Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Formendacil
As I've noted, though, there is no such Fate in Narnia. For which reason I find your statement that Tolkien would have allowed Mr. Tumnus greater control over his own destiny to be highly interesting. If I may imagine Gandalf talking to Lucy, I can imagine him saying something like this:
Gandalf: "You were meant to come into Narnia, and Mr. Tumnus was meant to meet you."
But, as presented in the Chronicles, Mr. Tumnus isn't so much MEANT to meet Lucy as he is simply the first Narnian to do so.
Now, I'm not sure if I know where I'm going with all this. One could easily make a case that Narnia is very much a world where Fate figures in, I do not deny that. But the contrast between Tolkien's outright declaration of Fate as contrasted by Lewis' avoidance of any such statement is interesting...
|
Let me play the narratologist that some here--looks over her shoulder in case
Fordim is around--claim me to be. What kind of creature could Lucy have first met Narnia? I mean, what kind of creature that would have enabled the story to develop, would have given the reader the necessary bits of plot expectation, etc. etc? Doesn't the story require, on some level, a meeting between Lucy and a Narnian who can explain some of the land and context to her and to readers? We we have a creature who at first contemplates a terrible act of kidnap and who then repents of the thought, never actually fulfilling the deed. I think Mr. Tunmus' role is pretty much set by those parameters. Now, this might be narrative fate or Authorial omnipotence, but it does suggest that Mr. Tumnus had a certain role to play. Maybe not bearing a ring, but certainly bearing some plot. And after this supply of plot development is accomplished, there is little moral development allowed to Mr. Tumnus, despite his moral decision to release Lucy rather than deliver her up to the White Witch. Although I suppose that he does get his comeuppance for the thoughts he had. I simply think Tolkien would have done more with that kind of characterisation and not used it merely as a plot device.
This probably isn't the Fate you meant though
