{"product_id":"east-of-the-wardrobe-the-unexpected-worlds-of-c-s-lewis-hardcover","title":"East of the Wardrobe: The Unexpected Worlds of C. S. Lewis - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eWarwick Ball\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA fascinating look at the rich but under-appreciated Eastern sources behind the Narnia book\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eC. S. Lewis was no great traveller but he was a prodigious bibliophile who absorbed the world's traditions of myth, religion, and cosmology. \u003cem\u003eThe Chronicles of Narnia\u003c\/em\u003e are steeped in allusions to the Bible, Greek mythology, and medieval literature, all of which has been amply discussed by critics. But, until now, what has been overlooked are Lewis' significant borrowings from Eastern influences: \u003cem\u003eArabian Nights\u003c\/em\u003e and the Persian poets, great travellers from Herodotus and Marco Polo to T. E. Lawrence and Robert Byron, and the famous fictional adventurers Baron Munchausen, Gulliver, and Sindbad. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eEast of the Wardrobe\u003c\/em\u003e, Warwick Ball explores hitherto unrecognised and unexpected Eastern aspects in and influences on C. S. Lewis' Narnia books. These include storylines, themes, imagery, religious elements, and even the cities and landscapes of the East, as well as the 'Persian' style adopted by the illustrator of Narnia, Pauline Baynes. Themes borrowed from the great epics can also be found, from \u003cem\u003eThe Odyssey \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eAeneid\u003c\/em\u003e to the \u003cem\u003eKalevala\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Knight in the Panther's Skin\u003c\/em\u003e. Delve deeper and Christianity is there along with paganism, but so too are Zoroastrian, Manichaean, and even Islamic and Sufi messages. Ultimately, these influences act as a reflection of the complex intellectual world that Lewis inhabited, of both his own unique philosophy and the wider social and intellectual climate of Oxford in the first half of the twentieth century. All readers of Lewis will find in \u003cem\u003eEast of the Wardrobe\u003c\/em\u003e surprising new paths into the world of Narnia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWarwick Ball\u003c\/strong\u003e is an archaeologist who has carried out excavations, architectural studies, and monumental restoration in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, and Ethiopia. His previous books include \u003cem\u003eSyria: An Architectural and Historical Guide\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Monuments of Afghanistan\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eArchaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Archaeology of Afghanistan\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eRome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire\u003c\/em\u003e, winner of the James Henry Breasted History Prize.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 8 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 03, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47410062033074,"sku":"9780197626252","price":58.12,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/28ac636e77ba7f9a088337bcc96f873d.webp?v=1778275971","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/east-of-the-wardrobe-the-unexpected-worlds-of-c-s-lewis-hardcover","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}