My friend Justin, it grieves me to tell you that I think I am wrong, and I have to revise my order
In the days of quarantine Ι have plenty of time so I am reading books much of the day. So I had the opportunity to read selectively the "Chronicles" again and I find out that the "Prince Caspian" is a
key-book about the shifting position of the MN and the HHB.
Let's start with the MN first. ΜΝ can't be read before PC because of the end of PC. Specifically in PC, we read:
"
You came into Narnia out of Telmar," said Aslan. "But you came into Telmar from another place. You do not belong to this world at all. You came hither, certain generations ago, out of that same world to which the High King Peter belongs."
Αs you read these lines, you think: "So there are also other earthlings who get into Narnia before children...". A mystery begins...Pevensies are not the only humans..
But if you have read MN first, then you have already seen many human who visited Narnia first. You already know Digory, Polly, Uncle Andrew, King Frank, Queen Helen...there is no mystery any more. It
ruins the mystery at the end of PC.
Now as about the MN's position Ι am not sure but I insist that it don't need to be read so late (6th position). Backstories should not be read too late. Αnd I will explain my thinking:
Today I saw (
for the tenth time) the movie :
Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time" with my brother. In the middle of the movie, in the desert, Tamina starts narrate the history of the sands of time, of the hourglass, of the whole history about sacret guardians etc. She actually narrate a
backstory. Can you imagine this story to be said at the end of the movie?
I feel the same thing about MN. I have questions. What is Narnia? Ηow Narnia was created? Who is Aslan? Why some animals talking and some other not? What is this place? I need answers like the prince in the movie! And a backstory is the perfect way to answer to the questions. And a backstory should read kind of early and not at the end. This is not a "mystery novel" with Sherlock Holmes or Hercules Poirot where everything is revealed only at the end!
A backstory is like cooked food. It is not ready either early or late.
I suggest MN should be read after PC. Remember that PC is the only book whose the end talking about earthling who came to Narnia. So maybe It is the best "introduction" for the ΜΝ.
Αbout HHB technically speaking, the only right position is after SC. There is
no doubt about that. But as I have already said, Ι think it should be reading before SC for the following reasons:
1) Βy reading the bard's song, a powerfull nostalgia is created.
2) Reading the VDT after the HHB, you feel like you have been cooled in the sea by the heat of the vast desert. A nice "contrast" is created.
3) I don't think that "ruins" the "Caspian trilogy" because in SC Caspian has a
cameo playing and not an active role.
PC shows that HHB shouldn't be read earlier than PC. At the beginning of the book we read:
"
Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure".
What do you mean dear author? Kids had remarkable adventures in Calormen and Archenland too! Did you forget that? The author seems that
ignore HHB! (
of course he hadn't "discovered" it yet ).
It makes more sense to me that HHB should be read after MN because HHB actually is a "LWW number 2". I think reading HHB-MN It's a bit of a mess.
So: LWW / PC / MN / HHB / VDT / SC / LB
Actually the only change, is the shifting of PC.
If anyone thinks I am wrong or right, I d' like to tell me!