A Fortunate Find
Don't ask me why it didn't happen sooner, but today I found The Window in the Garden Wall--A C.S. Lewis Blog. This blog is based on the beautifully simple idea of posting one bit of Mr. Lewis's writings each day.
And what was the most recent post? The top ten books that influenced C.S. Lewis, from a 1962 article in The Christian Century.
It would be extremely difficult to overstate the importance this has for me. Many years ago (by a youth's standards) I ran across the passage of Surprised by Joy in which Mr. Lewis lists some of the reading material he enjoyed as a schoolboy, and I immediately set out to read as much of it as I could. I only got through Candide, and at the time it was way over my head. The list wasn't ideal though-- it was the list of Jack the schoolboy, not Mr. Lewis the man, which is fine if I wanted to emulate the younger model, but (even then!) I was aiming higher, and I still am.
In Miracles, he recommends reading Symbolism and Belief by Edwyn Robert Bevan, which I'm about halfway through, and Poetic Diction by Owen Barfield, which I'm still looking for.
But those-- the student's list and the spare recommendations-- are small potatoes compared with this find. Check it out, as well as the rest of the blog. You'll at least have a very good idea of what I'll be reading for pleasure in the next long while.
A post regarding my recent adventure is forthcoming, hopefully soon.
And what was the most recent post? The top ten books that influenced C.S. Lewis, from a 1962 article in The Christian Century.
It would be extremely difficult to overstate the importance this has for me. Many years ago (by a youth's standards) I ran across the passage of Surprised by Joy in which Mr. Lewis lists some of the reading material he enjoyed as a schoolboy, and I immediately set out to read as much of it as I could. I only got through Candide, and at the time it was way over my head. The list wasn't ideal though-- it was the list of Jack the schoolboy, not Mr. Lewis the man, which is fine if I wanted to emulate the younger model, but (even then!) I was aiming higher, and I still am.
In Miracles, he recommends reading Symbolism and Belief by Edwyn Robert Bevan, which I'm about halfway through, and Poetic Diction by Owen Barfield, which I'm still looking for.
But those-- the student's list and the spare recommendations-- are small potatoes compared with this find. Check it out, as well as the rest of the blog. You'll at least have a very good idea of what I'll be reading for pleasure in the next long while.
A post regarding my recent adventure is forthcoming, hopefully soon.
posted by Matthew at 3:29 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, Matthew, thanks for the most excellent plug. The C.S. Lewis blog is a labor of love for me. There is so much material to pull from--I'm sure I'll never run out of quotations to post!
Have you read all of Lewis's works? What was your favorite book of his? I'd have to say that my favorite is Till We Have Faces, but the world of Narnia comes in a close second.
Cheers!
'Revie
I've not read even close to all his works, but I'm young yet. I will eventually, for sure. As a matter of fact, at the moment I'm studying at the University of Sussex in Brighton, and the library here has a ton of his books, many of which are now out of print in the US. So as soon as exams are done, I'm gonna be tackling those.
Of those I have read, Mere Christianity is definitely my favorite. I think picking a number two would be just about impossible.
I've heard so many good things about Till We Have Faces though, so who knows, maybe that'll be it once I finally get to it.
Welcome to my fledgling blog!
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