Setting of the Horse and His Boy....

Remember, before we read a book we must consider its context, which is information about the author and the time and place in which the book is set in. We already know a lot about C.S. Lewis. Here is some information about the new lands introduced in this book that will help you understand it better. The first time I read the book, I had a hard time picturing where Calormen and Archenland were in comparison to Narnia. This information should help you....

Much of The Horse and His Boy takes place in Calormen. Back in year 180 of Narnia's existence, Prince Col, the younger son of King Frank and Queen Helen, founded the mountain kingdom of Archenland, just south of Narnia and just north of the Desert.

In the year 204, some Archenlanders migrated to the south of the Desert and founded Calormen, a nation that enjoys a warm climate. The farmlands are bountiful and Calormenes ship their fruits and vegetables throughout most of the world. However, Calormene society is based on war, not farming. Sometime in their history, these descendants of Narnia and Archenland invented a pantheon of gods, with the demon Tash as the chief god, and they came to loath and fear Aslan.

Among the evils that Calormen visits on the rest of the world are war and slavery.

The size and shape of Calormen must change often during its history because it is usually at war with its neighbors; Calormen has become a large empire through conquest.

To wrap it up, the world of Narnia is a small world located on a circular disk. This world consists of only 3 countries to speak of, Narnia in the farthest north, and Archenland just south of that. Archenland is very similar to Narnia. South of Archenland is desert, and south of that is the cruel and powerful empire of Calormen. On the west is the land of Telmar.

We must remember that Lewis is a scholar of the medieval era. He uses this as a basis for Narnia. Calormen is reminiscient of an Islamic, Arabic land. Calormen is very comparable to Ottoman Turks empire in the late medieval and early modern ages. If you're interested in this, than you may want to do a little research on the Ottoman empire.

The Horse and His Boy....read before you read the book...

In The Magician's Nephew we have the story of creation and the fall. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , we have the story of redemption. The Horse and His Boy is a story of providence. Providence means God provides for all things needed for those who have faith in Him, and this happens on so large a scale that it's impossible for us as humans to wrap our minds around it. It also brings up the question of "free will" and how that works in to God's providence, which is something we as humans probably can not understand, but C.S. Lewis tries to show us how this can happen in this story...so be watching for that as you read: how does Aslan guide them and how do the characters choices play into Aslan's plan.

In this book, Aslan is behind all events and he draws everything together, so be aware of that too as you read.

The Horse and His boy is also a story of a journey, or what literature teachers refer to as a "quest." All the main characters of the book are on a journey to Narnia. A journey in literature usually has common characteristics:
1. There must be a "quester." someone taking the journey.
2. There of course must be a place to go. It might be as little as a trip to the grocery store or as grand as a trip to Narnia.
3. There must be a stated reason to go there. It can be as little as going to get a loaf of bread, or as large a task as Killing the White Witch.
4. There must be challenges and trials! Watch for this as you read....
5. There must be a true reason for the journey...does the character learn something, does he mature?

When a character hits the road, we should pay attention, just to see if there's something going on there.

Enjoy,
Ms. Michelle

Hi everyone, on to The Horse and His Boy....

This is a great book and I hope you all enjoy it! Please read the lesson above before starting your reading.

Aslan and Peter

I don't know if this was SUPPOSED to be funny (most things that I think are funny aren't supposed to be funny....) but did anyone else think that at the end of chap. 12 it was kind of funny how Aslan said "Rise up, Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane.  And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword.".  That 'never forget to wipe your sword' part I thought was funny. Maybe I'm just crazy. Which brings up a WHOLE other topic.

Ch 13....Trivia question

Why do you think Aslan refers to the witch's dwarf as "Son of Earth?" What does this name symbolize?

Time for book 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe....

Post away on whatever strikes you. Please don't read past chapter 8. You'll have a special assignment that I'll give you in class Friday for the 2nd half of the book.

Funny Line

Hey everyone. Okay, I have to tell you the part that REALLY made me laugh...it's after whenever Digory threatened Uncle Andrew and Jadis that he and Polly would leave without them if they dared to steal their rings to return home. Whenever Uncle Andrew wanted closer to the children and grab the rings, Jadis then said the funniest line, which was, "STOP! If anyone dares to move within ten paces of the children, I will blast out his brains." I laughed soooo hard!! What did you guys think of that line?