Re: Your First Encounter With Lewis
Posted: February 15th, 2009, 4:30 am
I believe I had heard vaguely of Lewis' "Space trilogy" from someone at church when I was 13 or so, but I didn't follow up on it. (I probably would have, if I had known of Lewis' connection with Tolkien, as I was already a big Tolkien fan then.) In my teens I am sure I read a little bit about Lewis' work in places like Lin Carter's fairly comprehensive book on fantastic literature, but, again, did not follow up.
And I probably saw the occasoion C.S. Lewis quote here and there as well, without it really registering on me who he was. I am reasonably certain that it was not until sometime in the second half of 1979 that I actually read any of Lewis' books. I think I started with one of the Chronicles of Narnia, probably The Last Battle. I remember being moved to tears by parts of it. I think The Magician's Nephew came next, and that also jerked a tear or two. (of course, I was going through a difficult time then, and was often close to tears anyway.)
Sometime in the fall of '79 I started reading his "apologetic" works. I think I started with Mere Christianity, then Miracles, then The Problem of Pain. I didn't care much for The Problem of Pain at the time. The Screwtape Letters didn't initially work for me either, thought I have since found something to like in it. I should probably give The Problem of Pain another chance as well.
Around that time the combination of reading two -- no, three -- things -- a clever and strirring synopsis of Shakespeare's King Lear by Fritz Leiber, and an essay that dealt in part with King Lear -- the part about First Servant, and how his would have been the best part to play if it had been Real Life -- by C.S. Lewis, and another essay by Lewis about Shakespearean criticism, titled "Hamlet: the Prince Or the Poem?" -- prompted me to give Shakespeare another chance too, after having been thoroughly put off the Bard's work by the way it had been taught in high school. Hm, now that I think of it, reading Huxley's Brave New World about that time may have played a role as well. It's funny how sometimes a lot of things will converge at once.
Anyway I collected and read a lot of Lewis' work thoughout the Eighties, and came to think of him as a sort of posthumous "master," much the way he thought of George MacDonald. Around 1988-'89 I had a slight falling out with Lewis over something in his book, The Four Loves, something about differing conceptions of patriotism. But I've gotten over it. Or, rather, I have "agreed to disagree" with him on some small points.
DWM
And I probably saw the occasoion C.S. Lewis quote here and there as well, without it really registering on me who he was. I am reasonably certain that it was not until sometime in the second half of 1979 that I actually read any of Lewis' books. I think I started with one of the Chronicles of Narnia, probably The Last Battle. I remember being moved to tears by parts of it. I think The Magician's Nephew came next, and that also jerked a tear or two. (of course, I was going through a difficult time then, and was often close to tears anyway.)
Sometime in the fall of '79 I started reading his "apologetic" works. I think I started with Mere Christianity, then Miracles, then The Problem of Pain. I didn't care much for The Problem of Pain at the time. The Screwtape Letters didn't initially work for me either, thought I have since found something to like in it. I should probably give The Problem of Pain another chance as well.
Around that time the combination of reading two -- no, three -- things -- a clever and strirring synopsis of Shakespeare's King Lear by Fritz Leiber, and an essay that dealt in part with King Lear -- the part about First Servant, and how his would have been the best part to play if it had been Real Life -- by C.S. Lewis, and another essay by Lewis about Shakespearean criticism, titled "Hamlet: the Prince Or the Poem?" -- prompted me to give Shakespeare another chance too, after having been thoroughly put off the Bard's work by the way it had been taught in high school. Hm, now that I think of it, reading Huxley's Brave New World about that time may have played a role as well. It's funny how sometimes a lot of things will converge at once.
Anyway I collected and read a lot of Lewis' work thoughout the Eighties, and came to think of him as a sort of posthumous "master," much the way he thought of George MacDonald. Around 1988-'89 I had a slight falling out with Lewis over something in his book, The Four Loves, something about differing conceptions of patriotism. But I've gotten over it. Or, rather, I have "agreed to disagree" with him on some small points.
DWM