That makes sense, yeah. Hmmm, do you think they emphasis that basic social morality more than Narnia does?

I don't know if I could read them at all now, but they were fun at a certain age. (Although they did leave me with a general lack of tolerance for loving descriptions of food in fantasy.)

(There's a really vicious Jacques satire floating around now, which is...well, pretty harsh, but I confess, I really do want to know what his reasoning behind the vermin thing is. I do not find the explanation at the unofficial FAQ at all convincing...but then, I have ideas about what constitutes good writing which pretty much preclude "I need to symbolize the villain's evil....by making him a rat!".)