Your comment reflects that we have some very different philosophies on the ethics of writing and on how to present Christianity to children.
1) While I can totally see your point that a longer discussion of Susan's choice may have been outside of the scope of The Last Battle--no book can cover everything--I firmly believe that writers have a calling to a certain level of rhetorical fairness. That is, if you're not going to treat an issue in its entirety, at least acknowledge that what you're writing is incomplete in that respect. Susan's choice, as presented through her friends and family in TLB, feels very cut-and-dried, and unfairly so in that respect. Perhaps this is because the scorn displayed by certain characters (Jill especially, I think) adds a deceptive gloss to the whole affair. It's very possible that Lewis didn't intend for that scorn to be so telling, but for me, it was.
2) I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for a child to be puzzled. I think children have more intelligence than adults give them credit for, and I hate the thought of watering down the truth to make it more palatable. It would be very nice to believe that only vain people walked away from the church. That's not the case, and I would never want my kids, if I ever have some, to believe it is. I understand that not everyone shares this child-rearing philosophy, but this is why I don't find your second argument particularly compelling.
3) I would find your third argument more compelling if Susan's vanity was presented more as dangerous than silly by her friends and family in that scene in TLB. Again, the presentation of the scene is again key for me. Intentional or not, the scorn--the implied "How stupid is Susan?"--adds a feeling to that scene that makes it seem, to this particular reader at least, that Lewis chose vanity because it was an easy target.
It troubles me that you don't like them, not because I consider them gospel proof, and free from all error, but because they use a highly original method to help children relate to and understand theology, which I find admirable.
I don't particularly see why this should trouble you. It doesn't trouble me when other people don't like things I like. There's no reason that all believers need to use the same tools to teach children. Not all children will respond to the same tools, and not all adults are equipped or inclined to use all tools.
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Date: 2005-09-04 12:31 pm (UTC)1) While I can totally see your point that a longer discussion of Susan's choice may have been outside of the scope of The Last Battle--no book can cover everything--I firmly believe that writers have a calling to a certain level of rhetorical fairness. That is, if you're not going to treat an issue in its entirety, at least acknowledge that what you're writing is incomplete in that respect. Susan's choice, as presented through her friends and family in TLB, feels very cut-and-dried, and unfairly so in that respect. Perhaps this is because the scorn displayed by certain characters (Jill especially, I think) adds a deceptive gloss to the whole affair. It's very possible that Lewis didn't intend for that scorn to be so telling, but for me, it was.
2) I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for a child to be puzzled. I think children have more intelligence than adults give them credit for, and I hate the thought of watering down the truth to make it more palatable. It would be very nice to believe that only vain people walked away from the church. That's not the case, and I would never want my kids, if I ever have some, to believe it is. I understand that not everyone shares this child-rearing philosophy, but this is why I don't find your second argument particularly compelling.
3) I would find your third argument more compelling if Susan's vanity was presented more as dangerous than silly by her friends and family in that scene in TLB. Again, the presentation of the scene is again key for me. Intentional or not, the scorn--the implied "How stupid is Susan?"--adds a feeling to that scene that makes it seem, to this particular reader at least, that Lewis chose vanity because it was an easy target.
It troubles me that you don't like them, not because I consider them gospel proof, and free from all error, but because they use a highly original method to help children relate to and understand theology, which I find admirable.
I don't particularly see why this should trouble you. It doesn't trouble me when other people don't like things I like. There's no reason that all believers need to use the same tools to teach children. Not all children will respond to the same tools, and not all adults are equipped or inclined to use all tools.