판타지 문학의 성서적 함의와 풍유: C. S. 루이스의 『나니아 연대기』

Abstract

This is to study on fantasy literature and Biblical implication and allegory in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. This work provides a salient example for elements of fantasy. In this work, fantastic elements are composed of a 'door' , a 'lamppost' in Narnia world and mythical creatures as well. Based on differences in time and space between reality an fantasy, the respective spaces are not discrete, but layered on the different dimensions. Influenced by George MacDonald and J. R. R. Tolkien's fantastic mysticism, C. S. Lewis saw the interrelationship of literature and religion as a good device to represent his intention. Moreover, his uses of metaphoric and mythological figures in allegories of quest in his work often helped the reader understand the Bible and the authenticity of Christianity. To understand Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, it was necessary to define 'fantasy'. Namely, fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural beings as a primary element of its plot, theme, and/or setting. There are some customs which are set up by Lewis and Tolkien in fantasy literature. Their stories brought to a conclusion with returning home from setting out an adventure. Also there is a firm belief toward a mysterious territory which doesn't exist in the human world in their stories. In conclusion, through the similarity with the Bible, I studied on the Biblical implication and allegory revealed in 'Narnia' for which modern people are anxious toward human history, the world of good and evil and uneasiness and limitation which modern people feel toward science and rationality. In this respect, the importance and religious aspects of fantasy literature can be found through The Chronicles of Narnia which is filled with the Biblical imaginative power.