Narnia vs. Tolkien: Which is better?

[Pensfan]

[A#minor]

I've just witnessed again how Tolkien always makes me cry, and Lewis makes me laugh.
I watched the LOTR movies last weekend and cried even at the happy parts b/c it's so beautiful.
Today I was reading Silver Chair, and of course Puddleglum always makes me bust out laughing!

[Messenger_of_Eden]

I'm not really sure you could really compare the two. Both are equally enjoyable, I think, but the writing styles of Tolkien and Lewis are so different that they are almost beyond comparison.

Tolkien:

Uses grand prose reminiscent of Homer and other classical writings and epic ballads. He goes deeply in depth with the various cultures involved and a mythic history that undergirds all of Middle Earth.

Adores poetry and includes a good deal of it in his books.

Ingrains elements of Norse and Celtic mythology into the cultural contexts of the story, in theme and in the very sounds employed in the languages he develops.

Has a vast appeal but though the stories are great adventures for children, the plots are intricate and deep enough for for anyone to become immersed.

CS Lewis (specifically in the CoN)

Writes in a delightful, childlike manner. The Narnia Chronicles are quick to get through and full of fast-moving plot, but none of the complex prose and background details of Tolkien's work.

Punctuates the books with comments directed to the reader or about himself or another book, which tosses your brain out of the world of Narnia for a moment, like a storyteller who adds a comment.

Creates a lovable world that we all wish we could live in, while keeping things relatively simple.

Includes a vast array of mythological creatures from Greek and Roman traditions, and a little Celtic as well

Includes great names and good, brief descriptions of places, but does not focus on linguistic elements (he does moreso in the Space Trilogy).

All in all, I love both, and would be hard pressed to decide which I think is better. I can say that Narnia is dearer to my heart because I was raised on it, and read it many times as a kid. The characters are precious, and the parallels between Aslan and Jesus rather dominate the story (to me, a wonderful thing).

I did not delve into LOTR (the books) until about 7 years ago. As an adult, I delight in LOTR for its stunning imagery and the work he put into the details. As a writer I revel in LOTR because of the languages, the characters, the plots, and the wonderful description. When he wanted to, Tolkien could put words together in ways that make my jaw drop.

I would have to say TIE!

[Messenger_of_Eden]

[A#minor]

[Messenger_of_Eden]

It is way fun that way Alas for me; I do not live near anyone who would enjoy it as much as I do

[David Jack]

[quote="A#minor"]I've just witnessed again how Tolkien always makes me cry, and Lewis makes me laugh.
I watched the LOTR movies last weekend and cried even at the happy parts b/c it's so beautiful.

It's certainly very aesthetically pleasing. In terms of faithfulness to the book, I'd put it somewhere in between CON (very faithful by Hollywood standards) and the Ethan Hawke/Gwyneth Paltrow version of Great Expectations, which is really stetching the very use of the word 'adaptation.'
The trouble is, GE does not frustrate as LOTR does; it doesn't make the same self-congratulatory noises about being 'true to the original' and then claim that its own distortions are actually IMPROVEMENTS. Purist as I am, I'm strangely fond of 'Great Expectations' (nice soundtrack, decent acting) whereas with LOTR, while I own a copy, I find myself caught up in the sublime moments and next moment thinking 'if only they hadn't meddled with the sacred writings...'

Anyway, I seem to have gone slightly off topic. Apologies for that, but may I just add...the bit that makes me cry in LOTR's special features is where scriptwriter Philippa Boyens claims she understands Faramir better than Tolkien. Rant over.

edit: I just saw 'Great Expectations' again and it really bugged me. I always have a more visceral reaction to films the first time round but now the purist in me can't handle all the liberties they took.

[Messenger_of_Eden]

*blinks*



;) I love to rant too, really

[carol]

[Messenger_of_Eden]

I do tend to go off on tangents, as well, actually, and leave people blinking, wondering where I am going.

Actually my phrase of choice is "I digress". (then you don't digress, you only SORT OF digress, and this makes you look complicated.) ;)

But I digress.

Yes, I have been known to go on tangents.

One of my favorite tangents is the abuse and degeneration of the English Language, and how this is subtly (or sometimes not-so-subtly) different than the natural changing of the language over time, as a living language.

Just about nothing sets me off like Apostrophe Abuse in professionally published websites, books, and periodicals. Ooooh I could go on for hours, but I digress.

The important thing for an effective tangenter, is that when you digress (or diverge) you must bring your audience back to the original subject, and if you have done this, you have tangented with excellence.

But this really hasn't got much to do with...ahem...the subject, so I digress.

Narnia vs Tolkien...? I don't want to make that decision.

[A#minor]

[Messenger_of_Eden]

[A#minor]

No, no, he wasn't in the movie. He was being interviewed about the movie. Maybe this tangent should be moved to the King Kong thread?

[nomad]

[Tuphonios]