The Lion, The Bitch, And The Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis’ Complex Views On Women
By Noah Berlatsky
C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe turned 65 this month. It’s one of the most celebrated children’s series of all time, known equally for its invention, its lovely prose . . . and its sometimes uncomfortable and even vindictive Christian ideology.
That ideology affects gender roles, just as it affects every other part of the series. Lewis’ handling of women and female characters in his books is frequently condescending — and sometimes worse than condescending. This isn’t surprising given his public attitudes toward feminism and women’s rights. Lewis’ famous literary group the Inklings excluded women, and he came down strongly for limiting the number of women admitted to Oxford University, citing the “appalling danger of our degenerating into a women’s university.”
But in contradiction to his reputation, Lewis’ approach to his female protagonists could also be surprisingly thoughtful and sympathetic — especially later on in his career. His relationship with Joy Davidman, whom he met in 1952 and married in 1966, seems to have led him to reassess many of his views on women and gender.
The anniversary, then, seemed like a good moment to look at Lewis’ depiction of women in his fiction — from the ugly to the good.
