Medieval Book Club: The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis

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C.S. Lewis, Inklings, Medieval Book Club, Medieval Literature, Medieval Model, Medievalist, Renaissance Literature, The Discarded Image

Welcome to the third Medieval Book Club post on this blog. Here I will share some of my thoughts on the book, some observations on the material itself, and open a few questions toward you, the reader.

In case you missed it, for April we’re going to be reading two Anglo-Saxon Poems: Exodus & Daniel. Those poems are ones you can read free online, just follow the link to my preview post and you will find the link there to the poems. I hope you can join me for next month’s discussion as well, and I’ll be keeping this going all year long with posts on every third Thursday of each month in 2017.

My Thoughts: I knew, from the table of contents, that this book would not end up being what I had expected. My expectation was a book that introduced readers to some of Lewis’ own thoughts and insights on major literary works from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. Something that you would expect to find in an introductory course on the topic, sort of a guide through the books that everyone should start with when reading in those time periods. And boy, was I far off the mark. Yet I have never been so glad to have been so wrong, because this turned out to be a fun, engaging, and insightful read!

There were many quotes that stood out to me as I read the book but, unfortunately, I am not a great note taker nor a highlighter as I read so they have all vanished from my memory bank. I am hoping some of you can share some of your favorite quotes. But one in particular, very early in the book, struck me as interesting and so I diligently went back to the book and found it again to share:

“Every writer, if he possibly can, bases himself on an earlier writer, follows an auctour: preferably a Latin one. This is one of the things that differentiate the period almost equally from savagery and from our modern civilization. In a savage community you absorb your culture, in part unconsciously, from participation in the immemorial pattern of behaviour, and in part by word of mouth, from the old men of the tribe. In out own society most knowledge depends, in the last resort, on observation. But the Middle Ages depended predominantly on books.”

When you think of the Middle Ages, odds are you don’t think of a bookish culture. Or, at least, you didn’t until you read this book. I know I certainly did not, as the literacy rate was certainly not as high as it would be today. Yet it also makes some sense. You see a lot of works being generated which refer back to, draw upon, or modify preexisting works. As Lewis mentioned late in the book, originality and novelty were not valued among writers during that time. They would have been baffled at our current need to write something completely new and fresh rather than building upon the great works that came before us. And this is one place where I, as both a reader and a writer, wish we could shift back toward at least a little. Fairy tale retellings is a popular trend, as is working with placing mythologies in modern settings, but as a whole we fall victim to a “Cult of the New” where we always want something that we’ve never seen before or heard before or read before.

And this was characterized in these quotes:

(discussing how Medieval authors, despite the rarity of books, often presented or repeated things their audience already knew): “One gets the impression that medieval people, like Professor Tolkien’s Hobbits, enjoyed books which told them what they already knew.”

(discussing the prevalence of additions to not-necessarily-original works in the medieval): “One is tempted to say that almost the typical activity of the medieval author consists in touching up something that was already there.”

Another quote I enjoyed, which I rediscovered via a Google search on quotes from this book:

“A good medievalist (A. J. Carlyle) once said in my hearing, ‘The typical Knight of the Middle Ages was far more interested in pigs than in tournaments’.”

This ties in with Lewis’ discussion about how our idea of that era comes from the Romances and Ballads that were not the works that truly characterized the period. They are closest to our modern tastes in terms of the works produced, but they would not have been heralded by the people of that period as being their most important works. So the Arthurian romances, among others, where knights rode from tournament to tournament and sought challenges to prove their bravery were not accurate representations of how things truly were. That absolutely fascinated me, and at the same time makes perfect sense.

All in all, I must echo what Lewis confessed at the end:

“I have made no serious effort to hide the fact that the old Model delights me as I believe it delighted our ancestors. Few constructions of the imagination seem to me to have combined splendour, sobriety, and coherence in the same degree. It is possible that some readers have long been itching to remind me that it had a serious defect; it was not true.”

This book centered around what the people of that time believed and how that Model shaped their perspective toward the world as much as toward their own literary works. This was Lewis’ final book that was published, and it certainly stands as a masterpiece in my opinion, a blending of his lifetime’s achievement as both a Medievalist and as a Christian because in many sections he is able to bring those two things together in presenting that Model. I am often overawed when I read the nonfiction of C.S. Lewis, and I marvel at the brilliant mind that penned so many works. I hope to one day possess a fraction of the knowledge and insight that he had.

So my overall thoughts were very positive. This book was not at all what I expected and the only author I was familiar who had a section in there was Boethius. I had anticipated coverage of the greats like Chaucer, Dante, or Gower and, while they certainly had mentions throughout, as a whole he seemed to touch upon the lesser-known yet still impactful authors who shaped and/or represented the views of the men and women during that period.

What quotes stood out to you? If you were to take an introductory course on Medieval and/or Renaissance Literature, do you think this would be a good book to consider having on the syllabus?

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Book Review: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

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Aslan, C.S. Lewis, Digory, Inklings, Narnia, Polly, The Magician's Nephew

Title: The Magician’s Nephew

Book One in the Chronicles of Narnia

Author: C.S. Lewis

Published by: Reprint by HarperCollins (1/2/2008)

208 Pages (Paperback)

Blurb: A beautiful paperback edition of The Magician’s Nephew, book three in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, featuring cover art by three time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator, David Wiesner, and black-and-white illustrations by the series’ original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.

On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan’s song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible.

Witness the creation of a magical land in The Magician’s Nephew, the first title in C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series, which has captivated readers of all ages for over sixty years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you want to journey back to Narnia, read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia.

My Take: There is just nothing quite like exploring into Narnia, whether following the Pevensie children, Eustace and Jill, or Polly and Digory. This book, being the first chronologically (and the sixth written by Lewis), deals with the creation of Narnia and the entrance of evil into that new world. It is both uniquely different than the other books in the series, yet also strangely familiar throughout with the appearances of characters and prophecies that play important roles later in the series. This is the book that is a perfect starting point for those revisiting Narnia again, but arguably not the best book for the person making their very first venture into the series.

The scene with Aslan singing Narnia into existence was remarkable, and in itself quite similar to the approach Tolkien took toward the creation story of his fictional world in “Ainulindalë”. While there are certainly stark differences, such as Tolkien having Melkor disrupting the harmonies of the Ainur and Iluvatar during the song process, the fact that both men used music as a critical part of the creation process is certainly interesting to make note of.

Perhaps the greatest moment in the book involves a pivotal decision for Digory and whether to do what Aslan asked him, or to do something for selfish reasons. It was a powerful moment, and Aslan later hinted that the decision truly had rested with Digory but that, had he chosen differently, things may not have happened exactly how he would have hoped. This echoes into the theological debate about free will and predestination. It was moving and inspiring, as is so much that is Narnian.

Overall I loved revisiting this book. It was one I had skipped a few years ago when going back through the Narnian series for the first time as a Christian. I can safely say that I will never skip over this one again, although I think I will start my children with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when they first encounter Narnia.

A Beginner’s Guide to the Inklings by Jamie Lapeyrolerie

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A Hobbit a Wardrobe and a Great War, Bandersnatch, Books and Beverages, C.S. Lewis, If I Had Lunch With C.S. Lewis, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jamie Lapeyrolerie, Mere Christianity, Reader's Guide to Inklings, She Laughs With Dignity, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, The Silmarillion

Welcome to another guest post, this time from Jamie who blogs at Books and Beverages, as well as a faith-driven blog at She Laughs With Dignity. I originally found Jamie through her Inklings Week celebration this year, and have followed along since. She holds monthly book discussions on the Inklings, ranging from books written by Tolkien and Lewis to books written about Tolkien and Lewis and the other Inklings. I highly encourage you to check her sites out, and to join her in August as she discusses Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales.

Hello reader friends! Thanks David for having me on the blog – I love any excuse to talk about all things Inklings!

There are of course the go-to and obvious picks (and most popular) for Tolkien and Lewis. If you haven’t read them yet (which, why not friends?! Please make your life awesome and read their books!), then I’m here to help. Those include The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (I’d start with The Hobbit) and for Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia (if you want someone to read them with you, just let me know, I’m in). But lucky for us, the options don’t stop there.

There’s so many more books they wrote and books about them, so I wanted to share a few I suggest to folks outside of the previously mentioned ones.

First up, Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. It’s not a quick read, but I love it. It takes you deeper into Tolkien’s brilliant imagination and world. He once said he wanted to create England’s mythology and that he did.

Next up are a few of my absolute favorites of Lewis. I haven’t read every single book from Lewis (but getting there!), but with each new read, I still find myself coming back to these. The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity are first up for my non-Narnia recommendations. The first two, not only because they are so creative, engaging and even bring about a laugh or two, but because they get you thinking about the bigger picture, purpose and what you believe.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from The Screwtape Letters (which is an older demon teaching a younger demon how to get believers to fall away)

“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts…” The Screwtape Letters

Here’s one of my favorites from The Great Divorce:

“There have been men before now who got so interested in proving the existence of God that they came to care nothing of God Himself…as if the good Lord had nothing to do but exist! There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ. Man! Ye see it in smaller matters. Did ye never know a lover of books that with all his first editions and signed copies had lost the power to read them? Or an organiser of charities that had lost all love for the poor? It is the subtlest of all snares.” The Great Divorce

Then there’s Mere Christianity, and well, where to begin with this one? It’s brilliant and the words he wrote during World War II are just as relevant and needed today. I recommend this book to everyone whether they share my beliefs or not.

It’s impossible to pick one quote to represent any of Lewis’ books, but especially Mere Christianity. I highlighted so much of the book, but here’s one:

“Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”  Mere Christianity

I’ll end with three books I really loved written about Tolkien and Lewis. If you want to learn more about the writers, these are great places to start!

If I Had Lunch With C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath – This is a quick read and great introduction to Lewis and his books.

A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte – I absolutely LOVED this book. It looks at the war experiences of Tolkien and Lewis and the role it played in their writings. Very worth your time – you’ll grow to appreciate their works even more.

Bandersnatch by Diana Pavlac Glyer – This talks about the Inklings and the collaboration with the men involved. It’s fascinating and encouraging, especially for writers (but not just for writers!)

There were several other Inklings involved and my goal in the coming year is to start reading some of their books. If Tollers and Jack hung out with them, you know that means they were awesome. Maybe next year I’ll be able to have a Beginner’s Guide to them! Happy reading friends!

Thanks again for joining me and I would love to connect around the internet, so please feel free to connect! I also host a monthly Inklings discussion where we read a book written by or about Tolkien and Lewis and then discuss. It’s a ton of fun and would love for you to join in! You can find our next read here!

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C.S. Lewis and the Space Trilogy

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C.S. Lewis, Inklings, Medievalist Monday, The Space Trilogy

When you think of the works of C.S. Lewis the first to come to mind of probably the Chronicles of Narnia. Second is probably Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, or one of his many other Christian books that explored a variety of topics and themes. After all, Lewis, became the everyman Apologist in his writing, something quite shocking considering his conversion to Christianity did not come about until Tolkien and Hugo Dyson spent a long evening in some deep theological conversation that, eventually, worked to convert Lewis’ heart and open him to the idea of Christianity being true. Prior to that he had been a devout atheist, and in his own mind a most unwilling of converts.

But there is another major work that C.S. Lewis wrote that does not seem to get the focus or recognition it deserves. Admittedly, I have not had the chance to read this trilogy, either, but I intend to correct that at some point in the not-so-distant future. Jamie at Books and Beverages runs a monthly book discussion on a book by Tolkien or Lewis, and it appears she has already done the first two books of the trilogy so, knowing that the third will be forthcoming eventually, it would be in my own interest to get around to reading the first two so that I can jump in when she eventually goes after the third one.

What interests me the most about this trilogy is not so much the idea of a Science Fiction series by C.S. Lewis, but rather how they came into existence in the first place. While reading the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien last year, I learned that Tolkien and Lewis had a rather inspiring conversation. Lewis once said to him, “If they won’t write the kinds of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves.” Tolkien agreed to try “time-travel” and Lewis “space-travel,” well before the science fiction was the established genre it is today.

The result was that Tolkien started “The Lost Road”, a story about a father and son who eventually travel back in time to Númenor (back before Tolkien associated Númenor with the main part of his mythology) and was intended to be a new version of the Atlantis legend. But Tolkien abandoned this story after only a handful of chapters, which can be found in “The Lost Road and Other Writings”, the fifth volume in The History of Middle-Earth.

Lewis was far more successful in his venture, first writing and publishing “Out of the Silent Planet”, followed by “Perelandra” and then “That Hideous Strength”. These stories follow a philologist named Ransom (bear in mind that Tolkien was, himself, a philologist) who journeys to Mars, then Venus, and finally back to Earth. In the interest of not spoiling anything plot-wise for myself or others, here is the blurb taken from the Kindle omnibus edition of the three books:

This one-volume edition marks the 75th anniversary of Lewis’s classic science fiction trilogy featuring the adventures of Dr. Ransom on Mars, Venus, and Earth. It includes an exclusive foreword compiled from letters by J.R.R. Tolkien, who inspired Lewis to write the first volume and on whom the main character of Ransom was largely based. The Space Trilogy is a remarkable work of fantasy, demonstrating the powerful imagination of C. S. Lewis.

The Space Trilogy, Omnibus Edition includes:

Out of the Silent Planet
Dr. Ransom, a Cambridge academic, is abducted and taken on a spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra, which he knows as Mars. His captors are plotting to plunder the planet’s treasures and offer Ransom as a sacrifice to the creatures who live there.

Perelandra
Having escaped from Mars, Dr. Ransom is called to the paradise planet of Perelandra, or Venus. When his old enemy also arrives and is taken over by the forces of evil, Ransom finds himself in a desperate struggle to save the innocence of this Eden-like world.

That Hideous Strength
Investigating the truth about her prophetic dreams, Jane Studdock encounters the fabled Dr. Ransom, who is in great pain after his travels. A sinister society run by his old adversaries intends to harness the ancient powers of a resurrected Merlin in their ambition to subjugate the people of Earth.

Have you read any, or all, of the books in the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis? If so, what were your spoiler-free thoughts to those books? In our time, with the wealth of books being published every day, do you think that writers would be able to say “If they won’t write the kinds of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves”?