Not-a-Tame Lion: Unveil Narnia Through the Eyes of Lucy, Peter, and other Characters Created by C. S. Lewis [Paperback]

Bruce L. Edwards (Author)

Book Description

A study of the spiritual world of Narnia as seen through the main characters' interactions with Aslan the Lion. An introductory chapter focuses on the spiritual world of C. S. Lewis and the origins of Narnia. The other chapters focus on character traits of key characters in the Narnia series—goodness, valor, poise under pressure, grace, humility, stubbornness, viciousness, and the vindication of goodness. Includes study questions for group study.

In brief:

• Introduces new readers to the world of Narnia and the main characters found in the series.
• Provides spiritual insights about the series by focusing on the lives of the main characters in the series.
• A short section of small-group study questions in the back of the book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Bruce L. Edwards teaches English literature at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and is a sought-after expert on C. S. Lewis. He has spoken at numerous conferences, including a seminar series at Oxford University, the C. S. Lewis Festival, and the Inklings Quarterly annual banquet. He served on the editorial board of The C. S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia, published by Zondervan, and he has published two other books on C. S. Lewis: The Taste of the Pineapple: Essays on C. S. Lewis as Reader, Critic, and Imaginative Writer and A Rhetoric of Reading: C. S. Lewis's Defense of Western Literacy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (August 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414303815
• ISBN-13: 978-1414303819
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,015,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce L. Edwards is Professor of English and Africana Studies, and Associate Vice President for Academic Technology at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where has he been a faculty member and administrator since 1981. He has served as a C. S. Lewis Foundation Fellow at the Kilns in Oxford, England; a Fulbright Fellow in Nairobi, Kenya (1999-2000); a Bradley Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC (1989-90); and as the S. W. Brooks Memorial Professor of Literature at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia (1988). Bruce and his wife, Joan, live in the mighty metropolis of Bowling Green, Ohio, and have four grown children, ranging in age from 24 to 33.

Bruce was born in Akron, OH, attending the Akron City Public Schools. He graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1977, and received his Masters Degree in English from Kansas State University in 1979. He earned his Ph.D. in Literature and Rhetoric from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981, writing his dissertation on the literary criticism of C. S. Lewis.

His C. S. Lewis: Life, Works, and Legacy (4 volumes) was published by Praeger Press in 2007. Bruce's other books on Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia include: Not a Tame Lion (2005) and Further Up and Further In: Understanding C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), A Rhetoric of Reading: C. S. Lewis's Defense of Western Literacy (1988) and The Taste of the Pineapple: Essays on C. S. Lewis as Reader, Critic, and Imaginative Writer (1988).

He is also a contributor to many collections of essays about Lewis and the Inklings, and has since 1995 maintained this popular web site on the life and works of C. S. Lewis (http://www.pseudobook.com/cslewis) and a popular Twitter site (www.twitter.com/cslewisnews). He has also published several successful textbooks for college audiences, including, Roughdrafts (Houghton-Mifflin, 1987), Processing Words (Prentice-Hall, 1988), and Searching for Great Ideas (1st and 2nd editions; Harcourt, 1989; 1992).

He was the recipient of a 2005 Fulbright-Hays Grant that allowed him to take a contingent of public and private educators to Tanzania for six weeks in the summer of 2005 to establish internet-based educational opportunities for both Midwestern U.S. and Tanzanian students.

He is an ordained minister. He tries to practice what he preaches, but he only makes it as far as he does with the help of his friends; One in Particular.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a Tame Lion - A Good Book, October 3, 2005

By 

W. T. A. Cameron - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not-a-Tame Lion: Unveil Narnia Through the Eyes of Lucy, Peter, and other Characters Created by C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

This was a very enjoyable read. It gave meaningful insight into Lewis' relationship to the genre of fantasy, it drew interesting parallels between revelation and The Chronicles, and was written in very polished prose.

If there is one element of the book I found a little difficult, it was the circuitous method in which very disparate parts of The Chronicles were strung together to push forth a common theme. But Edwards finished each chapter with a summary that brought it all together convincingly.

The end has a very cool part (was it true?) that is very 21st century. Very interestingly done.....

Very enjoyable read, I am glad to have it on a shelf in my home.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Light on Narnia, February 27, 2006

By 

Roger N. Overton (La Mirada, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not-a-Tame Lion: Unveil Narnia Through the Eyes of Lucy, Peter, and other Characters Created by C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

The vision of Not a Tame Lion is rooted in this thesis: "We most accurately discern the spiritual worlds of Narnia in the biography of Aslan."(xvii) Author Bruce Edwards notes the dangers of becoming occupied with secondary sources, yet he also points to the need C.S. Lewis saw "to consult a map before we set out." In this book Dr. Edwards seeks to provide a map of spiritual and moral qualities in Narnia as seen through the eyes of its characters.


Not a Tame Lion begins, after a brief prologue, with a biography of C.S. Lewis, the Inklings and the origins of Narnia. Chapter two dives into the tension between Aslan not being safe, but still being good. Aslan is met as savior and protector in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW) and as creator in The Magician's Nephew (MN).

Subsequently, Dr. Edwards explores numerous spiritual traits found in the Narnian chronicles. First is valor, in Chapter 3, in the Pevensie children, Prince Caspian, Jill Pole and Puddleglum in The Silver Chair (SC), and Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer in MN. Next, in Chapter 4, "victory over vanity" explores the transformations of Eustace, Caspian, and Lucy in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," as well as Shasta and Aravis in The Horse and His Boy.

Chapter 5 turns to the dark side of Narnia where we meet villainy in Jadis (LWW, MN), the White Witch or self-described "Queen of Narnia," Uncle Andrew (MN), The Queen of the Underland (SC), and Nikabrik (PC). However, vindication is found in the next chapter as it curves to the return and triumph of Aslan in The Last Battle. The epilogue looks "after Narnia" toward the relationship of reason and imagination in light of "Narnian apologetics."

The only factor that detracts from this great book is the very last portion of the epilogue in which Dr. Edwards "records" a conversation he had with C.S. Lewis while surfing the Internet. Though the content of the discussion is interesting, it leaves the book on an awkward note, distracting the reader from the rest of the book.

Lewis had the power to awaken and fascinate our hibernating longings with few words, and Bruce Edwards follows him in that tradition. In this book, Dr. Edwards brings out the vibrant virtues and vices of Narnia in a manner that amplifies the great truths with which Lewis worked. With the exception of the last segment of the epilogue, Not a Tame Lion is a treasure among the plethora of books on Narnia.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Lewis Quotes, Tacky Ending, January 13, 2006

By 

MM (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not-a-Tame Lion: Unveil Narnia Through the Eyes of Lucy, Peter, and other Characters Created by C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

This book was an enjoyable reminder of many aspects of the Narnia chronicles. It didn't really provide much new insight (a second reading of the Chronicles would have probably been a better use of time), but the themes Edwards chose provided a nice organizational frame.

I found the final section very troublesome. It presents an alleged conversation between Edwards and the ghost (?) of Lewis (as "Jack"), who Edwards claims conversed with him via an online pop-up screen. Presented as factual, I feel this tactic is quite dishonest. Even if I was a believer in online ghosts, I would have a hard time understanding why "Jack" routinely interrupts Edwards, a feature I didn't think possible in an online chat forum.... Even if this section had been presented as a fictional account, I would have found it presumptuous of the author to put words into the mouth of C.S. Lewis.