Contemporaneity, Religious Instruction and Music in Dryden’s “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia*

Summary

In English literature, we sometimes find biblical messages that have been adapted to the contemporary reader, and may be interpreted as veiled religious instructions such as John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. The present study delves into this idea by presenting and comparing John Dryden’s neoclassical poem, “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day”, with C.S. Lewis’s fantasy heptalogy, The Chronicles of Narnia. Both texts contain the Christian doctrine of faith and morals and fulfil the requirements for the Catholic catechism, given their respective historic and cultural context. The way that Dryden and Lewis incorporate music in their texts follows a common pattern that serves as a unifying factor for this structured analysis, and justifies a comparative study.

Opsomming

In die Engelse literatuur vind ons soms Bybelse boodskappe wat vir die hedendaagse leser aangepas is, en geïnterpreteer kan word as bedekte godsdienstige instruksies soos John Bunyan se The Pilgrim’s Progress. Die huidige studie ondersoek hierdie idee deur John Dryden se neoklassieke gedig, “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day”, aan te bied en te vergelyk met C.S. Lewis se fantasie-heptalogie, The Chronicles of Narnia. Albei tekste bevat die Christelike geloofsleer en sedes en voldoen aan die vereistes vir Katolieke kategismus, gegewe hul onderskeie historiese en kulturele konteks. Die manier waarop Dryden en Lewis musiek in hul tekste inkorporeer, volg ’n algemene patroon wat as ’n samebindende faktor vir hierdie gestruktureerde analise dien, en ’n vergelykende studie regverdig.