The Great Persons Series, Edition One
By: Toby H. Pesik
C.S Lewis’ fame as a renowned author, literary critic, broadcaster, essayist, and lay theologian is mostly due to his success in captivating his audiences through his written works. Born and raised in Belfast, he grew up reading Irish, Greek, and Norse mythology. He later became a stellar academic who held prestigious teaching positions; first as a fellow and professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford’s Magdalen College where he taught for twenty-nine years, then later awarded the chair of Mediaeval and Renaissance Literature at the University of Cambridge, where he was elected as a fellow of Magdalene College. As an academic his work focused largely on late Middle-Age literature, and its extensive use of allegory. During his time in Oxford, he became part of the informal literary discussion group called “The Inklings”, which consisted of his personal friend J.R.R. Tolkien (famed author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy), Nevill Coghill, Lord David Cecil, Lewis’ own brother Warren Lewis, as well as a few others.
C.S Lewis was a mad genius. If you read his biography Surprised by Joy, you’ll see how genius he was. He grew up doing nothing but reading books and creating stories, a habit he took until his adult life. Today, children’s literature is more along the lines of Dr. Seuss, however, for Lewis, it was as sophisticated as reading authors like Arthur Conan Doyle, Twain, Nesbit, and Potter. He went to school in Wynyard School in his early days. Lewis moved schools a few times, due to respiratory problems but finally ended up with a scholarship to Malvern College. Continuing in school, Lewis studied the works of Virgil, Horace, and Euripides, as well as the poetry of John Milton and W.B. Yeats. By the summer of 1914, Lewis was sent to Surrey to study under the tutorship of William T. Kirkpatrick, former headmaster of County Armagh’s Lurgan College. Lewis described this chapter of his life as being heavily influenced by rational thought and classical western literature under Kirkpatrick, whom he affectionately called “The Knock”. Under Kirkpatrick, Lewis was exposed to many great classics of Western Literature, and the culture of reading was heavily ingrained into Lewis. ‘Mealtime readings’ of Boswell, translations of Herodotus, Lang’s History of English Literature, Tristam Shandy, Elia and the Anatomy of the Melancholy were considered normal and pleasurable (165). Any extra money that Lewis had, he would spend on new books at a nearby bookshop. Ultimately, Lewis credited Kirkpatrick for having taught Lewis effective “Dialectics”.
Afterward, Lewis eventually earned a spot at University College, Oxford; however, in 1917 his education was momentarily halted as he was commissioned as an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry. Upon recovering and returning to his studies, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, first in 1922 and another in 1923. He was eventually made a Tutor of Philosophy at University College and by 1925 was elected as a fellow in Magdalen College as a tutor in English Literature. It was during his time here that Lewis befriended J.R.R Tolkien, who was then professor of Anglo-Saxon and fellow of Pembroke College. Did you ever imagine that the author of The Chronicles of Narnia and the author of the Lord of the Rings were friends? And both Oxford educated?
Having been brought up in the Church of Ireland, Lewis left the faith during adolescence. While he was part of the Inklings, he became heavily influenced by his friends, notably by J.R.R. Tolkien, and finally returned to Christianity and became a layman of the Church of England. His conversion deeply impacted his life and significantly influenced the motifs and thematic aspects of both his fictional and non-fictional writing, as he used them as a medium to share his beliefs. He became a self-made lay theologian and apologist. Some of Lewis’ notable works of fiction include The Screwtape Letters, The Space Trilogy, The Great Divorce, and the famous The Chronicles of Narnia. His non-fiction works, which are mostly works of apologetics and personal experiences, as well as academic papers on medieval literature, include The Problem of Pain, The Abolition of Man, and Mere Christianity. He married Joy Davidman in 1956, and by then has already published more than thirty books. Lewis would continue to teach in the University of Cambridge and to publish books and essays until his death in 1963 (on the same day as JFK’s assassination).
By the time of his death, Lewis had already reached a vast audience, be it through the academic world of the Oxbridge intellectual centers, or through his broadcast talks, or even most importantly through his published literature, which ranged from children’s stories to deep allegorical stories.
Lewis’ ability to utilize many different aspects of literary techniques was due to what he learned, taught, and intended to share. Being critical of medieval literature and folktales, he knew how to employ the use of allegories, metaphors, and allusions with ease and effectivity. As a man committed to his faith, his writing is flooded with references and symbolism of the Christian faith, much like the other Inkling writers have done. In combining the two influences together, Lewis utilizes special techniques and distinctive features throughout his writings to create an effective and compelling medium. Overall, Lewis’ distinctions stem from a careful utilization of his academic upbringing and thematic homage to his views, thereby creating a distinctly “Lewisian” writing style.
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