As for differing views of Jesus, as you stated that would have to be implied by the stories themselves. Aslan is always viewed as an immortal son of the Emperor, but also as the Creator which implies equal standing. He has power over death and seems to be all-knowing. Therefore, the Christ that Aslan is meant to represent would be the Christ that Lewis (and most Christians) believe in.
I can understand not wanting to write Aslan as Christ. It's not even always necessary for Christians to do so in many stories, particularly those in which the focus is not on any sort of theology. I've written stories myself that don't deal with Aslan at all. But if Aslan is in the story, he has to be written as he is in canon: as the immortal, all-powerful, not safe but good, Creator son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea who has conquered death. That's how he's portrayed in the stories and that's how he should be written (I tend to be a purist when it comes to canon, regardless of if I like it or not). I don't mean to offend, but that's how I see it.
(Side note on Bacchus: I have a personal idea that characters like Bacchus and Father Christmas were given their names by King Frank and Queen Helen because they were similar to characters they remembered from England. Therefore I think Bacchus is similar to dryads, but for vines instead of trees, but he was similar enough to the Bacchus of our world that that's what Frank and Helen named him. But that's just me and not canon).
reply to long comment, part 2
Date: 2009-05-06 03:45 am (UTC)I can understand not wanting to write Aslan as Christ. It's not even always necessary for Christians to do so in many stories, particularly those in which the focus is not on any sort of theology. I've written stories myself that don't deal with Aslan at all. But if Aslan is in the story, he has to be written as he is in canon: as the immortal, all-powerful, not safe but good, Creator son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea who has conquered death. That's how he's portrayed in the stories and that's how he should be written (I tend to be a purist when it comes to canon, regardless of if I like it or not). I don't mean to offend, but that's how I see it.
(Side note on Bacchus: I have a personal idea that characters like Bacchus and Father Christmas were given their names by King Frank and Queen Helen because they were similar to characters they remembered from England. Therefore I think Bacchus is similar to dryads, but for vines instead of trees, but he was similar enough to the Bacchus of our world that that's what Frank and Helen named him. But that's just me and not canon).