The Chronicles of Propaganda: Hegemony, the Paladin, and the Christian-Hero’s Journey

Abstract

This essay analyses the propagandistic nature of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in order to refute the misinterpretation that
sets children’s literature as naïve and plain. Framed in the context of the Cold War, this
propaganda focuses on pro-Britain and anti-communist messages aimed at supporting the idea
of Britain as a hegemonic power. Through a multidisciplinary approach involving Myth Criticism
and Cultural Studies, this paper revises the concept of myth as a tool for propaganda. In doing
so, it proposes a structure which has been termed “Meta-Meta-Mythic Structure.” This includes
three interconnected levels of Myth which sustain and advertise each other. These levels
consist of a Modern Myth (Britain’s hegemonic power), a Fallacious Myth (Britain as paladin of
democracy and freedom), and Classical Myths (the biblical myth and the hero’s journey). The
analysis of Lewis’ novel deals with the projection of the classical myths as conveyors of the
fallacy, reaching the child-reader’s unconscious and conditioning their perception and
understanding of the world. As a result, the dissolution of propaganda through the Meta-Meta-
Mythic Structure will be proven effective.