the right kind of books have dragons in them

[aria]

Since I am apparently still having lots of Thoughts (& FEELINGS) About Narnia, I decided it was time for a poll. Have at it!

Poll #5874

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 61

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Favourite book?

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The Magician's Nephew
6 (10.3%)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
7 (12.1%)

The Horse and His Boy
15 (25.9%)

Prince Caspian
4 (6.9%)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
19 (32.8%)

The Silver Chair
4 (6.9%)

The Last Battle
3 (5.2%)

Favourite kid protagonist? (Ticky boxes this time because I am not cruel.)

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Digory
5 (8.9%)

Polly
9 (16.1%)

Peter
2 (3.6%)

Susan
12 (21.4%)

Edmund
27 (48.2%)

Lucy
29 (51.8%)

Eustace
14 (25.0%)

Jill
15 (26.8%)

When I was little, I ...

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believed in Aslan
15 (25.0%)

went looking for magic countries in closets
32 (53.3%)

already knew the lion was Jesus
25 (41.7%)

hadn't actually been exposed to Narnia yet
9 (15.0%)

PS if you answered 'The Last Battle' to the first question, you will have to defend your answer in comments. DISCUSS.
PPS the order in which I listed the books is not in fact the order in which you should read them. Publication order all the way, yo.

Comments

[aria]

I never liked Susan much until the films, and now I adore her, because -- Narnia is a bit mad, and they get jerked around a lot, and I remain mildly horrified upon rereads to find that Susan is getting punished for being a certain kind of sensible. Plus, as you say, there is the shallowness = lack of faith thing, and ugh, yes.

[thornyrose42]

Sometimes I imagine what would happen if Prince Corin from A Horse and his Boy had met Movie!Susan. Or maybe by that time she would just be like: "Seriously if I go into battle it'll be over in two minutes, better let the others have their fun."

[aria]

Sometimes I imagine how they could possibly make a film version of A Horse and His Boy just re: all the awful issues Lewis had with Calormen. And then sometimes I remember that it would be even more difficult than that, because movie!Susan is awesome and would be so much more useful in the new narrative that it's hard to imagine the plot still going quite the same way.

[thornyrose42]

Maybe they would give her cool escaping from the palace sequences? Or something. And I mean the writers don't seem to mind adding things in and they do seem to love Susan... if they wanted to they could make it work!

You know, even with the earlier books I sometimes prefer just remembering them rather than re reading them. Cause I love Horse and his Boy, but there is an awful lot of fail in it.

[aria]

I don't even think they necessarily need that! But they can give her dialogue that makes her motivation less airhead-flattered-by-evil-prince and more diplomatic-mission-gone-wrong, and certainly when Lucy rides into battle near the end, Susan can go too. Which would go a long way towards mending things.

I still love Horse and His Boy kind of unreservedly, but man, do I also cringe.

[starlady]

I so, so want them to make a movie of HHB, it would be awesome.

[aria]

It would be so gorgeous and delightful! But they would have to tread very carefully, or it would also be all kinds of Orientalism Fail.