The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, published in 1950, was the first of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books to appear. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie pass through a wardrobe into a land held under the White Witch's long winter. Aslan's return draws them into events that test trust within their family as well as their courage toward others. Edmund's betrayal and the possibility of his restoration give the adventure an intimate moral centre. Christian imagery informs the story's treatment of sacrifice and renewed life, while the snowbound landscape, talking creatures, and gradual return of spring give those themes concrete imaginative form.