Glacial Erratics

It's true, as Charles McGrath? avers, that the Narnia books affirm "old-fashioned, Church of England religion and Tory politics" (Nov. 13). But the books would not have such a hold on generations if there were not a more liberating side. Lewis had two ruling passions. The first was to capture moments of what he called "joy," which he defined as an all-encompassing sensation of desire for something unnameable and, he came to believe, supernatural. The second - bred by a succession of sadistic boarding schools - was to be left alone. The first passion fed an unmatched capacity to make heaven seem viable and dynamic. The second was his hatred of arbitrary and self-serving authority. His child heroes grapple with tyrants who are essentially school bullies writ large; they are rewarded with experiences you have to be dead not to desire. It's a bewitching combination. --Andrew Sprung    (PVZ)