The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Mere Allegory or More Allegory?

Abstract

This essay argues that Lewis understood very well that his fantasy stories—and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in particular—would invite allegorical interpretation, and that, in his thought, this fact need not oppose, but might strengthen, their status as mythical fairy stories. It argues that Lewis would not have opposed allegorical interpretation as such, provided that it be done well, without hermeneutical exclusivity, and that the reader not confuse the potential of allegorical interpretations with the genre of allegory. The essay concludes by highlighting features of LWW that invite allegorical interpretation, and asking questions about the role of the reader and the nature of the text. The essay has two overarching objectives as it relates to C. S. Lewis criticism at large and LWW more specifically: first, to encourage investigation of and nuanced thinking about allegory as a genre and as a variety of interpretation; and concomitantly, to discourage polemic against the term ‘allegory’, to avoid its use as a merely negative category contrasting with supposal or romance.