The Essential C S Lewis Reading List
By Reggie | February 18, 2010
C S Lewis
In this podcast we attempt an almost impossible task – listing the “essential” books that you should read to get a comprehensive view of C S Lewis and his writings. This list is – of course – my opinion only, and others are welcome to put forth their own. When you have an author who has written over 60 books plus hundreds of essays and letters, there is such a wide field for disagreement.
I decided to restrict myself to three books of fiction, three of non-fiction, and three about C S Lewis or his writings, making a total of nine entries. I have tried to give a short description of each book and why I think it belongs in the list, as well as comments on other books that other C S Lewis fans may think should replace my choices. Emails and comments are always welcome, of course.
Here is my recommended essential C S Lewis reading list
Fiction
- The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
- The Screwtape Letters
- The Magician’s Nephew
Non-Fiction
- Mere Christianity
- The Problem Of Pain
- Miracles
Books about or related to C S Lewis
- Jack; A Life Of C S Lewis, by George Sayer
- Yours, Jack. edited by Paul F. Ford
- The Joyful Christian, published by Collier Books
I hope you enjoy reading them
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The Abolition of Man – Part 3: The Future
By Reggie | January 3, 2010
This is the third and last podcast on The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. The first podcasts covered whether there is anything like real external values or whether our values are based om only our subjective feelings. The second podcast review Jack’s answer that there is a universal Moral Law recognized by most people at most times in history, and his evidence for that claim. This part of the book (and this podcast) now looks to the future. It imagines what might happen if we proceed down the path of making morality and ethics entirely subjective in a world where the power of the state seems to be increasing every day. In addition, our ability to manipulate people via education and propaganda is also growing, leading to a bleak future. Jack envisions a day when a select few social planners decide to give their students the conscience or moral guide set by the planners. In this new day the vast majority of people will be manufactured, in an essential sense, and could be called post-human. They of course are not free – indeed the question has almost no meaning for them, for they respond as they have been condition. Lewis points out that even the planners are not really free, for although they have abandoned the Moral Law and conscience, they are in reality slaves to their emotional impulses.
However, Lewis closes this book with a ray of hope. He longs for a society where science not only measures the quality of things but also understands the quality or value of the things they study.
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The Abolition of Man – Part 2: The Universal Law
By Reggie | December 12, 2009
This is the second
of 3 podcasts about The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. In the last podcast we covered the trend in education towards basing ethical values on reason and feeling, and the denial that external events have any real value aside from the feelings they cause in the observer.
In this podcast we cover the existence and applicability of an external universal moral law, as discussed in the second chapter in the Abolition of Man. Lewis names this moral code the Tao, using a concept from Chinese philosophy, partly because he wishes to emphasize that this moral code is recognized by most people in most cultures and ages. This idea that there is one rule of behavior for everyone is difficult for us to accept, having been educated to almost worship diversity as the highest good.
Jack sets himself two tasks in this chapter. First, to show that the Tao exists and is universal, and second, to show that you cannot develop any basis for ethics unless you accept the Tao. (He succeeds in accomplishing both tasks rather well). Jack does not identify the Tao only with Christian beliefs – he emphasizes the universal code that underlies all religions.
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The Abolition of Man – Part 1: Men Without Chests
By Reggie | November 11, 2009
This is the first of 3 podcasts about The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. Although it’s more than 60 years old, this book is surprisingly relevant to some of the major problems we see in our culture today. It tells us why we see so many people in all walks of life who seem to lack a sense of right and wrong, that is, they lack a “moral compass”. Lewis points out that this began when we abandoned the classic concept of an external, universal moral code and incorporated relativistic assumptions in our educational practices. Jack maintains that this produces “men without chests”, people who have a head (the ability to reason) and a belly (the ability to feel), but nothing that connects them (the chest). They have no way of determining when to act contrary to their feelings.
This is one of the shortest and most philosophical of Jack’s books. It won’t read quickly like a novel but is well worth putting in the time to consider what he says.
Link to the Show Notes for this podcast
11-21-2009
Here is a link to the performance schedule for the play “The Screwtape Letters” mentioned in the introduction to the podcast on 11-11-2009. (Link courtesy of Tim Parrish).
Screwtape Letters Performance Schedule
Topics: C S Lewis, Christianity, Morality, Podcast, Religion, Salvation | No Comments »
The Last Battle – Part Two: Endings and Beginnings
By Reggie | August 22, 2009
This is the second of two podcasts on The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis. This book is the last in the Chronicles of Narnia and tells of the end of Narnia and the discovery of the real Narnia in Aslan’s country, Heaven. From a theological point of view we cover the Last Judgment, Salvation, and Heaven as described by Lewis in this book. The tale contains some of his most beautiful writing as well as some of his best insights about human nature and God. Ultimately it is a message of renewal and hope. Nevertheless, we have to concede that it is unflinching in its insistence that all countries except God’s own must come to an end someday, and that everyone must undergo the experience of death.
The show looks at the forebodings of the end, the examples of treachery and betrayal in the tale, how beings are chosen to enter Heaven, and the salvation of a noble, God-seeking heathen who does not know Aslan.
Topics: C S Lewis, Christianity, Heaven, Narnia, Podcast, Religion, Salvation, Theology, Uncategorized | No Comments »
The Last Battle – Part One
By Reggie | July 31, 2009
This is the first of a two-part series covering the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle.
In this book Lewis brings the story of Narnia to a fitting end. It is both a story of treachery, bravery, and battle, and a book that deals with the themes of good, evil, the meaning of language, and the final judgment and afterlife. Lewis answers the questions of what a Narnian heaven will be like and how Narnians and persons from our world enter that heaven.
All of the main characters from the previous books appear, except for one person. We also meet the last King of Narnia, a talking Ape, a talking Donkey and a band of renegade dwarfs.
This podcast focuses on the relationship between Good and God as well as looking at four different paths that lead to evil
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The World’s Last Night
By Reggie | June 25, 2009
Today’s book is The World’s Last Night and Other Essays. It is a collection of seven essays from later in C S Lewis’ life, after he was 50 years of age. They were written during a of some significant changes in his life. For one thing, he switched universities, going from Oxford to Cambridge. For another, Lewis met and married his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham. (You might remember this story from the excellent move Shadowlands). These essays give us a good picture of Jack’s thoughts and beliefs at this time and provide us with some good material for our own reflection and learning.
We cover three of the essays in this podcast and leave the rest for your reading pleasure.
The first piece we cover is entitled “The Efficacy of Prayer” and reviews what it means to ask “Does prayer work”.
The second essay in the podcast is “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” and is a biting commentary on the modern educational system and its unfortunate results in society. It is presented as a speech a senior devil in Hell gives to graduates of Hell’s Tempters College and is well worth reading.
The final selection is “The World’s Last Night” and it addresses the idea of the Second Return of Christ, the sudden end of the world when God steps onto the stage. It is considered one of Jack’s best essays and needs careful reading and refelction.
Topics: C S Lewis, Christianity, Podcast, Religion, Theology, Uncategorized | No Comments »
The Magician’s Nephew
By Reggie | April 8, 2009
The book for today’s show is The Magician’s Nephew, a personal favorite of mine. It tells of the creation of Narnia and how evil 
came into that good land, and technically is the last Chronicle that Lewis wrote.
He wrote The Last Battle and The Magician’s Nephew at the same time, but finished The Last Battle (the book that tells of the end of Narnia) first. Since the completion of the two books was only 6 months apart, The Magician’s Nephew (hereafter abbreviated The MN) was published first in May of 1955.
The MN is set in the time of Victorian England, the England of Sherlock Holmes. It introduces a new hero (Digory) and heroine (Polly) and tells how the comings and going between Narnia started, among other things. Digory’s uncle Andrew provides Digory and Polly with a way (magic rings) to travel between worlds. They go exploring and enter the dying world of Charn, awaken the last Queen of Charn, who is a witch, and unfortunately bring her back to London with them. They then take her (and several other folk) out of England and into Narnia (using the rings) and they are present at the Creation of that world. However, their act allows evil to enter Aslan’s Good Creation in the form of the witch. Aslan arranges for a Tree of Protection to be planted to keep the witch out of Narnia proper as long as it lives. To do this, he asks Digory to bring him a magic apple from a special garden without tasting of it or eating another apple. Digory is tempted by the witch Jadis to take the apple back home and give it to his mother who is dying of cancer. He overcomes this temptation and brings the apple back to Narnia. As to what happens to Digory, Polly, Uncle Andrew and the Witch – you’ll have to read the book
Lewis wants to communicate to us what evil and good look like, and what the results of our moral choices may be. He does this by showing a dying word ruled (and destroyed) by an evil witch and a new world, freshly created, sung into existence by Aslan. Jack shows us the continuity between an evil man in this world (an evil magican named Andrew who is Digory’s uncle) and the last Queen of Narnia, Jadis. Jadis represents what Uncle Andrew will become – they are both walking the same wrong path and Jadis is further along than Andrew. Jack also shows us what our response should be to the beauties of Nature, and explores the difficulty of making the right moral choices in this story.
If you haven’t done so, please complete a short, anonymous survey to provide me some feedback about these podcasts. The survey is linked below. I always welcome comments and suggestions via email, and I respond to every one I receive.
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Reading C S Lewis With Your Heart
By Reggie | February 10, 2009
In this show we are going to take a look at two books “about” C. S. Lewis, rather than by C. S. Lewis. First, though, we cover a bit of news about Fox replacing Disney as a partner with Walden Media in the Chronicles of Narnia movie franchise.
The first book we’ll cover is “Yours, Jack“, edited by Paul Ford. This book helps us get to know Jack (C S Lewis) better by using some of his personal letters to give us an insight into his personality, wit, and spirituality. Mr. Ford has done an excellent job in selecting letters that give us an insight into Lewis over the years that can, in a real sense, provide us spiritual advice from Jack .
The second book we cover is “Reading With the Heart; The Way Into Narnia” by Peter Schakel. Mr. Schakel is a Professor of English at Hope College and an acknowledged expert on C S Lewis. He provides some helpful guidance from a literary perspective to reading, understanding, and appreciating the Chronicles of Narnia. Professor Schakel discusses the techniques that Jack used and the archetypes or basic patterns that apply to the Chronicles. He shows how these both “set the ground rules” for the way the stories are written and assure that stories will appeal to us.
More information about each book is found in the show notes, linked at the tope of this page.
Also, if you wish, you can join the Facebook group “All About C. S. Lewis”. We’d love to have you join us and post there.
Finally, I would really appreciate it if you could complete a short, anonymous survey to provide me some feedback about these podcasts. The survey is linked below. I always welcome comments and suggestions via email, and I respond to every one I receive.
Topics: C S Lewis, Christianity, Narnia, Podcast, Religion | No Comments »
The Horse and His Boy
By Reggie | December 12, 2008
Today we look at the fifth book in the Chronicles of Narnia, the Horse and His Boy. But first, let’s say Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all our listeners, especially those from outside the USA.
We begin with a brief look at Narnia geography in order to help the listeners understand the story and then say a few words about how Lewis found God revealed in both Nature and Reason.
This story is not a quest tale like The Silver Chair or a “journey” tale, like The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Rather, it is the story of a race and a rescue. Briefly told, Narnia is in danger of being invaded and conquered by a surprise attack from one of the lands to the south. Aslan chooses an unlikely rescue party of two Narnian talking horses, Bree and Hwin, and a young boy (Shasta) and Calormene girl (Aravis). They must race the invaders across a desert to deliver their warning in time.
The main themes that drive the story are the search for identity by the 4 heroes and the idea of Providence, that is, the idea that God controls the events in the world to achieve God’s own purposes. Or, as it is said in the story, Aslan is at the back of all the stories that happen.
Topics: C S Lewis, Christianity, Narnia, Podcast, Religion | 1 Comment »
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