imaginationnerd

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Eustace's Voyage of Self Awareness

In C. S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader we are introduced to a boy who "almost deserved" his name - Eustace Clarence Scrubb.

At the top of the 1952 novel, a very clear picture is painted about how unimaginative Eustace is - almost incapable of the act based on what we are told. He does not call his parents affectionate names like "mother" and "father", but by their first names (very formal). He is apparently "far too stupid" to come up with his own ideas. The moment he is in Narnia he starts shouting about being kidnapped and wanting to be taken to the British Consolt. We get this clear set up of Eustace's starting point in his character journey.

I think the true starting point of Eustace's personal journey is not the moment the picture becomes the portal and brings him and the Pevensies into Narnia, but the moment he decides to start a diary. He starts that diary after he is on the Dawn Treader because he feels so unheard that this provides him a window to be heard. Journaling is such a common practice these days - therapists recommend it to help you sort out your thoughts. There are so many different ways that it could be done. I wonder what type of journaler Eustace would be if he knew of the different types that we have now. Is this only providing an audience of one? Kinda. But this allows us as an audience to get to know him more as diaries offer unguarded thoughts a place to land.

As enjoyers of fantasy, we know some things about dragons that Eustace did not know before becoming one - they hoard treasure and if you touch a dragon's treasure there are consequences. Because of all the ways you can describe someone not knowing things because they lack imagination, Eustace's lack of awareness of dragon consequences mixed with his own level of greed is what causes him to become a dragon. His experience as a dragon is the biggest impact on his voyage with self awareness. The way the others treat him initially almost mirrors to way that he treated them (at least the Narnians) when he first arrived in Narnia - a lot of fear behind the choices made. The way the Eustace-Dragon understands speech is one of the ways that shifts the perspective of the others of the dragon, but Eustace still has to find a way for them to know it's him. It is during this portion of his journey that his attitude shifts the most - he becomes helpful, where before he was either not helping or helping begrudgingly.

The best visual depiction of personal transformation is when Eustace gets to shed his scales with the help of Aslan. C.S. Lewis is known for the alegorical nature of his writings. So it is not surprising to find this moment having the weight of what it feels like standing before God and Him helping us shed our past selves as we become more like Him. But at the same time, I think even if that is not an experience the reader is familiar with, there is still a connecting moment between the reader and Eustace. Because anyone who has had a realization that the way they have been living is not how they wish to continue to live, a change has got to be made. In Eustace's case, he quite literally has to shed some scales.

Due to the new found awareness, Eustace actively tries to be better for the rest of the novel. In turn, everyone else also try to treat him better. By the end we can see how far he has come from being the boy that was "far too stupid" and "almost deserved" his name to being considered a friend and ally to the Narnians.

I think Lewis' choice to say that Eustace almost deserved his name at the beginning is what clues the audience into the importance of his character. That and he is the first character introduced in this novel, which let's us know that there is a shift in focus in terms of main characters for the series moving forward. But the character we meet at the beginning is not the character we see at the end - and can you imagine being told that someone deserves their name that does not sound very nice after going through what Eustace Clarence Scrubb goes through?

Please check out our full episode on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader wherever you like to enjoy podcasts!

Episode: "The Voyage of the Redeeming of Eustace"

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League of Lit: Jules & Monty 10th Anniversary | Episode 4

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League of Lit: Jules & Monty 10th Anniversary | Episode 3

We’re reviewing Jules & Monty for the 10th Anniversary of the webseries! Come join the conversation!

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Happy Banned Book Week!

This week, we will be sharing some banned books, fun facts about them, and anything else we wish to talk about and tie it back to Banned Book Week - because we can.

WHAT IS BANNED BOOK WEEK?

“Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.” (from ALA’s website)

Why is this important?

I think JFK said it best when he said:

If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.

[Response to questionnaire in Saturday Review, October 29 1960]

SO WHAT CAN WE DO?

Read banned books!

We can also share our experience with banned books. Because a lot of books that are challenged or banned are done so by people who have never read them.

So read all the books and share all the thoughts!

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SANDITON 3.02

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Pride & Prejudice rain scene

Coloring: Ego by itsvenue

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Such a letter was not to be soon recovered from.

Persuasion, Jane Austen

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David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Signior Benedick and Beatrice in a production of Much Ado About Nothing in 2011

[source]

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happy nothing much to(day)!

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Grad School Part 3 | Word Vomit

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Yes

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Shakes Sunday: Much Ado About Nothing

We are kicking off a month long celebration of the Bard! 

Starting off with our favorite of his plays - Much Ado About Nothing

We have covered a lot of information on this specific play already on the podcast. So much that there is an extended episode!

We have a lot of fun things going on all our social accounts. Be sure to check it all out and let us know what your favorite Shakespeare play is! Who knows we may cover it on the podcast when we return!

Instagram - @leagueoflitpodcast

TikTok - @leagueoflitpod

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10 Years of LBD | vlog

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You know, chewing on ice can be indicative of a larger problem, like anemia— That’s glass.

Headless: A Sleepy Hollow Story [x]  

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Women be like "I'm fighting demons" and the demons are bad adaptations of jane austen's novels.

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April 2022 | NaNo 2021