The C. S. Lewis Tag ~ C. S. Lewis Week

Here I am to answer the questions Abigail put together for Lewis Week (hey, better late than never, right?)!


I apologize (ish) in advance for the superfluity of Narnia pictures, particularly those pertaining to "The Call." ;)

1. How did you hear about C. S. Lewis?

I can't remember not hearing about him, if you know what I mean.  I grew up on the older (and yes, fairly stereotyped as pretty bad) BBC movies, of which I do really like The Silver Chair, but which, other than that, I can do without.  And then I read the Narnia books, of course, and stuff kind of happened from there;) 


2. What was the first of his books that you read?
The first?  Hmm…probably The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

3. Which one of his book(s) is your favorite?
He's my favorite author!  How can you ask me to pick a favorite??  Actually, it's okay.  Um…I think Till We Have Faces wins.  Mere Christianity, The Magician's Nephew, and The Horse and His Boy are really close, but TWHF is just stunning.



4. Describe what you feel when you read his books.
Deep questions, these…I guess one thing I really appreciate about his works is his ability to convey different emotions with the different genres he writes.  In Mere Christianity or The Problem of Pain, I get "aha" moments--you know, when you read something that describes what you've been trying to grasp for ages but have never been able to formulate into an intelligent thought.  In The Chronicles of Narnia, I feel many things:  nostalgia, safety, happiness, laughter, etc.  And in Till We Have Faces I feel human.  I feel the human follies, the human glories, and the sublimity of the supernatural touching the human with love.  (You really need to read TWHF if you haven't.  Have I stressed that enough?  Seriously, IT IS AMAZING.  And definitely stick it out until the end, because that is when he ties everything together so shockingly and beautifully.)

THIS

5. How have you been touched or impacted by his works?
See above;)  Mere Christianity, among other things, touched me in how he explains that we will not always "feel" close to God, and that's okay.  We need only to act on His Word and as if we adored Him, and eventually we will.

6. What would you say to anyone who hasn't read any of his books?
Well, I think I'd say, don't base your judgment of him as an author off the Narnia books.  Now, before you pelt those rotten tomatoes at me, I don't mean that the Chronicles aren't spectacular--they are.  They're brilliant, touching, funny, beautiful books.  BUT I think that sometimes, people read only the Narnia books and think that is always his style, and I think that sometimes people judge him unfairly by them and think that they are "as 'deep' as he gets."  (And even if that were true, they're plenty deep, if you dig beneath the surface.)  



7. If you could write a letter to Jack, thanking him, or asking him questions, what would it be? (show us as your answer.)
Oh, yikes!  I wouldn't know where to start!  But I'll try.

Dear Mr. Lewis,
     I just wanted to thank you so much for what you've done.  By simply using the gifts God gave you, you impacted more lives than you will ever know and drew so many countless people closer to the Creator.  By always being candid, warmhearted, recognizing those the world would overlook, and being willing to write unpopular things, you've touched me deeply and I thank you and our Savior for it.  
     Oh, and by the way:  did you by any chance draw your inspiration for The Lady of the Green Kirtle from Bernlak's wife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?  Just wondering :)  
     Thank you again so much--
                                                                  a friend in Christ


Comments

  1. I just had to say, Granddad came over today, and he told me he has a friend who used to teach C.S.Lewis' (step)-sons. He said, "That's even better than what I can say." ;-P

    Okay bye.

    ~ Naomi

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    Replies
    1. NAOMI STOP HAVING ALL THESE AWESOME ACQUANTANCES.

      That's all I can say.

      Delete
  2. This was a very nice post, Olivia. I like all the pictures and quote you included. And you grew up on BBC's Narnia? Me, too! Those movies have a lot of fond memories attached to them. :)

    Okay, so I just have to say, this sentence was beautifully worded--"I feel the human follies, the human glories, and the sublimity of the supernatural touching the human with love." Wow. Did I ever mention how excellent your vocabulary is? Beautiful.

    ~Miss March

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    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks so much, Miss March! *gasp* You know the BBC Narnia movies, too?! I know, so many memories :)

      Oh, wow! Thanks so much! *blushes* Really, you're too kind!

      Delete
  3. I grew up on the BBC's Narnia and I liked them... though yes not the greatest. I really want to re-watch them now that I'm older. I need to read more of C.S. Lewis's non-fiction as I've only read Mere Christianity. I've read I think all of his fiction though.

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    Replies
    1. You too!!! Haha, we should rewatch them together, Lois! ;) And yes, read more of the non-fiction! I haven't read as much as I'd like to myself.

      Delete
  4. Love this post . . .
    I can remember the first time I read "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." I was eight years old and in third grade, and . . . WOW. I'd never been so impacted by a story before in my short life, and I'd never understood Christ's sacrifice so clearly, either. He's just an amazing writer. A-MAZ-ING.

    I do get what you mean about not judging him on the Chronicles, though. They're kids' books, first and foremost--they're SUPPOSED to be simple! They're wonderful and terrific and fantastic, of course--but people musn't think that's all he ever wrote :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks so much, Jessica! :D

      His allegory to the Redemption Story is so good. Sheesh.

      Exactly! SIMPLE, but by no means shallow. Silly people ;)

      Delete
  5. LOVED THIS.

    C.S. Lewis was such an amazing author. He really could "do things" with words . . . so much deeper meaning!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad, Rosie!!! Yes, definitely. Such an amazing author.

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  6. This is lovely! You explained everything so nicely!!

    That picture... The third one down. So gorgeous.... I was listening to The Last Goodbye, and started tearing up.

    That's what I love about C. S. Lewis, how deep his writing is. I watched Shadowlands the other day with mom, and at the end it hit me: That's what makes C. S. Lewis' work so beautiful: the fact that he felt so deeply and profoundly, and wrote about some of the most philosophical topics, yet was able to explain it in the most simple, fresh, clear way. The Lord gave him such a gift...

    Thanks so much for answering the tag m'dear!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Abby!

      I KNOW ISN'T IT CRAZY FEELSY?!

      Yes. He was so faithful to use the gifts the Lord gave him.

      Thank YOU so much for making it!

      Delete
  7. Oh my gosh, so many Narnia feels. I definitely need to read TWHF.

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    1. Right?!?!?! And yes, definitely read TWHF! It's gorgeous.

      Delete
  8. Nice answers, particularly your letter:)

    BUT "THE CALL" PICTURES. I can't even.

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    1. Thanks, girl :)

      I KNOW THEY'RE JUST TOO MUCH.

      Delete
  9. Oh, C. S. Lewis!!! I don't think I truly became a fan of him until I read The Screwtape Letters. Before that, I was simply a "Narnia" fan....and even then, I wasn't as big of a fan as I am now. :) I can't wait to read more of his books!

    DON'T EVER APOLOGIZE FOR TOO MANY NARNIA PICTURES!

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    Replies
    1. Is he not amazing?!?!?!

      I say, thank you! :D I'm glad it didn't annoy people.

      Delete

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