I'm listening to a book on tape right now called Women and CS Lewis.  It contains a number of essays on the topic of Sexism in his works.  One of the conclusions I have drawn is that there are ways in which what Lewis wrote hasn't aged well.  This has a lot to do with changing times and customs.  I think people have jumped to conclusions without really analyzing what he wrote,

It's been a popular topic: bash C.S.Lewis for being a woman-hater. You are absolutely right about their jumping to conclusions without analysing what he wrote! 👍 

In fact, as Douglas Gresham has often pointed out, the women/girls in the Narnia books are strong and positive, with only two evil females, while the boys and men have most of the bad characters. 

I can see that girls are the ones with faith, loyalty, and courage, who care about others and consider their options before rushing in. Boys are the ones who take offence, fight, lie, cheat, and take advantage.

How can this be sexism?  Perhaps most people object to the two bugbears of 'girls shouldn't fight' and 'Susan gave up Narnia for lipstick and nylons'.
Yes, the former was still a norm in my youth; most of the active military activity was done by men, with women taking less active roles. Hence my English parents in WW2, had different roles when they each turned 18; Dad joined the army while Mum kept her office job and did Red Cross volunteering after work. That is not Lewis failing to age, but the world changing around us long after he had gone.
The latter is a misconception by people who had misread the book concerned. There is at least one discussion on Susan on this forum, so I'll let you read my comments there. I assume you have read all of this thread?

Posted by: @coracle

I can see that girls are the ones with faith, loyalty, and courage, who care about others and consider their options before rushing in. Boys are the ones who take offence, fight, lie, cheat, and take advantage.

This is exactly what I point out in conversations that I have with others about this topic.  Not just in terms of the Chronicles but in other books such as Till we Have Faces,   

Posted by: @coracle

Perhaps most people object to the two bugbears of 'girls shouldn't fight' and 'Susan gave up Narnia for lipstick and nylons'.

That's exactly what people Gaiman and Rowling are focusing on.  

Posted by: @coracle

Yes, the former was still a norm in my youth; most of the active military activity was done by men, with women taking less active roles. Hence my English parents in WW2, had different roles when they each turned 18; Dad joined the army while Mum kept her office job and did Red Cross volunteering after work. That is not Lewis failing to age, but the world changing around us long after he had gone.

This is what I meant by it being more about changing times and customs.  Perhaps saying it hasn't aged well was not the right words to use.  

Posted by: @cobalt-jade

I think that Narnia and LOTR actually treated female characters better than most SFF of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s did.

With some exceptions I think this is very true.  

I think in a sense, by the events of The Last Battle, Susan has become so absorbed with nylons and lipsticks and invitations, it causes her to lose interest in Narnia. It's like all that she sees is what was most important to her. We actually see this almost throughout the series.

In Prince Caspian, Miraz tries to convince Caspian that the old days were just fairy tales or stories.

In The Silver Chair, the Lady of the Green Kirtle tries to convince Puddleglum, Prince Rilian, Eustace, and Jill that Narnia never existed, "Everything you see here, this is all there is."

Even in The Last Battle, all Rishda cares about was gaining more power, like Tash or Aslan or any of the supernatural wasn't that important to him.

Perhaps Susan could come around at one point. It's like how we wish superheroes were real or princesses were real or even dinosaurs were real. Who doesn't love any of those? I love dinosaurs, and I'm glad there's not somebody out there attempting to clone dinosaurs and built an amusement park to make money off it. I might be talking about this because of the third Jurassic World movie coming out in June, which I'm not sure if I'm excited for it. Though from what I saw in the trailer, I am thrilled to see some of the old characters back. I love the movie Jurassic Park, I'm glad there's not a real one that exists.

Anyhow, there's no knowing what will happen to Susan. Some have argued that her choice would be label as sexism.

I have always been confused with the sexism arguement on Narnia. As a girl who loves these books to pieces, not once did I ever feel like women were put down at any point. On top of that, there was always fun, hilarious boy vs. girl banter, where they both insult each other, which is just classic and typical banter. "Oh, that's just like a girl" or "oh, that's just like a man" bits. So both sides get their bites haha.

First off, just looking at Narnia's best girl, Lucy, in my opinion is proof enough against the sexism argument. She was not called The Valiant for nothing, she has fought in battles, and she is the most faithful character in the book. If that is not a positive representation of a girl then I don't know what is! As for Father Christmas' line, I always thought that line was specifically for the great battle, that's how I always took it anyway. 

Then there's Susan's choice, which calling it sexist is a bit of a stretch, since Susan's choice is more sad than anything. I think if you're a person who also loves nylon and lipsticks and invitations, that is probably why it rubbed many the wrong way, immediately going "Uh! Are you saying those things are bad?!" which I believe they are missing the point. Susan is a cautionary tale of when we get too absorbed in the world, for Susan it was nylon and lipstick, it could be totally different for someone else. Susan, I think, became very vain at one point, and looked at Narnia as simply the childish games they used to play. Sure, one could argue, how could she think about a place she spent years in, even growing up in as imaginary? Well if you had to grow up all over again in the modern world, with its influences, if her foundation was weak she could be pulled away and maybe not want to believe in it anymore. It's sad, but I feel like Susan's choice is left open ended. Her fate is not 100% decided by the end of The Last Battle, I think it was purposely left up to readers to ponder it, and perhaps, ponder our own lives if we have something stealing our focus from where it matters and how dangerous it could be.

Lastly.... let's look at Polly. She was a very smart character. Digory could be an idiot at times, like when Polly had the sense to leave Charn but Digory just HAD to ring that bell and awake Jadis, which later brought evil to Narnia that would not be defeated until a thousand years after its creation. Anyone reading will obviously see Polly was smart and Digory was not lol. I still love Digory of course, but no one can argue he was incredibly stupid by ringing that bell. xD

But yeah, in conclusion. I have never seen anything in these books sexist. Most of the female characters were very positive, especially Lucy (whom I am sure many of us strive to be like). So yeah my 2 cents on the matter. I guess this argument will be one I will never be able to fathom, because I honestly can't see what these people are seeing lol. 

Some might argue that Susan is left out of the after life because she's a beautiful woman or she's growing up.

While it's true that there were two evil women (notably the White Witch and the Lady of the Green Kirtle) were known for being beautiful women, think again. Beauty is not evil itself. Though we can agree that it's both a blessing and a curse.

Queen Swanwhite was known to be a very beautiful woman. When she looked into any forest pool, her reflection remained for a year and a day.

Susan was known for her great beauty, she was courted by many kings and princes (one of them being Rabadash).

Ramandu's Daughter was beautiful as well. Caspian was drawn to her innocence, not just physical attraction.

As you say, Jasmine, Lewis showed us that it's how a woman uses her beauty that matters, not whether she is beautiful. 

In the same way, he shows women using intelligence and other skills, in both good and bad ways.

Posted by: @coracle

As you say, Jasmine, Lewis showed us that it's how a woman uses her beauty that matters, not whether she is beautiful. 

In the same way, he shows women using intelligence and other skills, in both good and bad ways.

I couldn't agree more. I think the same could also apply to men as well. Rabadash was known to be a handsome prince of Calormen, yet he is cruel and arrogant deep down. Emeth is described as being "tall, dark, and even beautiful in a dark, haughty, Calormene way".

@jasmine_tarkheena but this thread is not about them. 

There are many other female roles in Narnia, from Queen Helen (Nellie) to the humblest Talking Beast.

@coracle 

That's true, though I was trying to make a point.

In talking of female roles, Mrs. Beaver was known to be a "busy bee" (no pun intended). While Mr. Beaver and the kids find it exasperating, she had good sense in staying busy. Her role is staying prudent, no matter what the circumstances are.

I have really admired the gentle women of Narnia.  Susan the Gentle may have been Narnia’s kindest  queen.  Her temporary departure from Narnia did not change that, although some people may see that as a lack of aggression.  Lucy Pevensie had gentleness too and so did Jill Pole. Gentleness is a feminine quality which is great thing for the female role, but it is not a weakness for men nor does it make men less masculine. I see it as a positive thing for both the male and female roles.  🙂

@narnian78 

Yes, and we could even have a discussion in another thread about the male roles in Narnia.

As I've said earlier in this thread, Caspian was drawn to Ramandu's Daughter's innocence. It may imply, as you've said @narnian78, to her gentleness. It wasn't just a physical attraction, as men would be prone to do.

Susan turned down Prince Rabadash's marriage proposal, and it would be no surprise that she turned down many other.