Journey to the Margins of the Real “These tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water. […] We have […]
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Towards a Unified Theory of Magic “Magic is not about causing things that are beyond what is naturally possible, it is about causing things that are beyond the ordinary. Put another way, magic is not supernatural, but extraordinary.” Junius Johnson, “Introduction to Narnia” It started when I was preparing to […]
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Further Up and Further In Did you ever feel your way to the back of a closet, hoping to find that there was no back, that suddenly you were feeling not the smooth softness of clothes against your face, but the rough pricks of branches, hearing the crunch of snow […]
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The Chronicles of Narnia are one of the most beloved series of children’s books ever written. From the moment Lucy steps through the wardrobe and into another world, the reader is captivated. In the journey that follows, spanning the entire history of the world of Narnia from the moment before […]
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An Apology for Wonder “We men dream dreams, we work magic, we do good, we do evil. The dragons do not dream. They are dreams. They do not work magic: it is their substance, their being. They do not do; they are.” Ursula K. Leguin, The Farthest Shore Dragons delight […]
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“How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. […]
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C.S. Lewis’ fictional world of Narnia has delighted readers of all ages for generations. Though less detailed than his friend Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Lewis’ world of Narnia is nevertheless richly conceived and extensively detailed. Drawing upon all seven books, this class will explore the various details of this fantasy world, […]
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Here Be Dragons: A Literary Adventure & Apprenticeship in Wonder Reading takes us into other worlds, situations, and lives. Children are especially sensitive to this, and especially delight in it when it is done well. These classes expose children to the practices and pleasures of reading closely and well without […]
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