C. S. Lewis

[TwilightApostle]

So no one's posted in here for two weeks, but I had to chime in because Lewis is by far my favorite Christian writer.

For everyone who said they haven't read the Space Trilogy: the first and third books are among his most subtly thought-provoking work. You may actually be offended at the last one for a little bit. I won't say why, though .
The second book, Perelandra, has one part that scared me so much I had to sleep with the light on. I read that book when I was 20.

The Screwtape Letters is a great book, but surprisingly hard to find around me. It's filled with negative wisdom (the things Screwtape hates are the things we should aspire to). It's very easy to read since it's broken up into 2-5 page letters. Lewis said he never wanted to write a book like that again because it darkened his thoughts.

The Great Divorce is amazing, in my opinion. It's title is actually a response to a work called "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," by a romantic poet whose name escapes me. There's nothing I can say about that book that won't sound like empty praise, because I value it so highly.

I know I'm new here, but would anyone like to get some sort of C.S. Lewis reading club started? Or does it already exist? Am I asking too many questions? Is this starting to ANNOY you?

Twilight Apostle
-If I lived 80 or so years ago, and was an attractive woman, and lived in England, and was literate, I'd marry C. S. Lewis. I bet we'd have some goofy-looking children. Wow, that's way too much speculation.-

[uc pseudonym]

That is probably too much speculation. Now if I was a...

I do not believe there is a reading club. There is a Guild system being set up, though I don't know if it has passed out of moderator's discussion tables yet. What exactly would you propose for such a group?

[TwilightApostle]

Just a little discussion in this or a new thread. We agree on a book and spend time reading it, then convene and discuss the themes and how it spoke to us, if at all. There are a lot of things in Lewis' writing that can be discussed, and I like hearing other peoples' feelings on things like that.

[uc pseudonym]

That strikes me as a very good idea. This thread could well serve that purpose, but if our Guild function is currently operating I don't see why we couldn't do that as well. Did you have anything in particular on your mind? I'd be happy to discuss anything (though I've read the space trilogy most recently).

[TwilightApostle]

Actually, I was thinking of starting with the Space Trilogy, since Out of the Silent Planet is short and not too dense with stuff.
As for anything on my mind, not much right now, except for how Malacandra really resembles pre-colonization America, with the respect for nature and no personal property thing. But I wanna save that for after some other folks have a chance to read it.

By the way, what's the Guild function?

[uc pseudonym]

I won't speak about it [the Guild function] at the moment. I checked, and it is currently deactivated. At a later date I may bring this up again.

Very well, we could postpone discussion until others have read the first book. However, I believe there are a fair number of individuals who already have that post here on CAA...

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

*sneaks into the book forum*

I'll start reading C.S. Lewis books from this week onwards. Any recommendations of which non-fiction titles I should start with?

Haven't been around much lately, or I would have already replied to you, Mave. Sorry. I think "The Four Loves" is a great book, and it isn't very long (maybe about 150pp), and "Mere Christianity" is very interesting, though I don't entirely know what he meant in some of the things he discussed. I guess I get confused or something. Anyway, there's a bit of the non-fiction I'd suggest.

[ChronoSword]

My favorite are Mere Christianity and The ScrewTape Letters. I have not read any of the others except for book one of the narnia series, but I hope to read some more in the future.

[greyscale42]

Recreational:
The Chronicals of Narnia

Christian Growth:
Screwtape Letters

Havent read any non-fiction.

[bigsleepj]

thanks jedi sonic, now im definatly going to read them, i love space books

Beware. I love the space trilogy, but CS Lewis tried to make the books as un-sci-fi as possible. He tried to go against HG Wells negative world view of the universe (all aliens are evil bent on destroying the universe) and also instilled the book with a medieval world view as well. In another forums where I take part (dedicated to CS Lewis) we're having long discussions about the "Out of the Silent Planet" (first book in the space trilogy) and everything CS Lewis meant by it. It's a very good read but don't expect Star Wars.

Interesting note of trivia: Brian May (of the band Queen) said that if he was left alone on a desert island, the one book he'd like to take with him in "Out of the Silent Planet" by CS Lewis.

[uc pseudonym]

That is an interesting bit of trivia. In my response to the same question, however, I'd have to go with a famous Mennonite theologian: "A Practical Guide to Shipbuilding, of course."

It isn't Star Wars, but it's much closer to real science fiction, in that he does explore honest science concepts (though they're a bit old by this point). Also, in many ways they are social science fiction, which is often more interesting.

And I should point out the third book is far from science fiction. In many ways, I did not enjoy it as much as the others.

[TwilightApostle]

Yeah, That Hideous Strength is a little...different. For the sake of not spoiling things, I'll just say that there are a few things that one may disagree with. It's basically a fictionalized version of what he was trying to say in The Abolition of Man.
By the way, if anyone's still interested in a little Lewis reading club in this thread, we'll start with Out of the Silent Planet in one week. It's a real quick read, and entertaining.





Twilight Apostle
-"That black mage keeps casting a death spell on my GPA!"-

[uc pseudonym]

Am I required to reread it to contribute to the club discussion?

[MasterDias]

I've read the first two books of the Space Trilogy. They are thought-provoking and very interesting. I could probably take part in the discussion if I don't have to reread it right now. I'm pretty busy.
I haven't gotton around to reading That Hideous Strength yet. I'll probably get it from the library this summer.

[thalia]

I've wanted to read Lewis's sci-fi trilogy for ages, but I can not find a copy of any of the books anywhere!!! None of the local libraries have them, I've checked multiple times and I scoured Books-A-Million over, but with no luck. Maybe I should check Barnes & Noble, but it's like a 45 minute drive from my house.

[TwilightApostle]

If you've already read OOTSP and you remember it's basic plot and theme, then I see no reason to reread it (except for pleasure, of course).

[glitch1501]

i really want to read the space trilogy, but im reading eli right now, i guess ill read the first one next

[MasterDias]

I've wanted to read Lewis's sci-fi trilogy for ages, but I can not find a copy of any of the books anywhere!!! None of the local libraries have them

I would think that would be a little odd. Lewis is a pretty well-known author. My library carries the Space Trilogy. But perhaps those three books aren't as common as his other works...

[PreventerWind]

I read The Chronicles of Narnia in school when I was a kid like most of you probably did. I've been swearing to myself that I'd go back and re-read them but I have yet to do so. There are just too many good reads out right now! One day soon, hopefully.

[glitch1501]

i just read "out of the silent planet" and i was wondering if anyone would be willing to pm me about the ending, it kinda confused me, so if anyone here says yes, then ill pm you with my questions, thanks

[Betafish]

I've only read the Chronicles of Narnia series, but I really like them! I think it'd be soo cool if they made some Chronicles of Narnia movies that were as good as the Lord of the Rings movies! In fact... i've heard some rumors that there were going to be some new Chronicles of Narnia movies coming out, but I haven't seen any real proof, so...
Anybody else hear about that?

[SManBeyond]

Yes, they are doing movies of the Chronicles of Narnia. The special effects team (WETA) is the same one that did LOTR. You can find an old thread on the movie here.

[Ssjjvash]

My fav. C.S. Lewis book would be from his Narnia series: The Lion, the Witch...
because... [SPOILER=spoilertopic]I thought it was so cool how Aslan represented Jesus' death and resurrection at the end! I must have read the whole series about three times, plus I saw the movies. The books were better.[/SPOILER]

[glitch1501]

My fav. C.S. Lewis book would be from his Narnia series: The Lion, the Witch...
because I thought it was so cool how Aslan represented Jesus' death and resurrection at the end! I must have read the whole series about three times, plus I saw the movies. The books were better.

maybe put spoiler tags on there?

[ClosetOtaku]

Definitely The Screwtape Letters. I've read over half of Lewis' novels and essays, and I like a number of them, including The Great Divorce, The Four Loves, and Mere Christianity. However, Screwtape is an easy read, yet very deep in its message. Well worth picking up if you haven't done so already. Look for the version with both the Preface and Screwtape Proposes a Toast for maximum enjoyment.

[Ssjjvash]

maybe put spoiler tags on there?

Um, oops, sorry. I'm kina' computer illiterate, (that's my ridiculous excuse anyway) so I don't know how...

[uc pseudonym]

I will tell you in this post, and then you can save me the trouble of editing your previous post, if you would be so kind.

[ spoiler = spoilertopic ] spoiler content [ /spoiler]

Type the previous, but remove all spaces (excepting between words in the content).

[Ssjjvash]

Thank you so much! Now I feel a lil' smarter. ^_^ lol.

[Jaltus-bot]

I liked Mere Christianity, although the Screwtape Letters was also quite good.

[ShiroiHikari]

Mere Christianity and Screwtape Letters were both excellent ^^