About Clive Staples Lewis
Born in Belfast, Ireland on November 29, 1898, C.S. Lewis was already extremely imaginative as a child. He and his brother Warren created a fantastical world full of imaginary animals and tales of feats and heroism. After his mother passed away when he was 10, Lewis continued receiving an education before entering the English army during WWI, though he didn’t remain long in combat. He went to Oxford University and, after graduating from there, joined a “informal collective of writers and intellectuals who counted among their members Lewis’s brother, Warren Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien” (“C.S. Lewis Biography”). A Christian turned atheist, these meetings with literary greats and other intellectuals reinforced the Christian upbringing Lewis received as a child, and he began to expound upon Christian truths in his writing. He became a literary professor in 1954 at Cambridge University and worked there for nine years until his resignation and death soon after on November 24, 1963. His most famous works include Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Screwtape Letters, as well as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim’s Regress which contain Christian truths which he based off of his own Christian conversion and struggle for the faith.
("C.S. Lewis Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. Feb. 2013.
http://www.biography.com/people/cs-lewis-9380969page=2.)
I really liked how some of your analysis of Lewis' novels incorporated analysis from other novels. It makes me wonder if Dante, for example, was an inspiration for Lewis or if it were just a thematic coincidence. Really good presentation though, props to you for going first!!
ReplyDeleteI think it's extremely interesting how C.S. Lewis incorporated his Christian values and beliefs into his writing, and tries to teach his audience about converting and about the religion, however I also want to know more about his personal experiences with conversion. Do his works also go deeper into a personal connection? Do they hint at his personal story with conversion?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how C.S. Lewis used elaborate illustrations similar to fairy tales to get his point about Christian conversion and spiritual growth across. This definitely helped bring a lot of intrigue to his novels. It was a good idea that you showed the similarities in the characteristics of fairy tales that we know of and that of his writing to help support your thesis. From your presentation, it seems that Lewis’s style is comparable to fairy tales because of its lengthy and complicated plot, and because of similar motifs such as quests. Using this type of writing style really shows the truth that Lewis is wants to convey because as a reader, I know that I enjoy and better follow along with books that I think are relatable to my life. This is probably one of the reasons Lewis decided to write in this style. It also seems like his writings have some type of lesson learned by the end of novel which not only can be relatable to readers but also just helpful for anybody. Also, You mentioned in your PowerPoint that by using satire, Lewis juxtaposes his life with content in The Screwtape Letters. What specific aspects of his life did he juxtapose?
ReplyDeleteI read the Chronicles of Narnia series, and after your presentation I realize that Lewis incorportated aspects of his religion and conversion experience into these novels as well. For example I see now that Aslan was likely a metaphor for God. The entire series was essentially a journey of growth for the characters of the story and culminates with them reaching ultimate spiritual awareness and getting to live forever with Aslan in his world. I was a lot younger when I read the series and I didn't completly understand the meaning of the work or Lewis's message, but I did know that Lewis was trying to convey something about life. I can't remember the stories exactly, but I think it was live your life with honor, honesty, courage and virtue. I think that Lewis's decision to aspects of fairytales and fantasies allows him to convey this message to audiences of all ages.
ReplyDeleteThough I wasn't present for your presentation I think it is really interesting your the connection you have made about C.S. Lewis's writing and how he uses the fairy tale approach in his writing, appealing to all audiences, though some of his novel's might be more inappropriate for some age groups to read. Regardless, the approach your author uses makes the stories relate to anyone who picks them up regardless of what faith they practice because as Amanda said they follow the main basic truths in life, honor, honesty courage and virtue. Things that everyone should value no matter what.
ReplyDeleteAs I had previously read the Chronicles of Narnia when I was younger I enjoyed getting a chance to learn more about the author, his writing styles and some similarities between his writings. I enjoyed how I could see the connections between what you were saying in your presentation and what I remembered from reading The Chronicles of Narnia. I liked how you compared fairy tales we have grown up knowing with C.S Lewis's writings. I feel that it allowed me to make better connections between the pieces you were comparing and the old stories, because I felt like I had some previous background knowledge on the connections because I could relate it back to ideas and topics I was already familiar with from a early age.
ReplyDeleteBeing told that there is actual meaning behind the Chronicles of Narnia is sort of like discovering that Dr. Seuss wasn’t writing nonsense or—to be more on topic—finding out that Turkish Delight is terrible. I personally do not like the idea of using books that are ostensibly written for children as a tool for religious conversion. However, you don’t need to share Lewis’ religious views to understand that his writing is both universal and wonderful. The fact that he is prone to create his own fantasy worlds in his writing makes me want to read more of his work. Your presentation really made the existence of hidden meaning hit home for me. When I compared my mindset as a ten year old to my current beliefs, I see two completely different stories. It’s really weird. It’s like a bipolar book critic is living in my head and passing judgment upon novels that I held dear as a child. Wait. It just told me that Dr. Seuss is a silly name and that Ted Geisel is a pinko, communist tree hugger and didn’t know any real words. It also told me that by not eating those eggs, Sam avoided salmonella.
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