If the myth of Narnia has suffered from anything since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe published in 1950, it’s that adult Christian readers who love Narnia tend to draw out the analogies, lessons and “morals” of its stories. But as Father Michael Ward warns early in the recent collection of interpretive essays, The Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey, “We must not exchange the poetry of [Narnia] for a pot of message.”

Heeding this caution, editor Leonard DeLorenzo and his contributors assembled an alternative to common scholarship and commentary about the Narnia series, and even about C.S. Lewis himself. This is not simply one more book by a Lewis fan explaining why he likes the author, nor is it pure literary criticism. Rather, the essays seek to re-enter the mystery of Narnia, using poetry and the sketches styled like Pauline Baynes’ original illustrations for the series.

DeLorenzo first returns to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which should be treated as Book One. He shares his first experience of reading this tale to his then five-year old son, Isaac—potentially, a revelatory approach for adult readers. In a world where nearly every child knows Darth Vader is Luke’s father long before they are old enough to watch The Empire Strikes Back, entering Narnia for the first time with Isaac is amusing, revealing and even a little frightening. With him, we discover the wardrobe and lamppost for the first time. We recoil anew at Edmund’s betrayal, ignorant of his redemption arc. And when Aslan dies on the Stone Table, we feel its weight with a five-year old, who, like the story’s Pevensie children—and the disciples on Good Friday—have no idea that the glorious surprise of resurrection lies on the other side.

Similarly wonderful contributions and perspectives await: Peter Schakel considers Lewis’ expansion from mere allegory to broader myth in The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader” and catalogs Lewis’ humor and satire. Catherine Cavadini takes a fresh look at Digory’s growth in courage in The Magician’s Nephew. And Anthony Pagliarini explores The Last Battle and its message about the relationship between what we experience in this life and what awaits us in the life to come.

While it has academic notations and references for those wanting to dig deeper, The Chronicles of Transformation’s true purpose is to reclaim the Narnia books’ childlike wonder and re-introduce these stories for those of us who need to re- enter the wardrobe and learn again wonder for Narnia—and perhaps our own world.

As Madeline Infantine notes in one of her many poems throughout the chapters, “You might find anything in a place like this.”

Matt Swaim is co-host of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio and Director of Outreach for The Coming Home Network.

The Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey with C.S. Lewis, edited by Leonard J. DeLorenzo; Ignatius Press, 2022; 251 pages; $17.95.

This article appeared in the August 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.