I've taken off the second half of this week to burn through some of the excessive vacation that my employer gives me (I am by no means complaining). Yesterday, I finally had the chance to sit down and watch all three of the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy back-to-back-to-back. If you're interested in doing this as well, it takes about 11.5 hours with minimal breaks (I'm talking about taking the time to pee in between disks, not the time to cook a meal).
I've also been rereading the Chronicles of Narnia; though it might be better to say I've been devouring them. In the past week, I've read through the first four - typically finishing each novel within 24 hours of starting it. I'm also halfway through the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Anyway, since I've been infusing massive amounts of Inkling-based fantasy, I figured now would be as good a time as any to compare the two bodies of work. (For any who might be concerned that I am basing my assessment of Tolkien's craft solely on the movies, rest assured that I have indeed read nearly everything Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth, not just the four main titles.)
It's difficult for me to say which body of work I prefer. I can handily say that I am more familiar with the Chronicles, having read them several times since childhood, while I have only read through the Lord of the Rings twice (once as an adolescent and once as an adult). But familiarity does not necessarily imply preference.
The Chronicles offer a rosier view of a fantastic world, almost making things how we'd want them to be. A world full of nobility and mercy. A land of wonder and awe that surprises us with beauty again and again. Middle Earth, on the other hand is a much darker yet more real realm. Victory is purchased by spilling the blood of another. Suffering is all too common, and redemption is found at the end of a trying, painful journey. Rather than simply relying on an Aslan-ex-machina to save the day, Middle Earthers must agonize and toil long after hope has abandoned them. This structure, of course, leads to a richer, more complex story, but it does not instill the sense of marvel and awe that the Chronicles offer.
In all honesty, I think I read through these sets in the appropriate order. The Chronicles are ideal for younger children. They fuel the imagination. They make you believe that life is a glorious thing and that every moment should be treasured. Joy can be found around the next bend, over the next hill.
The Lord or the Rings trilogy, however, works better for young adults. They offer a much more complex storyline that isn't always the easiest to follow (and I'm not just saying that because I repeatedly confused Sauron and Saruman the first time I read through them...ok, maybe I am). They remind us constantly that nothing is free and that anything great usually comes at a terrible price.
Honestly, to determine which one is better, you really have to decide what you're looking for. Do you want an intelligent, compelling story...or are do you want something that will capture your imagination and instill a sense of wonder?
Perhaps it is simply a sense of nostalgia. Maybe at this moment in my life I'm just looking for something that will offer me a sense of hope. Maybe I need to believe that redemption can be easily gained. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm really happy to be reading some fast-moving, simple novels after just completing the Frank Herbert Dune saga last week. Whatever the reason, I heretofore decide...
The Winner: The Chronicles of Narnia
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22 comments:
I could't have summed up the Narnia vs. LOTR any better than you have. I definitely agree that both series bring different things to the table. As sad as I am to not have a LOTR movie this christmas, I believe Narnia will take its' place and more. From my knowledge of things I have read, there will be a 5 films made about Narnia. Yes, I know there are 7 books, but 2 of the less interesting ones are being combined into the other stories. Nonetheless, all 7 books will be told. I am highly anticipating the release for Narnia, as I think it will battle LOTR in box office sales. On another note, what do you think about the stories of the LOTR and Narnia...I would say that Narnia's structure sets it up to be made into a great film series, easily able to enhanced because of the amount of imagination used in the stores...its counterpart LOTR came through as a very distince and laid out story line, unable to be modified..would you agree? Anyways, great comparison!
I think that the Narnia books lend themselves to film rather nicely. Since Lewis was more free-flowing with the overall structure of his world, I think this will give the filmmakers tremendous liberties.
Tolkien had such a thoroughly developed universe (with complete languages) that there were limits to how much the story could be massaged. I recall how I was somewhat dissapointed when the moonlit outlay of the door to Moria looked identical to the hand-drawn illustration of the novel, which kind of sucked in my opinion.
LoTR is the better work... there is a reason every major fantasy work begs to be compared to it in a positive way. Narnia is great, but it is no where near LoTR. Who in the Chronicles stands with Gandolf or Frodo or Sam in our memories... ALMOST the Lion... what was his name again? But while wonderfully symbolic, he was a bit difficult to identify with...
But I'll say it this way...
Tolkien told a better story, created a better world, and birthed signifcantly better characters.
C.S. Lewis was a much better writer. He was smooth to read in fiction and non-ficiton.
The problem with Narnia -- which is perhaps magnified by the film -- is the treacly, sickly sweet white-bread quality. White kids become kings and queens of a mystical realm of fuzzy critters -- yeesh.
Did anybody notice that this is exactly the fantasy with which the White Witch tried to lure Edmund? It is the temptation to power and dominion that Tolkien despised. But Lewis embraces power and pageantry. That is essentially why Narnia is the shallower, less truthful work.
You guys are so stupid the Narnia story over all sucks! Lord Of The Rings Is Awesome!!! and the movies as for the first comment they wont even compare LOTR is the second highest money making movie of all time! (The Titanic is first)but you guys are so GAY!
Lord Of The Rings Is Friggin Awesome! and Narnia is if for kids! I mean come on Harry Potter is better Than Nania.O and if it wasnt for tolkien C.S. Lewis would have never made Narnia!
THE ULTIMATE COMPARISON!
Lord Of The Rings V.S. Narnia
1.The Story
LOTR Has a better Story!
2.The Bad Guys
A Witch with a Wand....or a Demonic Dictator that has the Ultimate Army and the Ring
Sauron kills anything C.S. Lewis came up with!
3.Heroes
Four Little Kids and a lion.....or all of The Fellowship?
Middle-Earths Heroes would Kill All of narnia good and bad!!!!!!! Frodo Could Kill All Of Them Beacuse he is brave and not gay like Peter!
4.Story
Lord of the rings is more interesting, more fun, Better Period! and it is VERY Imaginative much more than narnia!
so LOTR Is a much better story.
5.The Movies
LOTR will always be better, more well done, more creative and More Compelling
Than Narnia!!!
The Winner...........
Lord Of The Rings!
So LOTR Kicks Aslans Ass again!
and C.S. Lewis is Nothing compared to J.R.R. Tolkien!
To the previous poster: Suffice it to say that Tolkien's greatness is such that it can be acknowledged and explained without maligning his good friend (and a great writer in his own right) in the process.
That being said, I believe that any comparison between Lewis and Tolkien and their respective works is futile because, in the end, it is wholly a matter of personal preference.
I read the Chronicles of Narnia as a child and (almost unnaturally, I presume) could find in them nothing especially pleasing or stimulating (although The Magician's Nephew was an anomaly in that respect). I was never an aficionado of plot, preferring rather the musical quality of poetry transfigured into prose. In short, it is my own intensely personal preference to judge two authors based on the quality of their writing in keeping with my own idea of what good writing is.
If judged from this perspective, I find time and time again that Tolkien emerges triumphant in my mind's eye, although I will allow that C.S. Lewis' style is very, very charming and light.
While some people dislike Tolkien's prose, I read it like someone dying of thirst and hungering for the beauty that flows from his hands at all times. Oh, there is beauty there unimaginable and profound. I read the poetry and the heroic prose and I can find the meaning of life and the gamut of human emotion in a paragraph or page. Only Shakespeare rivals him in my affections.
As C.S. Lewis once said in a review of The Two Towers (I think...), "Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart".
Tolkien has broken my heart a hundred times over, and I would have it no other way. I admire C.S. Lewis, but I worship Tolkien.
Long live the King!
I agree with the post, rather than the wanna-be-scathing comments: Lewis' books are better for young children, and I think that any lack of appreciation for their qualities is more evidence of the corruption of our society than of any problems with his writing. If younger children are so blase that they can't appreciate the wonder of Narnia, heaven help us.
I read Lewis's Narnia books first before I was 11 years old, and then I read Tolkien's LOTR series shortly after. Yes, Tolkien is darker than Lewis. So what. The two series weren't intended to be competition for each other - they're different and worthy of reading and appreciating for their own merits.
And I loved the movies. And to the commenter who resents the little white kids being kings and queens of Narnia, wah. Given that writers usually write what they know, you'd hardly expect anything different from an English professor who didn't even marry until much later in life. Get over it.
Sorry - that should have been "Irish" professor.
Ok maybe i am young thats why i like chronicles better....But the Lotr happenings are so fast i can't understand whats happening.in one moment everybody is sitting down and in the next second a great battle starts!
And for the book,there are so thick that by the time i reach the end,i forget the beginning,and by the time i go to bed i forget the whole story.....
So the winner for kids: Narnia
Anyway C.s lewis and tolkein were best of friends,and he was the one influenced CS lewis to write so 3 cheers for Tolkein too....Hip Hip hooray!
Harry potter sucks and narnia is way better whoever the hell that anonymous was who told potter is better.....
I think many of the anonymous is the same person and he hates lewis....so he is posting all these comments all these times...
Notice that there are a few who has given thier name and has gone against narnia....
Hey All,
Well I Reckon Their Both Good..
Yet LOTR Is For Older More Wrinkled, Dull, Unimaginative Adults
And Narnia Is For The Younger, More Attractive, Imaginative, Lively Younger Adults
And Before Your Face Goes Red With Anger
I Was Only Kidding.. hehe
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD IS WAY BETTER AND BEATS YOUR FREAKING LITTLE NERD BOOKS ANYDAY
hehe
not
Hmm...well I personally like Tolkien better. I mean, he's the father of modern fantasy! And he wrote under such trying circumstances. Very few authors would do what JRR did. In my opinion, Tolkien is GOD( not that Narnia is bad).
Narnia seems... kinda empty. Was lewis completelt pissed when he came up with it?
"Alright, so, heres the plot. Four English kids, all brothers and sisters, are evacuated to the countryside during the blitz."
so far, so good.
"When they get to the house they are going to stay in, they discover a wardrobe. They go into it and find themselves in a magical land, where animals can talk and mythical creatures are everywhere."
Umm... okay...
"But it is trapped in eternal winter and this is because of a crazy woman with a wand, who apparently, is more than a match for every single mythical creature and talking animal that there is."
Riiiggght...
"And these normal English kids, go on a huge adventure, meet some beavers, a huge talking lion and a few other people, and, with a little help from Santa Claus, they save the day, and all become kings and queens of the wondrous land!"
...but
"And it is really just a bible story wrapped up a bit to make it good for the kiddies!"
erm... no.
Tolkien ftw.
There are two things to look at, the stories and the worlds they existed in. Both had great storylines, but Narnia is NOTHING in comparison to Middle Earth. If Tolkien had the time, he could have written hundreds Of stories equal or greater to LotR without having to alter or expand his world any farther. But this is not a fair comparison, as C.S. Lewis's only notable series was for children. His world had much potential, if he cared to finish it. The storylines were deeply engrossing for me, but neither come to top. The LotR series literally could have been a 3-400 page book with plenty of depth, while The Chronicles, even as a child, seemed cliche and corny to me, but I guess this is the original and there was no stereotypes for the fantasy genre at that point. I still think I have to give Lewis the win for putting in the deeply buried Christian life lessons, I think Lewis had so much more potential than Tolkien, but Tolkien saw his skill, Lewis didn't put his down without having to moralize and censor everything.
I agree almost 100%. Narnia gave you a huge, magnificent world that anyone would love to live in, the old unicorns and giants fantasy universe that everyone is oh-so fond of. While Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit gave you a compelling, complex storyline with a much darker, more evil world with Ring Wraiths, Orcs, and Dwarves. Honestly, I think the movie versions of Narnia aren't as great as the books. To me, they're just too corny, you know? I also think that the movies took great influence from the LOTR movies. I prefer Lord of the Rings. I stil love Narnia as much as anyone, but I hate the movies. Wheras the movies for LOTR are incredible. Anyway, I enjoyed reading them both, love the writers, and hope to read their work again sometime soon.
Also, in one point of C.S. Lewis' life, he admitted that his good friend J.R.R. Tolkien had inspired him to write the Chronicles and that Tolkien was a more advanced and better writer.
i would like to say that in a collision of worlds as in fight if you took away Aslan (he is GOD) lotr would demolish in a fight but one of Aslan's thoughts could make lotr disappear fore ever.
In all honesty, I think I read through these sets in the appropriate order. The Chronicles are ideal for younger children. They fuel the imagination. men's engagement rings
I ever be the fan of Lord of the Rings ,even buy a Aclya vintage rings for myself,but now im obsessed with the “Game of Thrones.”www.aclya.com
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