title: Companion to Narnia, Revised Edition: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia
author:  Paul F. Ford 
description: &#8220;Clear prose, accurate scholarship, plentiful cross-references and charming illustrations.&#8221; (Los Angeles Times)<br /><br />&#8220;An exceptional reference work.&#8221; (America Magazine)
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  The Creation of the Narnia Tales:
  
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  ## CHAPTER TWO
  
  "I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life, which was created in me
  by the fairy tales, but has since been meekly ratified by the mere facts." G.
  K. Chesterton-"The Ethics of Elfland"  
    
  It is interesting that Lewis's creativity started to flourish in earnest after
  his conversion. One important influence was undoubtedly that of a group of
  friends-his brother Warren, J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Hugo Dyson, and
  others-who gathered regularly to read their manuscripts aloud to each other,
  then criticize or debate.  
    
  But how did Lewis come to write his Narnia books? Were they simply written for
  his god-daughter Lucy Barfield, as he suggests in the dedication letter at the
  beginning of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? "I wrote this story for
  yo