C. S. Lewis: Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces

Lewis, C. S.

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9781482950816: C. S. Lewis: Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces

ISBN 10: 1482950812 ISBN 13: 9781482950816

Publisher: Blackstone Pub, 2014

This is an extensive collection of short essaysand other pieces by C. S. Lewis that have been brought together in one volumefor the first time. As well as his many books, letters, and poems, Lewis alsowrote a great number of essays and shorter pieces on various subjects. He wroteextensively on Christian theology and the defense of faith but also on variousethical issues and on the nature of literature and storytelling. In this essaycollection we find a treasure trove of Lewis' reflections on diverse topics.

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Review:

This collection represents very nearly all C.S. Lewis's religious essays and other occasional, non-academic pieces. It's the first time a near-complete edition of these works has been published and it will prove a godsend to readers of the 20th century's greatest Christian apologist.

The volume brings together over a hundred of Lewis's sermons, articles, addresses, reflections and short stories. Featured here is a profound thinker in all his breadth and depth: the preacher of the classic "The Weight of Glory"; the prophetic voice on vivisection; the reviewer of his friend, Tolkien; the struggler with faith in "Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer"; the explainer of Narnia's origin; the sage pastor writing on forgiveness; the provocative critic airing his views about "Sex in Literature".

We have Lewis the satirist, giving us the sequel to The Screwtape Letters; Lewis the philosopher, admitting us to his "Meditation in a Toolshed"; Lewis the soothsayer, addressing the question, "Priestesses in the Church?"

Of course, not all the pieces are brilliant and there is some repetition, for example in the two essays on prayer. There are also two essays on miracles, one of which is simply a dry-run for Lewis's full-length book on the subject. But the other one, "The Grand Miracle", though similarly "worked up" in the full-length book, stands securely in its own right as a poised and perfect example of Lewis's felicity of expression and capacity for poetic argument. It's wisely been selected as the first essay in a superb collection. --Michael Ward

From the Back Cover:

As well as his famous theological books and the 'Chronicles of Narnia,' C.S.Lewis wrote numerous essays and other short pieces in his lifetime. Most were originally published in various journals and later scattered in small collections. Now in one volume the best of the essays are brought together, celebrating once again the genius of C.S.Lewis.

In C.S.Lewis' essays we encounter this remarkable scholar in different moods; hilarious in his comic satire; passionate in his opinions; patient and dedicated as his brilliant mind works at a line of argument. The essays vary in length and complexity, depending on their subject, but all bear the marks of integrity of mind and simplicity of language. Together they demonstrate what makes Lewis's writing timeless in its appeal to all kinds of people.

The essays include 'Why I am Not a Pacifist' which was delivered to a pacifist society in Oxford in 1940 during the stark days at the commencement of the Second World War. 'Xmas and Christmas – A Lost Chapter from Herodotus' was published in'Time and Tide' in December 1954 and is a satirical look at the commercialism of Christmas.

'It All Began As a Picture' is a short article which appeared in 'Radio Times' in July 1960, and in it Lewis explains how he came to write 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' and the rest of the 'Chronicles of Narnia.' He writes, ''The Lion' all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture has been in mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself, "Let's try to make a story of it." At first I had very little idea how the story would go. But then Aslan came bounding into it . . . once He was there He pulled the whole story together, and soon He pulled the six other Narnian stories in after Him.'

Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast in 1898. He was sent to England for his schooling and was educated at Cherbourg and Malvern Colleges. He read Classics at University College, Oxford, before being elected to a Fellowship of English at Magdalen College.

Lewis conversion from atheism to Christianity in 1931 resulted in a flow of outstanding theological books which championed the Christian faith.

In 1954 Lewis accepted the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University. He died at his home in 1963.

"When we are frightened by the greatness of the universe, we are (almost literally) frightened by our own shadows: for these light years and billions of centuries are mere arithmetic until the shadow of man, the poet, the maker of myth, falls upon them. I do not say we are wrong to tremble at his shadow; it is a shadow of an image of God."
DOGMA AND THE UNIVERSE

Other Essays include:
� Christian Apologetics
� The Efficacy of Prayer
� Good Work and Good Works
� The Grand Miracle
� The Hobbit
� Is History Bunk?
� The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment
� Learning in War-time
� The Necessity of Chivalry
� On Three Ways of Writing for Children
� Ministering Angels
� The Shoddy Lands
� Miserable Offenders

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