issues.

SPOILERS BELOW

By the way HB, there's one passage that really illustrates the Jesus/Aslan point: in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan is supposedly killed, in stead of one of the boys (forgot which one), but shorly later he returns.

 

Hey Ziad, your post count seems apt for the topic, no?

So, Prince Caspian, who is he then?

 

I always prefered LoTR over Narnia (The first book I actually enjoyed was The Hobbit ), although I still liked to read Narnia when I was wee

 

Remember that Lewis and Tolkien were great mates and they both had an influence on each others work. Narina was targeted at children and personally I think the story telling is better the LOTR. Tolkien wrote LOTR mainly so he could use the language he invented. Both books have heavy Christian overtones, mainly because they were both devout Christians. The great thing about the writing in both books is that they don't slap you in the face with their beliefs so even unbelievers like me can enjoy it. As for the over all story LOTR thanks to better depth.

 

For me Lewis told better stories but Tolkien was the better writer.

Also on a side note Lewis and Tolkien who were best friends hated (I use this word lightly) each other's books. Interesting, no?

 

I find it quite humorous that a few people have said the Narnia books require an indpepth knowledge of Catholicisim. This provokes a wry smile as Tolkien of the two was the devout Catholic and C.S. Lewis, though definitely Christian, would not have definted himself as Catholic. Indeed, the two used to have little debates about the relative merits of their two relative positions, although generally they agreed on many points. Personally, I prefer Tolkien, as pointed out the religion is there, but it is implicit and not explicit. Although any of you who have read C.S. Lewis's Cosmic Trilogy may have found those rather interesting in relation to this difference between the two men.