About this episode

Dcn. Harrison Garlick explores the allegorical meaning of the endless winter in Narnia, connecting it to the problem of evil and insights from Dante.

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick takes a popular article from The Ascent, a top 100 substack in faith and spirituality, and does a deep dive on CS Lewis, Dante, and the problem of evil (theodicy). Check out THE ASCENT - a top 100 Substack on Christianity spirituality. Check out "The Hidden Meaning of Narnia's Endless Winter " Substack article. Check out the NEW Instagram page for Ascend. In this fascinating episode Deacon Garlick explores one of C.S. Lewis’s most striking images: the never-ending winter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . Why is it “always winter but never Christmas”? Far more than a chilly backdrop, Lewis uses the endless cold as a powerful allegory for evil itself. Deacon connects Lewis’ imagery to Dante’s frozen pit at the bottom of Hell in the Inferno , revealing how both Christian master-teachers portray evil not as an opposite of the good, but as a cold, lifeless privation —an absence of heat, motion, and life. You’ll gain fresh insight into: - Why evil is best understood as a “hole in the ground” or darkness without light - How the White Witch’s power to turn creatures to stone mirrors the soul-freezing effect of sin…

People in this episode

Host: Dcn. Harrison Garlick

Topics covered

• C.S. Lewis
• theodicy
• evil
• Christianity
• Narnia
• Dante
• allegory

Keywords

• Narnia
• C.S. Lewis
• theodicy
• evil
• Dante
• Christianity
• allegory
• Inferno
• winter
• Aslan

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ascent, Ascend, Instagram

Books & works: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Inferno

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