1. Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?

It seems that Peter is something of a bird-watcher: "This is going to be a wonderful place for birds". He seems particularly interested in birds of prey: eagles, hawks. The hunter - the warrior?

Susan - as timid as a rabbit? Edmund - as sly as a fox? I don't know what you might read into Lucy's response of "badgers" unless she just thinks they look cuddly. I wouldn't try to cuddle one, but maybe she's too young to think that.

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?

I think it is. We see in The Horse And His Boy that adult Lucy, although something of a "tomboy" perhaps, is still interested in "girly" things like clothes, as her exchange with Aravis shows.

3. The first night in the Professor's house Lucy is easily frightened by both the Professor and the strange noises in the house. Later, when she steps into the wardrobe, she "felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well." Do you think this tells us anything about her personality?

In this respect she's a lot like Digory, which can explain why she grows to like the Professor.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?

I think I'd conclude that I was hallucinating, was severely mentally ill and call the doctor at once.

5. What was your favorite part/least favorite part? Why?

One thing that struck me, reading it more slowly than usual, is how much description of the Professor's house there is. I wonder whether Lewis wrote it all just to pad out Chapter 1 a bit, so that Lucy didn't enter Narnia on Page 2, or if Lewis was describing a real-life house he'd known at some time in his life? Is there any significance in any of the description of the house?

Although I'm not re-reading at the moment I still want to answer two the questions.

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?

Yes, absolutely. As a kid I was very curious. I always wanted to look inside of things. (Even now I'd b curious). To see an empty room, with nothing but a wardrobe would definitely strike my curiosity, and I'd look inside as soon as I could do so.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?

I know about Narnia, so I'd walk in hoping to see Aslan and co.
If I didn't know Narnia, I'd think I still want to go in and explore. Who wouldn't? That's a wonder I'd not pass up.

1. Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?

Yes I do think the choice of animals says something about the characters of the four children. Only the eagle is not a burrowing animal, but a straight-out predator whose soaring eyesight allows it to pick out its prey. I think that Peter's personality does fit with an eagle. He expects to be leader, to see the big picture, and wants to make the best of the situation.

Foxes are predators, like eagles, but they operate in a more sneaky fashion. There is something unfriendly about Edmund right from the beginning, in his attitude to even his own siblings. There seems to be something that Edmund is hiding right from the start.

Like foxes, badgers and rabbits burrow into the ground, and all three get hunted by humans. But whereas a badger is a tenacious omnivore, a rabbit herbivore needs to rely on speedy escapes and a resilient fertility to replace casualties. So Lucy is the tenacious one who will stand her ground against bigger animals, whilst Susan is the cautious one who doesn't like to commit herself to anything more dangerous than suitable romantic adventures.

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?

Yes it is believable. Wardrobes are storage places, after all. To see one standing by itself, suggests it might be worth checking to see what is stored inside. Am I justifying my own curious nature? Of course I am - so why shouldn't Lucy be curiious as well?

3. The first night in the Professor's house Lucy is easily frightened by both the Professor and the strange noises in the house. Later, when she steps into the wardrobe, she "felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well." Do you think this tells us anything about her personality?

Yes, of course Lucy is curious, and of course she doesn't know for sure that curiosity won't get her into trouble. I think that Lucy's tenacity is beginning to show. I think, though, that Lucy is also beginning to assert herself against Susan, whom, she might agree with Edmund, does tend to act like a bossy Mother substitute.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?

I think I'd conclude that I was hallucinating, was severely mentally ill and call the doctor at once.

King Erlian, if you would say that, how would I react? I've seldom seen snow in real-life, let alone a wardrobe. Though at least there are fur coats available to wear in the snowy fir forests.

5. What was your favorite part/least favorite part? Why?

My favourite part was Lucy's introduction to the wardrobe, and my least favourite part was Edmund's behaviour.

Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?

Honestly, I never really thought of the animals that the children named have anything to do with their personalities. But now that I think of it, there may be something to it. I'm not quite sure how to connect the animals to the personalities of the children, I guess I'll have to think a bit on that and come back here when I come up with a theory

Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?

Oh, yes, very believable. When in a new large house, it makes sense that a person would be inquisitive. I know that when I was younger and I would go visiting, I had a terrible habit of poking my nose into every corner. Even if a person is shy, small or young, curiosity is curiosity and new places will more often than not fill you with it.

If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?

Probably start walking around, trying to figure out what exactly just happened and where on earth am I

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?
Definately! They were exploring, so it would make perfect sense to want to look inside. Especially since it wasn’t in a bedroom and therefore wouldn’t be expected to contain the average clothes, extra blankets, shoes, and other such ordinary objects.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?
I’m sort of a coward about some things, so I would probably get out as fast as possible. Or else, like Lucy, I would make sure I could get back through the wardrobe.

5.What was your favorite part/least favorite part? Why?
I do notice a lack of connection with the characters at the very beginning. We really don’t know much about them, though their characters are beautifully developed as the book goes on. I wish Lewis had given us more of an emotional connection with the characters and some background before plunging into the story. I mean, give the reader a reason to care about care about these kids.

Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?
Oh, yes. It's natural curiosity; I always wanted to look in closets and wardrobes when we were at self-catering places, and we weren't even properly exploring.

If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?
Honestly, I'd probably think it was a dream, but I'd like to think I would explore too.

1. Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?

It seems that Peter is something of a bird-watcher: "This is going to be a wonderful place for birds". He seems particularly interested in birds of prey: eagles, hawks. The hunter - the warrior?

Susan - as timid as a rabbit? Edmund - as sly as a fox? I don't know what you might read into Lucy's response of "badgers" unless she just thinks they look cuddly. I wouldn't try to cuddle one, but maybe she's too young to think that.

Both of my copies of LWW have a different rendition. Edmund is looking for snakes and Susan wants to see a fox.

Personally, I rather like this better, given the trope of boys chasing their sisters with snakes (nasty behavior)--it seems fitting with Edmund's personality at the time.

Susan is the one looking for the clever beast, the one that sometimes looks cute and cuddly. You could read that as a foreshadowing of her taste in men (Rabadash) ... or not.

That's interesting! I didn't know about those changes in the american editions. (Didn't these go back to the UK versions more recently?)

If Susan is looking for rabbits it's because they are sort of cute (but in my country importing them 100 years earlier from England had a devastating effect so we don't like them so much here), and if she is looking for foxes it is also because they have a story-book cuteness & smartness. In both cases their outer looks belie what can be a problem in their real nature.

Edmund looking for snakes? He is looking for danger - having been forced to leave the danger of London behind. Danger is excitement, not a threat, and it takes some hard learning for him to change his mind.

I like the idea that Lucy is interested in finding badgers - they are not safe animals, but have a loyalty and tenacity that Lewis celebrates in PC.

(Didn't these go back to the UK versions more recently?)

Yes. I don't know the date when it changed, but the newer one is from 1988.

What I want to know is why that was important enough to change! It's not crucial to the story in any way, and it's not like they switched out exotic animals for more familiar ones... and the meaning doesn't change drastically either.

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?
Yes, because she likes fur coats

3. The first night in the Professor's house Lucy is easily frightened by both the Professor and the strange noises in the house. Later, when she steps into the wardrobe, she "felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well." Do you think this tells us anything about her personality?
Yes

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?
I would go in

1. Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?
Well, I didn't know when I wrote this question that it was different between the 2 versions. I was using the American version (according to wikipedia the British edition was used worldwide starting in 1994). The fact that they are different makes the question more interesting. In the American version, the animals are as follows: Peter - eagles, stags, and hawks; Susan - fox; Lucy - badgers; and Edmund - snakes.
The animals Peter lists all remind me of royalty. I'm not sure what they say about his current personality, but they seem to point to the king he will become. Lucy is stubborn like a badger. She sticks to what she believes. Snakes are often associated with evil or negative qualities. Edmund is a bully, a liar, and a betrayer. That seems like a snake to me. I find it easier to tie rabbits to Susan than a fox. Rabbits are timid like Susan. It is possible that "fox" is pointing to attractiveness - the word "foxy" was in use in the U.S. to mean attractive. I don't know if Lewis was up on American Slang or not. As for Edmund wanting to see foxes, I think that would reflect his cunning, cleverness, and slyness.

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?
Yes, I tend to be curious myself and I could see myself wanting to look in the wardrobe especially since it was the only thing in the room.
3. The first night in the Professor's house Lucy is easily frightened by both the Professor and the strange noises in the house. Later, when she steps into the wardrobe, she "felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well." Do you think this tells us anything about her personality?Well, she deals with her fears. I wonder if the world in the wardrobe was so unusual that she couldn't help but feel inquisitive as well. Strange people and strange places are normal fears; strange worlds are not.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do? I'd like to say I would explore, but I'm not sure I would. If I were with someone else, I'd be more likely to explore. If I were Lucy's age, I would probably explore.

5. What was your favorite part/least favorite part? Why?
I love that Lewis throws in the bit about not shutting onesself in a wardrobe. It adds nice flavor to the story.

One thing that struck me, reading it more slowly than usual, is how much description of the Professor's house there is. I wonder whether Lewis wrote it all just to pad out Chapter 1 a bit, so that Lucy didn't enter Narnia on Page 2, or if Lewis was describing a real-life house he'd known at some time in his life? Is there any significance in any of the description of the house?

Lewis doesn't strike me as the kind of author that would add details just to pad a chapter out. I don't know if Lewis was describing a real house or not. It is possible. The description makes it seem like a real place and helps show that it is a strange house.

All right, in lieu of flowers...

2.Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or why not?

Lucy seemed to see more than any of the others, all through the series. Often it was because she was the closest one to Aslan, the first to see him, in PC. Or in LB, where it says,

"It was the first time she had spoken, and from the thrill in her voice Tirian now knew why. She was drinking everything in even more deeply than the others."

Was she just more curious than the others? Or did she perhaps feel the call of Aslan? I couldn't say: it wasn't just this one time, though.

One point that struck me was that the Professor met them when they arrived and apparently they took their meals with him also, much as I imagine Lewis himself would have done with his own refugees. It's not strange that they changed that in the movie - the Professor was a more mysterious and daunting person because they never saw him. But it changed their response to him - in Chapter 5, Peter and Susan went to him of their own accord, though the response was just as unexpected in both cases.

1. Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?

Yes, I do! Somewhat, anyway.

Peter is hoping to see falcons and stags and hawks. The falcons and the hawks make me think of the wide-open spaces of North of Narnia, and one of Peter's decisive moments as High King of Narnia was when he fought the giants in the North. Stags also symbolize strength, wisdom and majesty, and those are very fitting for High King Peter. Edmund, on the other hand, wants to see foxes, and that indicates the craftiness of his character, pre-reform. Lucy is hoping to see badgers, and she's always been a very plucky girl, as we see with her willingness to fight for Narnia, and badgers are certainly plucky animals. Susan wants see rabbits, and they definitely mirror the gentleness of her character, and possibly her later capriciousness as well.

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?

Definitely. It's not surprising that fate would have her be the first to find Narnia. Out of the four Pevensies, she's always had the closest relationship with the Narnian universe and Aslan.

3. The first night in the Professor's house Lucy is easily frightened by both the Professor and the strange noises in the house. Later, when she steps into the wardrobe, she "felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well." Do you think this tells us anything about her personality?

I don't know if it tells us so much about her personality as it does the situation she's in. It is wartime, and Lucy's in a strange house and away from her mother and father. I'd say it's to be expected that she'd be a bit frightened of its owner and all of the peculiar sounds. It also doesn't surprise me that Lucy, in spite of being a little frightened, was so ready to take a peek around Narnia. She's been pulled away from her home and almost everything that's familiar; she's already out of her comfort zone, so exploring a snowy land beyond a wardrobe door isn't as much of a leap for her to take.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?

Blink several times, then start investigating and try to figure out how I'd be able to make other people believe me. Probably call back through the open wardrobe door to my siblings and ask, "Guys, would you please come and tell me that I'm not crazy?"

5. What was your favorite part/least favorite part? Why?

I think my favorite part is when Lucy is making her way through the wardrobe and there's the slow realization that she's not in Kansas anymore, so to speak. That's a very magical moment.

My least favorite part is probably these two lines at end of the chapter: "What with the parcels and the snow it looked just as if he had been doing his Christmas shopping. He was a Faun." There's nothing wrong at all with the lines themselves, it's just that when I was reading that this morning, I felt like the sentences didn't quite flow as well as they might have. It seemed that "He was a Faun" should have been placed closer to the physical descriptions. But that's nitpicking.

1. Do you think the animals the children want to see says anything about their personalities? If so what?

I have the version of the book where Peter refers to eagles, stags, and hawks, while Lucy wants to see badgers, Edmund foxes, and Susan rabbits. I do think it's a way to get us acclimated to the characters. As has been pointed out, Peter chose animals associated with leadership and royalty, Edmund chose one associated with cleverness, etc. Susan chose a very gentle creature, and Lucy... well, as Twigs pointed out, badgers are associated with stubbornness and sticking to their beliefs. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I've read other British stories (such as the Redwall books) which hold badgers in a place of honor, treating them as creatures of wisdom and courage, but also not to be trifled with. Perhaps this is a reference to Lucy knowing those kinds of stories?

2. Do you think it is believable that Lucy would want to look in the wardrobe? Why or Why not?

I think so. After all, these are the kind of children who thought that exploring the house was more interesting than reading books and listen to the radio, and who were interested in exploring the outside of the house to look for animals. I can see why older children would see a wardrobe and think, "There's nothing special in there", while Lucy would still see something else to explore. Especially since she thought it would only take a few moments....

3. The first night in the Professor's house Lucy is easily frightened by both the Professor and the strange noises in the house. Later, when she steps into the wardrobe, she "felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well." Do you think this tells us anything about her personality?

Yes, I think it tells us about not only her curiosity, but also her bravery. I think this also tells us about her imagination, since strange noises tend to only be frightening when you imagine something more sinister creating them--and the wardrobe only seemed exciting because she imagined something adventurous inside.

4. If you found a snow-covered wood in an old wardrobe and knew nothing about Narnia, what would you do?

Blink several times, then start investigating and try to figure out how I'd be able to make other people believe me. Probably call back through the open wardrobe door to my siblings and ask, "Guys, would you please come and tell me that I'm not crazy?"

That probably would've been similar to my reaction. If we're talking when I was actually about 8-10 years old, though, I think I would have gone through.

One other thing I noticed while reading this chapter is that Lucy has stepped into Narnia by page 8. I find this interesting because, in most adaptions I've ever seen of the book (movies, radio productions, plays), it's a good 10-20 minutes before Lucy ever steps into the wardrobe; they usually take those first scenes with the characters exploring the house much more slowly. On the one hand, I can understand why adaptations would do that--not only to give us a sense of the children's personalities and to get us comfortable with the story before throwing us into the fantasy. On the other hand, though, I think the book's approach works because it gets us to the meat of the story, to the world we're going to grow to love, within the first chapter of the book.