I've noticed too that, especially in the earlier books, Lewis-as-narrator occasionally cuts in with a statement that makes it sound like he knows these characters in real life and has actually spoken with them. That reported exchange with Lucy is the most explicit example. I've never seen any reason to take it that the "I" referred to there is meant to be anyone but Lewis himself, especially since, as you say, he did that in the Space Trilogy as well. I see it as his way of hinting to readers (slightly tongue in cheek): "Yes, of course these things really happened and these children are real — I've spoken with them. How else do you think I came to know this story I'm telling you??"

I'm almost certain that at the time he wrote VDT, Lewis hadn't yet thought up the final plot twist at the end of The Last Battle, where all his characters die and go to heaven — there's no way then that he could have been getting information from them personally about what Aslan's country is like (I assume!!), so that's where the pretence breaks down. But it's still an intriguing idea and one that I once saw spun out in a particularly beautiful piece of Narnia fan fic. I don't often read fan fic, but this one was recommended to me and really moved me. It was continuing the story of Susan after the deaths of her parents and siblings; in this story, she's persuaded to go to a memorial service for Peter and Edmund at Magdalen College, Oxford, where they had both been studying. The main speaker at the service turns out to be someone who was a great friend of the late Professor Kirke and who knew the Pevensie brothers as well — one Professor C.S. Lewis. And as she hears him speaking on the resurrection that all followers of Christ shall share in (quoting from one of his actual published addresses), Susan suddenly finds herself remembering Aslan's resurrection, realises (in tears) who He is in our world, and asks to speak with Professor Lewis afterwards... the story doesn't tell us exactly what they discussed (in Addison's Walk, where Lewis once had a transformative conversation with Tolkien!), but Susan's life is turned around from there on in.

Of course that's just one fan's personal take on what might have happened after the point where the books end — something Lewis himself actively encouraged his readers to imagine for themselves and write about. But I loved the way that writer took up the idea that Lewis DID know the Pevensies personally, and so that implicitly explains how he came to write the Chronicles. It still doesn't quite explain how he knew exactly what they experienced in the afterlife, but never mind!! (Maybe he got that part directly from Aslan...)

Maybe both things could be the case. 

Maybe he was able to hear some of the adventures first-hand. And had no idea about the rest that happened after the Pevensies' deaths. 

And I am definitely intrigued by the idea that he tracked down Susan years/decades after the fact (and I'm not going to lie, my personal head cannon is that Susan finds Aslan again and eventually has that reunion with everyone). 

I like it that Lewis mentioned himself a number of times in the Narnia books. It added a personal touch to the stories.  If the Narnia books were written entirely in the third person it would seem like the author was a mere bystander.  Lewis wanted more direct involvement in his own stories.  Since the tales were at least something of his own experience he injected his views and perspectives, which helped to make the books more lively and personal reading.

There are definitely a couple of times the books do this. In the case you quote, Cleander, besides being a fun idea, it conveys how hard the characters found to describe their experiences in a more interesting way than just saying, "they would never talk about it afterwards."

However, in the same book, Lewis tells the reader things about Pittencream and Caspian that Edmund, Lucy and Eustace couldn't have known. So, it's an idea he played with but not a big part of Narnia.

Third-person narrative is sometimes called the 'Eye-Of-God' view. It allows the author to know everything in his story. But Lewis makes himself more approachable in these stories, by giving chatty comments as if he's our favourite uncle, and suggesting that he knows characters, which of course makes us feel they are real people.

God of course would know the people and their feelings if they were real. Lewis is not trying to be God in the stories. He has Aslan for this role!

@courtenay , I guess the question of how Lewis heard about what happened in Aslan's country would indeed throw a few monkey wrenches into the idea of his knowing the story first-hand! I hadn't heard about that fanfic before but it sounds like it could be a worthy read (a rare thing among fanfictions, lol). 

@col-klink, The Pittencream story is an odd case of momentary omniscience compared to how Lewis usually treats his own knowledge of the story, but it definitely makes me think he might not have been taking the idea of a set position for the narrator too seriously. 

  I've actually recently been reading about narrative perspectives in fiction, (totally separate from my ablutionary ruminations about Lewis' writing style) and it seems a lot of authors tend to make similar, if subtler, deviations from their apparent chosen perspective. The writer discussing the question mentioned that it's hard to keep a clear line between third-person omniscient and third-person limited, and many authors unconsciously (or even purposely) go back and forth between the two, keeping a tight focus on the character's point of view one moment and then zooming out to tell us details the character couldn't possibly know the next. (Which, he posits, is sometimes a good thing if the limited approach gets too...well, limited).  

So yeah, maybe Lewis knew what he was doing. 😉 

I'm still intrigued about the idea of Lewis appearing in a Narnia adaptation as a sort of segue narrator... it would be kind of awesome if Max McLean could get into the Netflix series somehow!

Posted by: @col-klink

However, in the same book, Lewis tells the reader things about Pittencream...

What now?? I'm drawing a total blank on what book that's from.  It seems that I currently flop at being a Narnia nerd. 

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

@courtenay , I guess the question of how Lewis heard about what happened in Aslan's country would indeed throw a few monkey wrenches into the idea of his knowing the story first-hand! I hadn't heard about that fanfic before but it sounds like it could be a worthy read (a rare thing among fanfictions, lol). 

I've bookmarked it and would be happy to send the link via PM to you or anyone else here who's interested. I'm guessing that posting links to fan fiction wouldn't be allowed publicly on this site, which is understandable.

@col-klink, The Pittencream story is an odd case of momentary omniscience compared to how Lewis usually treats his own knowledge of the story, but it definitely makes me think he might not have been taking the idea of a set position for the narrator too seriously. 

  I've actually recently been reading about narrative perspectives in fiction, (totally separate from my ablutionary ruminations about Lewis' writing style) and it seems a lot of authors tend to make similar, if subtler, deviations from their apparent chosen perspective. The writer discussing the question mentioned that it's hard to keep a clear line between third-person omniscient and third-person limited, and many authors unconsciously (or even purposely) go back and forth between the two, keeping a tight focus on the character's point of view one moment and then zooming out to tell us details the character couldn't possibly know the next. (Which, he posits, is sometimes a good thing if the limited approach gets too...well, limited).  

So yeah, maybe Lewis knew what he was doing. 😉 

Yes, I reckon he did too. I'm not surprised to hear that a lot of authors deviate back and forth between an omniscient and limited perspective, as you say. I enjoy how Lewis a couple of times toys with the idea that he knows his characters personally in real life, but I'm glad he didn't stick solidly to that perspective, or we'd miss out on a lot of interesting details. Also, the "... said I, ... said Lucy" interjections could get tiresome after a while if there were a lot of them! Having just that one explicit example gives us a little thrill of surprise, but it could soon start to sound a bit silly and it would definitely limit what Lewis could and couldn't claim to know as narrator, if he sustained that all the way through.

I must say though, I've always loved the way Lewis does directly address us as readers quite regularly — like a favourite uncle telling us the story, as @coracle puts it. I'm aware some readers dislike that aspect, but I've always found it gives a warm sense of familiarity to the narrative. Quite a lot of my favourite non-dialogue passages in the Chronicles are ones where Lewis speaks directly to the reader!

I'm still intrigued about the idea of Lewis appearing in a Narnia adaptation as a sort of segue narrator... it would be kind of awesome if Max McLean could get into the Netflix series somehow!

That would be cool if they could do it in some way that really worked — maybe not having him appear as the narrator throughout the whole film, but "bookending" it at the start and finish? Or even have him appear as a cameo here and there somehow, in scenes set in our world — perhaps just subtly, so it's not always obvious who he is unless you stop and think about it... I'm thinking of a few other famous cameo scenes, such as the real Michael Bond waving to Paddington Bear in the first Paddington film, or indeed Alfred Hitchcock inserting himself briefly into every film he directed! It might be hard to do something like that with Lewis as a character without making it look hokey, but it really could be awesome if they managed to do it well!

@glenwit Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He's the crew member who didn't want to go on.

Edit: it's such a creative name,  suggesting he had a skin problem (acne?) and put a cream on it.  

I'm sorry I didn't explain who Pittencream was. He's definitely not a super iconic character or anything.  At the end of Chapter 14 of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it says he was the one sailor who got left on Ramandu's Island till everyone got back from the end of the world, something he regretted.

He took in a number of evacuee children during the war, so the story of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was partly based on his own experience (with him in the role of Professor Kirke).

Posted by: @col-klink

I'm sorry I didn't explain who Pittencream was.

Nah, you don't have to be sorry  

He's definitely not a super iconic character or anything.  

You're not wrong - but every character can't be iconic (otherwise none of them would be ). NEW TOPIC THREAD IDEA - Did Lewis "meet" Pittencream??

I have actually wished that the Pevensies were real people and I could meet them in person. Maybe Lewis had wished the same thing. He made them so convincing as book characters that I almost have thought of them as real people. I guess that the closest we could come to them in real life is certain people that we have met, e.g., I have known some people who were a lot like Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan. Other authors have also created realistic characters, but I think C.S. Lewis may have mastered his fictional people more than any other fantasy author. 🙂

@courtenay, If you'd like to send me the link, I'd definitely appreciate it! 

I also agree that a Lewis cameo in an adaptation would probably be best used sparingly (like as bookends, as you said). Narration throughout the stories from a person in the real world would likely be damaging to the ability of the audience to get immersed in the Narnian one. 

@glenwit, That should definitely be a thread! THE PEOPLE MUST KNOW!