Unraveling Narnia’s Genetic Code

C.S. Lewis’s Foreign Parts: Reviewing ‘East of the Wardrobe’ by Warwick Ball

If you’ve read any books in C.S. Lewis’s beloved Chronicles of Narnia series, you’re probably aware of the wild mashup of ideas, scenes, and characters that comprise the stories: fauns, dwarfs, talking animals, Fathers Christmas and Time, giants, and more. How did all those disparate elements come together—and where did they all come from?

To the extent …