Elizabethtown College News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1/5/06
Contact: Mary Dolheimer, director of marketing and media relations, 717-361-1587, dolheimerm@etown.edu
E-town College prof, C.S. Lewis scholar to discuss recent book, movie on Narnia Chronicles
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Nationally acclaimed C.S. Lewis 
scholar and Elizabethtown College professor David C. Downing, who recently published “Into the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles,” will discuss his book and the recently released movie at 3:30 p.m., Jan. 26, in the College’s High Library. The R.W. Schlosser Professor of English at Elizabethtown, Downing will also sign copies of his book, which is available in the College Bookstore. The event is open to the public free of charge.
Downing’s book tells of the genesis of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” a seven-book series written by Lewis. The first book in the series, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” introduces readers to four London children who are sent to a professor’s country home for protection during World War II. There they find a magic wardrobe that leads to a mystical land called Narnia, which is being ruled by an evil witch. To defeat the witch, they must join forces with Aslan, the lion God of Narnia, and fight the great battle between good and evil.
Lewis drew on his extensive knowledge of mythology, medieval literature and Christian theology, as well as his own lively imagination to produce this classic series of books. They can be read on several levels, and have been loved by both children and adults for half a century.
Downing’s book has received very favorable reviews in such diverse publications as Christianity Today, Library Journal and U.S. News and World Report. Other books by Downing include “Into the Region of Awe: Mysticism in C.S. Lewis,” “The Most Reluctant Convert: C.S. Lewis’s Journey to Faith,” and “Planets in Peril: A Critical Study of C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy.” “Into the Wardrobe” and “Into the Region of Awe” both received mention in Christianity Today as two of the 10 best books on Lewis published this year.
At Elizabethtown College -- central Pennsylvania’s premier small, comprehensive college -- 1800 men and women enjoy personal attention, breadth of curriculum, experiential learning and a commitment to serving others. Elizabethtown has been ranked for 12 consecutive years by “U.S. News and World Report” as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the North.
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