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What’s in a name?

Sunday, June 27th, 2010
by Dad

If you haven’t already heard, Lisa and I are expecting the first addition to our family to arrive this December.  If you do the math and you’re knowledgeable in such things, you will know that we can’t possibly know the gender of our unborn child yet, BUT…

In the tradition of the Tim Pulls, we have decided to give our child a rather odd in utero name: Eustace Clarence.

For those not in the know, Eustace Clarence Scrubb is the protagonist in C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader who in many ways I have identified with, and who lies at the center of one of the most beautiful depictions of spiritual regeneration ever written.  Unlike the “original” Eustace who “almost deserved” his name, we hope our child will be pleasant and loving, but we also know with absolute certainty that he (or she) will be born with a sinful nature, and our greatest prayer is that he (like E.C.S.) will accept the Grace that God has freely given us through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

If you’re still not clear of the connection, I highly recommend you read The Chronicles of Narnia: seeing the movies does not do justice to the spiritual emphases and masterful writing of C.S. Lewis, and while the books are quick and concise, they are loaded with spiritual Truths.*

*If you haven’t experienced both the books and the movies: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was adapted to film with some degree of faithfulness, but Prince Caspian was…highly disappointing (don’t get me started!).  Word has it that when The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is released this December it will be much more faithful to the original tale, but only time will tell. Your best bet is just to read the book.

It is common to find most editions of the series numbered in absolute chronological order. However, I experienced them first in the order they were published, and I recommend you do the same: as with many well-written stories, saving “earlier” information for later discovery adds a lot to your literary experience! Thus, the “proper” order:

  1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
  2. Prince Caspian
  3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  4. The Silver Chair
  5. The Horse and His Boy
  6. The Magician’s Nephew
  7. The Last Battle

The order of original publishing also makes more sense as you read because of authorial comments that refer to things you already should (or shouldn’t) know from reading “previous” books that you wouldn’t have read yet if you read them in Chronological order. Wikipedia, that source of all unproven “facts”, has a good explanation if you want specifics.

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[Narnia, Reflections]