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Chapter 8 - part 2

The final book in Lewis' theological science fiction Space Trilogy.

Chapter 8 - part 2

Postby Kanakaberaka » May 31st, 2010, 5:43 am

so it goes...
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Chapter 8 - part 2

Postby Kanakaberaka » May 31st, 2010, 6:28 am

Jane remembers Mr. Fisher-King's suggestion when she asks for the "Curdie books" from the manor's library. They include The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald, an author who had a profound influence on Lewis. Phantastes was the first book by MacDonald which Lewis had read. Jane also asks for Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I think it may be safe to assume that Jane has already read Austen's Pride and Prejudice and wanted to read more by the same author. I can only guess why Jane also wanted a book on Shakespeare's Sonnets. Maybe she desired some sort of love poems as she thought of Mark.

Mr. Bultitude's name appears to be of pre 10th Century French origins. The word "boulter" refers to a chef who cooks meats. Maybe Lewis simply wanted to give this tame bear an interesting name. It seems to remind me of the Christian "Beatitudes" because of it's sound. But I doubt that Lewis intended them as a reference.

As Jane goes downstairs to the kitchen she notices a "stuffed pike in a glass case". To me the carnivorous fish known as the pike resembles the hnakra encountered by Ransom in Out of the Silent Planet. I think this could be in inside joke for readers of the previous two novels in this trilogy.
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Re: Chapter 8 - part 2

Postby Matthew Whaley » May 31st, 2010, 10:22 pm

St Anne's-on-the-Hill to me is like an outpost of Heaven on earth where The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together...They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. ( Isaiah 11:7-9) It is easy to see why Jane was reluctant to leave at first and now that she is back hopes that she isn't sent away again. The residents of St Anne's are I think not so much under the spell of the Director as they are under the influence of eldils who meet with him. That Jane awakens from sleep refreshed and with that bit of poetry on her mind would indicate that the eldils are not restricted to just one room in the house. But even if they are, their presence still affects everyone on the property.
Last edited by Matthew Whaley on June 2nd, 2010, 2:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Angelic influence

Postby Kanakaberaka » June 1st, 2010, 2:01 am

so it goes...
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Meet Mr. MacPhee

Postby Kanakaberaka » June 1st, 2010, 11:49 am

Mr. Bultitude is not the only resident of St. Anne's Jane meets for the first time in this chapter. The company's resident skeptic, Mr. MacPhee makes his grand entrance into to kitchen. He's an Ulsterman who insists on qualifying every statement he makes rather that making concise statements. C.S. Lewis was an Ulsterman himself, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. So naturally I wonder if maybe MacPhee represents Lewis on some level. Could he be the sort of man Lewis would have grown to be had Lewis not rediscovered the joy of Christianity?

I like the amicable "arguement" MacPhee has with Mother Dimble over his opinion or rather his insistance on not having an opinion. In spite of their differences, the folks in St. Anne's can have an honest dissagreement without tearing each other down. Compare this to Belbury where everyone has an axe to grind against everyone else. None of them dare to express their disagreements in the open. MacPhee illustrates that there is a full range of thinking welcomed at St. Anne's.
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Re: Meet Mr. MacPhee

Postby Theophilus » June 2nd, 2010, 4:01 pm

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Re: Meet Mr. MacPhee

Postby Matthew Whaley » June 5th, 2010, 2:56 am

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
They have to take you in."
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One big happy family

Postby Kanakaberaka » June 20th, 2010, 2:18 am

so it goes...
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Re: Chapter 8 - part 2

Postby Matthew Whaley » June 20th, 2010, 3:37 am

I agree. Jane has to completely rethink who she really is at St Annes, because the definitions that mattered to her up to this point, what gives her life meaning were; social class, marital status, education, and occupation. She lives her life in constant awareness that these things define a person's worth in the world in the eyes of her friends, family and society. To God, the ways we define ourselves can get in the way of beginning a relationship with Him and must be set aside. They surely can hinder and limit our relationships with others.
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