In the clip a young girl named Jill Pole confronts Aslan before a great stream of water as she suffers from intense thirst. In contrast, Fagerberg presented a video clip from the BBC production of THE SILVER CHAIR. Fagerberg tied this scene from the Chronicles to asceticism by claiming that it is through the work of asceticism that Christians prepare themselves to enter wholly into God’s love. Her humble desire to be literally consumed by Aslan is a display of her willingness to allow Aslan to love her fully. I’d sooner be eaten by you than fed by anyone else.” In the story, a talking horse named Hwin approaches the great lion Aslan and says, “Please, you’re so beautiful. If the ultimate Christian vocation is to share in the life of Christ and to be taken up into God, Fagerberg declared that asceticism is the discipline required to become united with God by becoming an icon of God, ultimately formed to His image through transfiguration.įagerberg’s first example of the depiction of Christian asceticism in Lewis’s novels came from THE HORSE AND HIS BOY. Turning to the etymology of the word, Fagerberg defined asceticism as the exercise or effort exerted in order to realize a goal. “Few words have suffered a worse fate than the word ‘asceticism,’” he said, noting its association with sternness and austerity is so excessive that those who practice asceticism are believed to be “unable to appreciate the delights of creation.” Rather than detracting from an ability to take joy in creation, however, Fagerberg asserted that asceticism is fundamental to Christian vocation. Delivered primarily to an audience of undergraduates, Fagerberg’s multimedia presentation incorporated clips from cinematic versions of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.įagerberg began his lecture with a proposal to “rehabilitate” the concept of Christian asceticism. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia,” Notre Dame Theology Professor David Fagerberg drew connections between the literary works of C.S. In a lecture entitled “Turkish Delight and Asceticism in C.S. Fagerburg identifies Christian asceticism in the Chronicles of Narnia