54 pages 1 hour read

Patti Callahan Henry

Once Upon a Wardrobe

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Themes

The Power of Storytelling in Shaping Human Experience

Once Upon a Wardrobe is a novel about storytelling. In her “Note from the Author,” Callahan states that she is “fascinated by the ways in which Narnia transforms us (277). Her book focuses on the capacity of C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to change its readers, regardless of age. By embedding nested narratives into her novel’s structure, the author also explores the wider impact of storytelling on readers and listeners.

The most notable impact of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the story’s ability to ignite the imagination. Callahan illustrates how reading about the magical land of Narnia serves as a gateway to another world for George. The book allows him to escape the restrictions of his failing health and immerse himself in a fantastical universe filled with talking animals, mythical creatures, and epic battles between good and evil. This imaginative experience also serves as a temporary reprieve from his prognosis and his family’s grief. The novel highlights that for George, this escapism is not merely a passive activity; it energizes and revitalizes him.

The introduction of Lewis’s biographical accounts demonstrates that nonfictional tales can also have a transformative impact on others.

Related Titles

By Patti Callahan Henry

Study Guide

logo

Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Patti Callahan Henry

Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis

Patti Callahan Henry

Study Guide

logo

Surviving Savannah

Patti Callahan Henry

Surviving Savannah

Patti Callahan Henry

Study Guide

logo

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Patti Callahan Henry

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Patti Callahan Henry

Plot Summary

logo

The Stories We Tell

Patti Callahan Henry

The Stories We Tell

Patti Callahan Henry