by ilja » July 15th, 2008, 8:53 am
There seem to me to be some problems in MN ...
real inconsistencies:
- The Wood. Does it take time to travel from a world to the wood? Lewis sais they come back from Narnia to the lamp post in the same moment (noone noticed them going) - so apparently it doesn't. But then, on the first journey Wood-London (where they turned halfway) they passed stars, and Jupiter and Saint Pauls Cathedral, so they were already in our world, travelling through space ...
- There is a river near the lamp post and the Tree in MN, but no river mentioned in LWW (and on the map from PC there is a little river, but it begins there, there is no connection to the great falls)
- And again Aslan, never telling such things: "That is what would have happened, child, with a stolen apple. It is not what will happen now ..."
just some thoughts:
- Of course there is no time in the Wood, nothing happens. Polly must have been there, in respect of wood-time, infinitely long before the arrival of Digory (well, not really a problem, why not).
- Charn - not an inconsistency, but it is not likely (/possible) that a tyrannical government will allow history to be preserved (the Hall of Figures)
- Narnia - How could Jadis get her right to all traitors, coming to Narnia from without, through the pool? It seems that "Before the Dawn of Time" referes to the period between the creation of the pool (it must have been there already for some hours, the children did not notice any empty places nearby on their way to Charn and back) and Aslans song?
- The stars begin singing at the same moment when they are visible. Does it mean, in Narnia the sound has the same speed as light (why not) and the air goes as high as the stars so the sound can propagate there.
- The Stone Table is not mentioned where the the rights of the Witch are engraved (they obviously have to be written there with the beginning of the Song - and even having these rights she wants to fly from this world)
- On the morning before the Garden, Fledge bathes in the river, neighing several times - in HHB it is said that beeing horsy in accent is a sign that Bree is angry (about Shasta and riding a donkey)
"Where will wants not, a way opens, so we say," he whispered; "and so I have found myself".
"Where there's a whip there's a will, my slugs. Hold up!"