Reading C.S.: An Introduction
July 2nd, 2007 | by Scott |I had originally intended for this summer to be an exercise in reading fiction. Yet the further I went into the process the more I began to long for something a little more specific.
I view life and approach things through series. I read, watch TV and movies, preach and teach systematically and orderly. I like a clear progression. So, I thought I would try to read all the Pulitzer prize winners for Fiction. But, honestly, some of those titles don’t appeal to me in the least. I was more interested in the Booker Prize winners but decided against that one as well.
I decided that I would like to read through an author from beginning to end. To walk with a singular voice through the development of his thought.
So I began to consider just who I should read. I thought of Barth and Yoder. Of Yancey and Tozer. Of Hauerwas and Wright.
But who better to begin a journey like this than C.S. Lewis? His work is as relevant today as it was at the time of publication. By working through Lewis I will get a sampling of fiction and non-fiction, allegory and poetry. And I can walk through the thought progression of a complex individual.
So, I began the process of assembling the works of C.S. Lewis. Some will be harder to track down than others. I will read them in order of publication. I will re-read, in the correct order, the many works of his that I have already consumed. I will read the 37 works that were released prior to his death and the 22 works released posthumously. I will blog about each of these books as I work through them inviting you to come along with me.
I have no time-table for this. It could take a couple of months. It could take a couple of years. The one requirement I have is just to enjoy the writings of this great thinker.
C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died exactly one week short of his 65th birthday. The date of his death was overshadowed in America by the assassination of JFK which took place on the same day. Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, died the same day as well.
Later this week, I will talk about Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics and Dymer. These poems were his two first published works and the only ones to be published before he became a Christian.
Question for you: What are your favorite Lewis works? Why?
11 Responses to “Reading C.S.: An Introduction”
By Phil Wilson on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
The Horse and His Boy (book 5 of the Chronicles of Narnia {yes, book 5])
Til We Have Faces
And honestly, I’ve tried 5 times, but I simply cannot get through Mere Christianity. Yes, I know I’m bound for some time in Purgatory simply for that fact.
By Scott on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
Lewis would argue that The Horse and His Boy is actually book 3 despite the fact that it was published 5th.
I’ve had ‘Til We Have Faces on my shelf for 15+ years but have never read it. Just don’t tell anybody that I haven’t read all the books on my shelf.
And you are right: you are going to roast for not reading Mere Christianity.
By Mike the Eyeguy on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
An ambitious project, but a very fine one.
Hard to choose, but I keep coming back to Mere Christianity. Not that all the theology or arguments are iron-clad, but that at the time I first read it in 1980, it gave a young skeptic like me plenty of good reasons to continue to plod along on this path called Faith.
By Scott on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
Yeah, it’s ambitious. Especially since I thought about quitting during the reading of Spirits in Bondage.
Mere Christianity would be toward the top of my list. I agree that there are holes there but it’s a seminal work. I look forward to getting to 1952 in my reading. Right now, I’m in 1926
By matt elliott on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
Big fan of “The Screwtape Letters”. Helped me understand sin so much better, and I also think it’s terribly clever.
By JTB on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
I do love Screwtape. But I can’t wait till the blogs on the SF trilogy!
By Greg Brooks on Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
That Hideous Strength! Oh, I do dearly love that book. I re-read it without touching the other two sometimes. I love every part. I cry every time Jane and Mother Dimble prepare the wedding bed; it’s just so beautiful. It reminds me of why I’m a marriage and family therapist. And the bear makes me all misty, too. I’m a softy.
By Scott on Jul 3, 2007 | Reply
I love Screwtape and look forward to reading it again.
JTB, Out of the Silent Planet is just two books away, right after The Allegory of Love.
Greg, I haven’t read Hideous Strength. Now you make me want to jump ahead.
By hermit greg on Jul 3, 2007 | Reply
Weird. THS bored me to tears.
By matt elliott on Jul 3, 2007 | Reply
I think, frankly, that I appreciate Lewis more than I actually enjoy reading Lewis. (Sort of like the way I appreciate jazz but can’t listen to it for more than a few minutes.) Friends have raved and raved about “The Great Divorce”; I couldn’t get through it.
By Scott on Jul 3, 2007 | Reply
That is one of the things that appeals to me about reading through his work: going through the ups and downs. To get to the greatness of The Pilgrim’s Regress I had to slog through Dymer. I would think that Lewis would probably look back on some of his writings and shake his head at how he wrote that.
That is part of the fun for me. And reading through Lewis is a whole lot cheaper than reading through Barth.