Questions tagged [c-s-lewis]
Questions about the British author C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963), or any of his works, most famously his fantasy series 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.
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A Narnian mole based on a British admiral?
Clodsley Shovel: a talking mole who plays a minor role in Prince Caspian.
Cloudesley Shovell: a British admiral who died off the Isles of Scilly.
What's going on here? Did Lewis ever acknowledge the ...
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C. S. Lewis after life with Joy
After the death of Joy, did Lewis ever seriously consider suicide? He mentioned "An overdose of sleeping pills" in A Grief Observed but I believe that was written from a strictly academic ...
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Did the Friends of Narnia die at Harrow and Wealdstone?
In The Last Battle, all of the Friends of Narnia (except Susan - the people from our world who had been to Narnia over the course of the seven books) die in a horrific train accident and end up going ...
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Meaning of this quote from C.S. Lewis's "The Problem of Pain"?
For about a hundred years we have so concentrated on one of the virtues—‘kindness’ or mercy—that most of us do not feel anything except kindness to be really good or anything but cruelty to be really ...
druga bairavi
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What is the source for C.S. Lewis' quote "A good book should be entertaining"?
What is the source for C.S. Lewis' quote "A good book should be entertaining"?
I am looking for a written source from the author and/or attempting to discover if he wasn't just recorded by ...
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Aslan as an alternative version of Jesus as the form in which he may have appeared in an alternative reality?
The Wikipedia article about The Chronicles of Narnia contains the following statement about Aslan:
C. S. Lewis described Aslan as an alternative version of Jesus as the form in which he may have ...
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Does this edit in The Magician's Nephew (from "had her bathe" to "had her bath") fundamentally change the meaning of the sentence?
Later editions of C.S. Lewis 'The Magician's Nephew' have been edited, presumably to reflect modern usage.
Polly went down and had her bathe; at least she said that was what
she'd been doing, but we ...
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Why would "Bareface" be mistaken for a Western?
From the Wikipedia page on C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces:
C. S. Lewis originally titled his working manuscripts "Bareface". The editor (Gibb) rejected the title "Bareface" on ...
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How does Bacchus fit into the Christian allegory of Narnia?
The setting and story of The Chronicles of Narnia are strongly linked to Christianity: Aslan, who sacrifices himself for a traitor in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before returning to life, ...
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Is there any significance in the cry "Euan, euan, eu-oi-oi-oi" in Prince Caspian?
In Prince Caspian, there's a passage where Aslan apparently uses his power to summon up the spirit of Old Narnia, leading to the eventual defeat of the Telmarines with very little bloodshed. A wild ...
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For and Against different Reading Orders for Narnia
There are two common reading orders for the Chronicles of Narnia:
The original publication order:
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
...
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Why is the order of The Chronicles of Narnia changed from original publication?
When I originally read The Chronicles of Narnia I read an older boxset which has the books numbered in original publication order:
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of ...
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Why is C.S. Lewis so concerned with being locked into a wardrobe?
In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe author C.S. Lewis makes five references to the characters making sure to not latch the wardrobe from the inside:
[Lucy] immediately stepped into the wardrobe [...
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What is the significance of Jane's maiden name Tudor in That Hideous Strength?
In C. S. Lewis's novel That Hideous Strength, the main character Jane Studdock had the maiden name Jane Tudor. This is only mentioned once in the book itself - I had forgotten it and only noticed it ...
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How does That Hideous Strength show the influence of Charles Williams?
Wikipedia says, without citation, that C. S. Lewis's novel That Hideous Strength was "heavily influenced by the writing of Lewis's friend and fellow Inkling Charles Williams". I did notice that this ...
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Why did the N.I.C.E. want Mark Studdock at Belbury?
Near the middle of That Hideous Strength, Wither says to the Fairy:
If a mere arrest could have secured the — er — good will and
collaboration of Mrs. Studdock, we should hardly have embarrassed
...
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Was Edmund in the Narnia series loosely inspired by Edmund in King Lear?
In King Lear, Edmund, resentful of his inferior status to his older brother, betrays his family and frames his brother as a traitor. This strikes me as being quite a bit like what Edmund does in The ...
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Was the N.I.C.E. director modelled on H. G. Wells?
Wikipedia claims that the character of Horace Jules in C. S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength - ostensibly the Director and boss of the N.I.C.E. organisation, in reality a figurehead manipulated by those ...
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Why did the N.I.C.E. bother with Dr. Filostrato?
Dr. Filostrato believed (incorrectly, as it turns out) that he had preserved the head of François Alcasan. Towards the end of the book, it's revealed that the Macrobes didn't really need Filostrato's ...
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Why did the Macrobes demand another head at the end of That Hideous Strength?
Towards the end of the book, following Merlin bringing about the destruction of much of the N.I.C.E., Dr. Filostrato, John Withers, and Reverend Straik go to see the Head. The Macrobes promptly demand ...
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Why was Andrew MacPhee at St. Anne's?
In That Hideous Strength, Andrew MacPhee was an old friend of Dr. Ransom's that appeared as the "resident skeptic" at St. Anne's. Beyond that, he's never shown actually doing anything. A lot of the ...
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Was Rowling inspired by the railway station scene in Prince Caspian?
I was rereading Prince Caspian and noticed that in the start of the story they're in
an empty, sleepy country station, and there was hardly anyone on the platform but themselves
and then they're ...
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Is there any significance in King Lune's name?
The king of Archenland during the time of The Horse and His Boy, father of the Archenland princes who play a more major role in the story, is called Lune. Is there any significance to this name? ...
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Did any of the Pevensie kings and queens find romance while in Narnia?
Something that always struck me about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is how the four Pevensie children not only spend years in Narnia but grow up and become adults there, before having to ...
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Son of Adam but not Eve? Daughter of Eve but not Adam?
Throughout The Chronicles of Narnia the humans are referred to as "Son of Adam" for a male, and "Daughter of Eve" for a female. I'm assuming that the characters in Narnia don't think that females only ...
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What's the name of that short story written by C.S. Lewis about female vanity?
There's a short story written by the Christian author C.S. Lewis concerning the vanity and solipsism of women, but, for the life of me, I cannot remember the name, and a Google search proved fruitless....
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Where does this quotation by C. S. Lewis come from?
On the internet I found this beautiful quotation by C .S. Lewis:
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind".
Now, I'd like to find the exact book where he wrote it.
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Religious symbolism of the Telmarines?
The religious symbolism in C.S. Lewis's Narnia books is well known and, in many cases, very clear: Aslan is Jesus, the Calormenes are a very stereotypical portrayal of Muslims, the Dwarfs may ...
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Does the description of Eustace's parents fit some known stereotype?
In the opening paragraph of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis introduces us to the (at this point in the story) singularly unlikeable character of Eustace Clarence Scrubb. About his parents, ...
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Does The Chronicles of Narnia promote deism?
Very related: Why does the Emperor-Over-the-Sea play such a small role in the Chronicles of Narnia?
Also related: Why is the Emperor Beyond the Sea named that?
The Chronicles of Narnia refer to ...
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Is there any direct evidence tying the D&D Underdark to Narnia?
I was re-reading The Silver Chair recently, the 6th book in the Narnia series. Towards the end of the novel,
he says,
"he had always reached these outlets by going in a ship
across the Sunless ...
user72
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What is the symbolism of Eustace's arm ring?
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Eustace put a cursed arm ring on, which resulted in him becoming a dragon.
Does the arm-ring itself have any special symbolism (e.g. he was entrapped by his own ...
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Do the Round Table crew in "That Hideous Strength" actually contribute anything to events?
I recently finished reading That Hideous Strength, and despite my great enjoyment of most of the story, I felt let down by the ending. It was so ... unsatisfying ... to resolve all the conflict by
In ...
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What sort of bookshops sell The Works of Aristotle?
In the beginning of The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis' narrator states:
However far I went I found only dingy lodging houses, small tobacconists, hoardings from which posters hung in rags, windowless ...
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What is the symbolism of Ransom's heel wound?
In Perelandra, the second book of CS Lewis's planets trilogy, the protagonist Ransom is wounded in the heel by the Un-Man/Weston. We learn in the third book, That Hideous Strength, that the wound ...
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What are "smoking-room stories"?
I recently started reading C.S. Lewis's book That Hideous Strength, the third in his Space Trilogy (and I'm devouring it - what a story!) The following passage, from when Mark first meets Miss "...
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Did "The Fox" hold to Stoic philosophy?
Till We Have Faces says the following about "The Fox" (the Greek slave who was a tutor):
He had all sorts of sayings to cheer himself up with: "No man can be an exile if he remembers that all the ...
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What evidence do scholars offer on both sides as to the authorship of The Dark Tower?
The Dark Tower is an incomplete manuscript posthumously attributed to C. S. Lewis. There has been widespread controversy about whether it was actually written by C. S. Lewis.
What evidence do ...
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Was C. S. Lewis condemning nuclear weapons in The Magician's Nephew?
Aslan says the following in The Magician's Nephew:
"It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living ...
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Did C. S. Lewis ever intend to write about any of the other universes in The Magician's Nephew?
The Wood Between the Worlds has numerous pools. We're told about where three of them lead: our world, Narnia, and Charn. Evidently, each pool leads to a separate universe in the Chronicles of Narnia ...
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How does Emeth's presence in Aslan's Country in The Last Battle fit in with the rest of C. S. Lewis's theology?
In The Last Battle, Emeth was a soldier from Calormene who worshiped Tash. Apparently, he thought that Tash was basically like Aslan, so Aslan interpreted Emeth's worship of Tash as actually being ...
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Why didn't The Last Battle mention Susan's reaction to her family's death?
In The Last Battle, several of Susan's close relatives (including all of her siblings) were killed on the same day in a train crash. The book merely mentions that she was no longer a friend of Narnia, ...
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How long did the Pevensies rule in Narnia?
The books imply that the Pevensies were in Narnia for years (or perhaps even decades) in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Is there any indication of exactly how long they were gone?
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Why did people appear to remember what was going on at the time they left England when they returned from Narnia?
Very closely related: Why don't people in the Chronicles of Narnia have trouble "transitioning" back to their old life after extended times in other worlds?
When the Pevensies ...
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What happened to Frank and Helen in England?
Frank and Helen are some of the few people recorded to have entered Narnia and stayed permanently. That being said, most people return to England the exact moment that they left, and most other people ...
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Why is the Emperor Beyond the Sea named that?
Closely related: Why does the Emperor-Over-the-Sea play such a small role in the Chronicles of Narnia?
Why is the Emperor Beyond The Sea in The Chronicles of Narnia named that? What sea is he beyond, ...
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Why does the Emperor-Over-the-Sea play such a small role in the Chronicles of Narnia?
The Emperor-Over-the-Sea is referenced at several points during the series. The Stone Table, Deep Magic and the Deeper Magic were all set in motion by him, and he is the father of Aslan.
At the same ...
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Why don't people in the Chronicles of Narnia have trouble "transitioning" back to their old life after extended times in other worlds?
In The Chronicles of Narnia, people often spend weeks, months, or even decades in other worlds. They return to their old life at the exact instant that they left as if they were never gone. For ...
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Why are the bears bulgy?
Among the diverse characters introduced in Prince Caspian during Caspian's tour of the Old Narnians are three bears known as the "Bulgy Bears". What exactly does it mean for them to be bulgy? It's not ...
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Does Uncle Andrew consider himself an Übermensch in The Magician's Nephew?
The philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche rather prominently includes the idea of the Übermensch ("overman" or "superman"), who were exempt from the ordinary rules of morality in some sense. Is this what ...