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Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction
In his acclaimed collection Tales Before Tolkien, Douglas A. Anderson illuminated the sources, inspirations, and influences that fired J.R.R. Tolkien’s genius. Now Anderson turns his attention to Tolkien’s colleague and friend C. S. Lewis, whose influence on modern fantasy, through his beloved Narnia books, is second only to Tolkien’s own.
In many ways, Lewis’s influence ha...more
In many ways, Lewis’s influence ha...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
March 25th 2008
by Del Rey
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In this volume Douglas Anderson has selected works that represent the influences on the literary sensibility of C. S. Lewis. These works include children's stories, fairy tales (often from the German or Scandinavian traditions), religious allegory, and science fiction. Each selection contains an introduction indicating Lewis's relationship with the work (when he read it, what he thought of it, whether he knew the author personally, etc.). The selections are for the most part worthwhile reading...more
Like any anthology, some of the stories really worked for me while others fell flat and were, to me, unreadable. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful "Undine" which was apparently very well known in the last century, and the original letters which were the foundation for "The Wind in the Willows".
As a Narnia fan since childhood, I found this book incredibly frustrating in that the editor presents these stories as those that CS Lewis read and was influenced by. ...more
As a Narnia fan since childhood, I found this book incredibly frustrating in that the editor presents these stories as those that CS Lewis read and was influenced by. ...more
Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides
rated it
Recommends it for:
C.S. Lewis fans, people curious about the antecedents of the fantasy genre
Shelves:
anthologies-and-collections,
fantasy-fiction
If you're curious about the precursors to fantasy generally or you are a C.S. Lewis aficionado, I'd recommend this.
A bit to my sorrow and regret, I bounced off Undine. And there was a Hans Christian Anderson story that was a bit on the twee side. (I finished it anyway.) But there were some fine and surprising stories in here.
A bit to my sorrow and regret, I bounced off Undine. And there was a Hans Christian Anderson story that was a bit on the twee side. (I finished it anyway.) But there were some fine and surprising stories in here.
I loved this collection of stories written by friends or authors that inspired C.S. Lewis. My favorites include: The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson, The Magic Mirror by George MacDonald, Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque, The Tapestried Chamber by Sir Walter Scott, The Dragon's Visit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Dream Dust Factory by William Lindsay Gresham. Some of these authors were the pioneers for all modern folk lore and sci-fi/fantasy and I really enjoyed this anthology!
This was an interesting collection of stories, with some influences particularly evident. The similarity of some of the stories might put some readers off.
I really enjoyed all the stories in this book. It's amazing to see how many elements of the Narnia series were adapted from earlier works. Definitely a must read for fans of the Narnia series.
This book was very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. the author did use quite a few stories not specifically listed by Lewis as a story he had even read, however the excerpts explaining each passage proved to be interesting. The story of Undine is particularly fascinating!
Interesting take on all things C.S. Lewis. Disappointing that many of the tales seem to be inspirations for things like Screwtape and not Narnia specific, but a fascinating collection nonetheless
I grew up on fairy tales so I loved this book. These are all stories that C S Lewis read and liked or that influenced some of his own writings. These are stories I'll read again and again.
An interesting collection of fairy tales and other excerpts of authors who influenced CS Lewis. Always good to get exposure to undeservedly obscure fantasy writers.
Works of fantasy and sci-fi that had some influence on C.S. Lewis including authors like Hans Christian Anderson, Longfellow, E. Nesbit, Owen Barfield, etc.
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Douglas Allen Anderson (born 1959) is an author and editor on the subjects of fantasy and medieval literature, specializing in textual analysis of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
His first published book was The Annotated Hobbit (1988), which grew out of a study of the revisions made by Tolkien. The Annotated Hobbit won the Mythopoeic Award for scholarship.
Anderson has also ...more
More about Douglas A. Anderson...
His first published book was The Annotated Hobbit (1988), which grew out of a study of the revisions made by Tolkien. The Annotated Hobbit won the Mythopoeic Award for scholarship.
Anderson has also ...more
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