C.S. Lewis: Classic or dud?

Arguably like many writers of his time (including my belov'd Tolkien), his work is now riddled with stuff tagged un-PC, and I'm not talking so much about religious themes as, say, the rampant and negative Orientalism in The Horse and His Boy, to pick one example. For all that, though, when he was on, he was ON, able to discuss religion and deeply felt belief in ways that render the barely intellectual US mainstream version of Christianity down to nothing. Though I haven't read it in years, Till We Have Faces is my favorite of his fictional pieces, while there's one of his tracts -- can't recall which, but it features George Macdonald as a Virgil equivalent -- which I found particularly imaginative. So classic, someone I'll always have at least a little time for.

It's better propaganda than what I get around here: well-meaning, faithful Christians saying, "I don't know enough to make sense of any of your questions, but if you just accept Jesus into your heart everything will be fine." At least Lewis tried to come up with logical reasons and explanations for the Bible, even if none of them converted me.

And so was 'Shadowlands' with 'Tony' Hopkins.

This = touchstone motto for me (and has thus got me into all sorts of trouble)

Horse and His Boy has a v.spooky scene at the TOMBS, and for some reason I found Cor the white boy in the "oriental" ambience somewhat sexy hmmmm. Have not read for some yrs will tonite. Was it Kerry said perhaps racist? No: there were good Calormenes and they were noble and haughty and brave. Unfortunately they worshipped Satan I mean Tash.

Noticed have to say as I reread MN how evident were the elements being slipped into it: eg passage joining the houses is from Stalky and Co., arrival in Dying World is from the Time Machine, etc. I think hewas great at memorable and scary tableaux (several mentioned on the kids-lit thread): Uncle Andrew being IN THE ROOM always creeped me. Or when Lucy is reading the magician's book in DAWN TREADER.

Anthony is cross that HEY THE LION IS JESUS, but I think he's wrong. Lewis tht the Lion was Jesus, but imagination triumphed over faith, and dissolves it.

Surely there are only seven?

"Not daydreams, dreams!"

Arguably folks like Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker have spent entire careers capturing the chill of that...

Now I want to re-read them.

"Out Of The Silent Planet" & "Perelandra" are good too, though they are so overtly Christian that even I got it.

(There follow encomiums fr. Arthur C. Clarke and Ursula K. LeGuin..)

Aside from ad-style being work of incest- ridden bonobos, and sketch of CSL on book cover being PIECE OF UGLY INCOMPETENT RUBBISH, who on the beertch can tell me more?!

Which is I think what I sed in the v.v.v.first place: you end up worshipping the lion and NOT jesus...

I read his trilogy Out of the Silent Planet in junior high, and like it. I seem to remember The Peralandra including some sort of pagan-like celebration of sexuality. (The protagonist is named "Ransom," but it's not an allegory, according to Lewis.) I also read and enjoyed at least part of one of his scholarly books with a title like The Allegory of Love at around this time. Surprised by Joy annoyed me, particularly for the passages where he talked about how he thought the sado-masochistic bullying rituals (not his description) he went through in school were a positive thing. I read it shortly before the time when I renounced my faith, which also may have had something to do with my reaction. I know one intelligent (but very quirky) person who became a Christian partly as a result of reading Lewis.

I think he was a good writer. I think some Christians give him more credit for his apologetic work than what he deserves. (Then again, I only know Mere Christianity second-hand.)

One thing I like about Narnia was wondering how the Inklings would take it if, say, Tolkien read them Aragorn's death, as lovingly detailed in appendices to vol. three, and then Lewis gave them Reepicheep getting his tail cut off: this sort of tallies with the "not another fucking elf" remark attributed to Lewis, somehow. I've no idea if the Inklings actually worked like this, though.

what can you say about a man who professes totally conventional belief in God, and devotes his entire life to creating a mythology in which no one spends a second worshipping anything? (except maybe gollum?)

So the Screwtape Letters are very interesting.