WHAT IS CLASSIC REMARKS?
Classic Remarks is a meme hosted here at Pages Unbound that poses questions each Friday about classic literature and asks participants to engage in ongoing discussions surrounding not only themes in the novels but also questions about canon formation, the “timelessness” of literature, and modes of interpretation.
HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?
Leave your link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. And feel free to comment with your thoughts even if you are not officially participating with a full post!
You can find more information and the list of weekly prompts here.
(Readers who like past prompts but missed them have also answered them on their blog later and linked back to us at Pages Unbound, so feel free to do that, too!)
THIS WEEK’S PROMPT:
Which Narnia book is your favorite and why?
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has always been my favorite Narnia book. Part of that is undoubtedly because it focuses on Lucy, my favorite protagonist throughout the series. However, more importantly, I have always loved the sense of adventure the book imparts. Going beyond the known boundaries of Narnia is incredibly exciting! Readers never know what the voyagers will encounter next–scholars, dragons, maybe even a star! The joy of discovery is on every page.
However, Dawn Treader also possesses its more somber moments, which give the book the weight I think it needs to be something I truly want to return to again and again. Though Caspian and his crew are thrilled to be sailing where few have sailed before, not all their discoveries are wonderful. Lucy falls to temptation and experiences heartbreak. Eustace succumbs to greed and faces the possibility of never being able to return again. Reepicheep must decide if the quest is worth his life. The questions they each face, about what is most important to them and why, are the questions readers must confront in their own lives. And that makes the book resonate with me each time I pick it up.
The entire Narnia series is one that I love returning to year after year. But Dawn Treader has always held a special place in my heart. It seems to encompass so much! And in such a small volume. The best books are the ones that reveal something new to me each time I return. And Dawn Treader continues to do that.