Livre d'Or

Yeah, I was brought up in a fairly Christian culture, including Christian schools. So maybe that's why I was set up to recognize the Lion/Lamb thing. I was basically alienated from the books before I ever read The horse and his boy or The last battle, so I don't remember having a strong emotional reaction about Susan. In some ways she was the character I most related to, the sort of sensible big sister type, and, well, I was already extremely aware that Christians don't think I am going to Heaven, so the fact that Susan is excluded was just another instance of Christians being wrong about the afterlife. I was young enough that I didn't understand the thing about lipstick and stockings, that she was effectively punished for growing up or for being sexual.

And yes, I do think Lewis can be very smug and paternalistic, though I do like some of The Screwtape letters. But I definitely do have bad associations with Lewis' version of Christianity because of the stupid preachy Christian Union types.