Into the Wardrobe

I guess it's never clearly stated, but I've always sorta gotten the idea that their child would be the next Pendragon.

I think you're probably right. An aside; I'm always mightily amused by Merlin having to come to terms with the fact that England is now a Saxon country (anyone seen Arthur? Were you impressed?). Also, Lewis makes one of the best attempts I've seen at portraying the "culture shock" of a time traveller (which is effectively what Merlin has become) - "We must call on the Emperor." "There is no Emperor." "No Emperor..." began Merlin, and then his voice died away. He sat still for some minutes wrestling with a world which he had never envisaged....

(and one of Lewis's most chilling lines, "The shadow of one dark wing is over all Tellus")

I don't think that Jane's dissertation would be dull because she is female but because she is a dull person. Males can write boring, unoriginal works as well, like Dimble's dullest pupil with the paper beginning "Swift was born."

It does seem strange that Jill fights in a battle. There is also Lucy, who fights in the battle at the end of 'The Horse and His Boy'. All the same, I doubt if it shows a progression in Lewis' thought because of his relationship with Joy Davidman. Weren't all the Narnian books written, though not published, before he even met Joy? (Perhaps I've got that wrong, though.)

I wish someone had asked Lewis about women fighting. Perhaps he would have said "Father Christmas is not necessarily right about everything." I hope so.

I think you are right that Lewis' attitude towards women is partly explained by the teachings of Christianity. Lewis took his religion very seriously, after all, and Christianity has always relegated women to second place. (I mean no offence here. I know most of you in the Wardrobe are Christians.)

I have been reading the new volume of Lewis' letters. In one letter he says that he hopes that, when Muslim women meet English women in India, the Muslims will teach the English women 'wifely obedience.'

Lewis attitude to women is hard to understand, though. In spite of his view that women should obey men he himself seems to have been happiest in a household where a woman was in charge. At least, I think neither Mrs. Moore nor Joy Davidman were shrinking violets.