On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature - Softcover

Lewis, C. S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0156027682 ISBN 13: 9780156027687

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2002

Synopsis

The theme of this collection is the excellence of Story, especially of the kind of story dear to C.S. Lewis - fantasy and science fiction, which he fostered in an age dominated by realistic fiction. Gathered here are nine essays that first appeared in "Of Other Worlds, " including "On Stories" and "On Three Ways of Writing for Children, " and eleven pieces not previously collected. Among the newcomers are reviews of works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Rider Haggard, and George Orwell, a panegyric to Dorothy Sayers, and an essay. "The Death of Words, " which shows how common usage can distort and deprive language.

About this title

Review:

"Though shorter than Haruki Murakami's South of the Border, West of the Sun, it is a more expansive work, delving into frightening territory....Smoothly translated by James Westerhoven, Okuizumi's prose is full of glassy surfaces that tilt to reach vertigo-inducing depths.-Los Angeles Times

"This eloquent, sorrowful, marvelously translated novel is a meditation on the ravages of war, the persistence of violence on the human soul and incredible bravery."-The Washington Post

From the Back Cover:

In life and art both, as it seems to me, we are always trying to catch in our net of successive moments something that is not successive . . . But I think it is sometimes done or very, very nearly done in stories.
C.S. Lewis is widely known for his fiction, especially his stories of science fiction and fantasy, for which he was a pioneering author in an age of realistic fiction. In On Stories, he lays out his theories and philosophy on fiction over the course of nine essays, including On Stories, The Death of Words, and On Three Ways of Writing for Children. In addition to these essays, On Stories collects eleven pieces of Lewis s writing that were unpublished during his lifetime. Along with discussing his own fiction, Lewis reviewed and critiqued works by many of his famous peers, including George Orwell, Charles Williams, Rider Haggard, and his good friend J.R.R. Tolkien, providing a wide-ranging look at what fiction means and how to craft it from one of the masters of his day.

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About this edition

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0156027682
• ISBN 13: 9780156027687
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 180