The Spirituality of Female Characters in C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: Female Traits and Interactions with the Divine

Abstract

This thesis examines the personal traits of the female characters in The Chronicles of Narnia series, as well as the female characters’ interactions with the divine. The women in C.S. Lewis’s fiction have nuanced spiritualities, varying in their traits and ideologies. The Chronicles of Narnia is written as an allegory for the Christian faith, and therefore its characters represent spiritual followers of a divine God. This allegory projects both modern and medieval influences into the narrative of The Chronicles of Narnia, and this affects how gender is addressed in the series. Lewis writes his female characters to experience spiritual development over time, and this distinguishes The Chronicles of Narnia as a text which empowers women in their spirituality.