THE
MAGIC NEVER ENDS
The Life & Work of C.S. Lewis
What follows is the introduction from the book THE
MAGIC NEVER ENDS - The Life & Work of C.S. Lewis.
The book is a publication of Augsburg Fortress Publications.
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INTRODUCTION
Novelist.
Children's fantasy writer. Poet. Lecturer. Radio
commentator. Oxford scholar and teacher. Christian
apologetic writer. A stocky, balding, nearly-life-long
bachelor from the cloistered world of England's
Oxford University, C.S. Lewis was a versatile, thoughtful,
talented-yet-humble man who just might rank among
the greatest writers in the English language. Yet
defining Lewis among the greatest requires a broad
view of his work. Would he qualify as a poet? Not
likely. As a novelist? Perhaps not. In fact, Dabney
Hart, an Atlanta-based English professor who's written
and lectured extensively about C.S. Lewis said "I
think it does no disservice to him to say that he
is not one of the great novelists of the 20th century.
I think he would have been the first person to say
that himself."
So what was he? In what does this acclaimed man's
greatness lie? Hart, like so many others who've
discovered Lewis' writings during the past fifty
to sixty years, understands that his success and
prominence can not be interpreted by evaluating
his novels or poetry alone. The fact is that the
greatness of C.S. Lewis' writing does not arise
merely from his craft with words or his ingenious
plot lines. It doesn't come from his unique characters,
his imagination, or the worlds he creates outside
the reality we all live with day to day. The greatness
of C.S. Lewis' writing comes from his ability to
simplify an intellectual or philosophical concept
and to assist readers on a spiritual journey of
their own. He did it as a novelist (in such works
as Till We Have Faces, Out of the Silent Planet
and That Hideous Strength), as the author of children's
fantasy literature (The Chronicles of Narnia series),
as a satirist (The Screwtape Letters) and as the
writer of numerous volumes of Christian apologetics
and essays including Mere Christianity, The Problem
of Pain, Miracles and A Grief Observed.
To qualify the success of Lewis' work, one need
look only at its longevity and to the passion his
writing evokes among his readers, a force that grows
in number year after year. C.S. Lewis is among those
rare talents who, by defining his own spiritual
path and interpreting his journey in his writings,
has helped create a life changing opportunity for
others. In this, an oral history on his life and
work, I hope to share the insights and knowledge
of those who knew him, as well as those who have
given much of their life to a study of his work.
*****
To say that the work of C.S. Lewis is popular, commercially
successful and critically unique is a classic understatement.
In fact, the entire body of Lewis' work - all thirty
eight books - has never been out of print. Millions
of readers from all walks of life, from all parts
of the world, both secular and non-secular, are
not just readers of his work … they are devoted
readers of his work. Recent sales statistics show
that more than 200 million copies of Lewis' books
have been sold worldwide and, since 1989, more than
1.5 million copies of his books are sold annually.
It's safe to say that Lewis' popularity continues
to grow as more and more readers are exposed to
his books. At present, there are more than 200 individual
fan clubs, readers groups and C.S. Lewis societies
around the world.
But it's also important to note that Lewis fans
are different … different because his books
touch both Christian and non-Christian readers on
a soul level. Why? Because C.S. Lewis used his work
to ask the philosophical, psychological, and moral
questions that are at the core every person's existence.
Is there a God?
If so, is there only one God?
If there is a God, then why does evil permeate our
world? Why is there famine, war, overpopulation,
death and destruction?
How does belief in God help nurture happiness and
fulfillment?
How does faith heal and help someone overcome pain?
For many of Lewis' readers, his conversion to and
understanding of his Christian faith have become
a significant part of their own conversion to Christianity.
Lyle Dorsett, Professor of Evangelism and Spiritual
Formation at Wheaton College & Graduate School
in Wheaton, Illinios, suggests that "Lewis
is one of the reasons I'm a Christian. He's not
the only reason. But his writings were very influential.
It was also very instructive for me to read his
autobiographical work, Surprised by Joy, and to
see that our pilgrimages were somewhat similar.
There was always a longing. But there was a worldview
that was naturalistic and materialistic, but yet
being drawn into something that you really didn't
particularly want to be drawn into. I was afraid
of becoming a Christian because I was afraid I'd
change. And I thought I'd never have fun again.
But the opposite was true. He taught me a theology
of prayer. He's the one that instructed me on the
basics of faith."
Throughout his life, Lewis remained spiritually
inquisitive. And he used both his fiction and non-fiction
writing to develop a defense of the faith in which
he came to believe. Because he wrote not as a preacher
but as a teacher, his fictional work continues to
reach well beyond Christian followers. In fact,
many who read Lewis visit his worlds without ever
knowing that he writes from a Christian perspective.
"I
think that's one of his most brilliant accomplishments,"
said Colin Manlove, Professor of English at Edinburgh
University, Scotland. "C.S. Lewis was a man
who had a tremendous mind and he used it to explain
joys that he felt all through his life as coming
from God. You can't compare him with Lawrence or
Forrester or Wolfe, he wasn't trying to do the same
thing. You have to talk about Lewis in terms of
the different aims he had and they come down to
the realization of joy, the idea of the putting
newness inside fiction, the idea of making Christianity
believable without actually naming it -- all these
things. And, of course, the idea of putting together
a fantasy, making a world that works. All these
things are not valued in 20th century criticism."
"He
always felt that although his fiction obviously
had a moral or religious intent, that the first
concern was to be true to his motives in writing,"
continued Manlove. "Lewis wrote as though he
were a plain, ordinary, old atheist turning into
a Christian. And in practically every one of his
works, there is a sort of non-Christian happening
on Christianity."
The way Lewis posed spiritual questions in both
his fiction and non-fiction writing apart from many
writers of his or any generation. Few writers are
able to place the search for God or enlightenment
in a context that is equally thought provoking and
entertaining. Lewis was able to walk that fine line.
His intellect and his vast knowledge of English
literature and mythology helped him craft his argument
and his storytelling. But it was more than that.
Lewis was also able to harness the same imagination
and creativity that served him as a child and use
it to explore different worlds, colorful landscapes,
and multi-dimensional characters consumed by the
same human frailties and temptations that besiege
us all.
Because he wrote in so many different genres and
styles, C.S. Lewis was able to use his fictional
writing to convey moral and ecological values that
complemented the spiritual and attracted a global
following. "One of the things he had to offer
was multiculturalism," said Manlove. "Practically
all of Lewis' books are about getting used to and
getting on with the alien, getting on with the strange.
Whether it's a faun or a 'marshwiggle' or a 'green
lady' who is originally innocent on a strange oceanic
planet, all of these things involve getting on with
those absolutely unlike oneself. In that sense,
he's talking about how we accommodate ourselves
to the unfamiliar, to the foreign.
"Another
aspect is the sort of ecological sense that comes
from Lewis - he's constantly valuing animals. And
the whole of Perelandra, for instance, is about
preserving innocence and with it, preserving a planet
that is basically full of life and variety."
Readers from any background will discover that the
core of Lewis' work is about values, morality and
the battle between good and evil. Yet it was Lewis'
imagination that helped to create the quality many
admire most - the open, curious mind that never
stopped exploring the landscape and the ever-changing
dynamics of the search for God and happiness. In
that, we find a man who never stopped growing, a
man who never stopped learning, a man who never
hopped off the train of life believing he had all
the answers. Lewis began his adolescence as an atheist
and he ended his adulthood as a devout, reflective
Christian. Along the way, he became a teacher and
a writer. It was Lewis' active and intellectual
exploration of faith that guided him through much
of his adult life, through his role as a Christian
writer, through his unique and powerful friendships,
and through the pain he felt at the loss of his
wife.
While it is Lewis' work that is both lasting and
inspired, there is an ongoing interest in who Lewis
was as a man. It may surprise many to learn that
much of his adulthood was defined by its simple
routine. Lewis lived a quiet, humble, communal and
uniquely provincial lifestyle that's in sharp contrast
to the worlds he explored in his books. He often
said he was a throwback to an earlier century. In
many ways he was. He didn't drive, he rarely wore
a watch, and, until late in life, his travels were
limited to Ireland, England and a brief war time
service in France. From the age of 18, Oxford was
his home.
When she met Lewis in person, Dabney Hart found
him unassuming. "He seemed like a dear and
very likeable, even lovable person - someone who
might have been a relative or a friend of my parents,"
she said. "It would never have occurred to
me to react to him as someone with a great deal
of charismatic appeal. He just seemed too ordinary
for that."
"He
had many friends," said Walter Hooper, an editor
of numerous books on Lewis and, according to Hooper,
an assistant to Lewis near the time of his death.
"He often rejoiced when he was on a train and
he could talk to an ordinary man about literature
because, he thought, when you're talking to an ordinary
man about Jane Austin, this man really liked her
books. That's why he read them. But if you were
talking to a fellow professional, you weren't sure
whether he really liked them or whether he's merely
writing a book about them."
Hooper added, "When I asked him to talk about
the Narnia stories, he didn't talk about them as
though a man who wrote them. His interest was in
the books themselves. I was surprised that he was
so humble. I really hadn't expected it.
"I
was also surprised to find that Lewis' house was
so basic. There was even a hole in the floor that
you had to be careful the chair didn't fall into.
And the food he liked couldn't have been simpler:
sausages and mashed potatoes, fish and chips.
"He
so humble and kind, and such a simple man. I can't
imagine anyone not feeling comfortable with him,"
Hooper continued. "One might find his conversation
very rich, but there was nothing daunting about
his home or the way he lived. He was one of those
fortunate people who didn't really need much to
make him happy. If you had put him in a palace,
he would have admired it for its beauty, but he
didn't need those things."
"Jack
(as his friends called him) was, to me, a very extraordinary
person," said Colin Manlove. "He was not
someone whose sexual preferences, personal idiosyncrasies,
faults, failures, and so forth are particularly
evident. He was someone who was extremely modest,
careless of appearance, someone who lived in humility
and innocence. He was always seen as he presented
himself, and we don't know much of what lay behind
it. I don't mind. For me, it's an attraction in
Lewis because I know a lot of his heart is in his
books."
"He
was a man of habit," said Chris Mitchell, director
of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College
- the world's largest repository of C.S. Lewis'
scholarly writings and memorabilia. "I don't
think he was the sort of guy who necessarily stood
out unless you engaged him. You would never have
thought of him as an Oxford don because of the way
he dressed. Neat freaks would not have admired Lewis.
He could be loud and boisterous but I don't know
that his personality could be called eccentric.
His life was filled with friends, teaching at the
college, reading and his work. And of course, walking.
But he didn't take in the cinema. He didn't have
a public social life. Especially in American contemporary
terms, he was kind of a boring guy -- which is ironic
because he's anything but that in his writings."
"I
don't think anyone could ever describe Jack's life
or his personality as in any way dull or boring,"
countered C.S. Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham.
"But it's very easy to get fascinated by Jack's
development as a human being or by the development
of his literature. Yet no matter what the subjective
angle of one's own interests are, we should look
beyond that to the power of the Holy Spirit of God
behind Jack's work, governing it, channeling it,
guiding him all the time. I think the work is far
more important than Lewis the man."
There are many who suggest that Lewis would be embarrassed
by all the attention that's placed on his lifestyle,
his personality, and his relationships. Yet that
hasn't stopped thousands of fans from touring his
old haunts in Oxford - from pubs such as The Eagle
& The Child and The Trout on the river Thames
to Addison's Walk behind Magdalen College, the Bodlien
Library and the University Church. Hundreds of people
visit his home (the Kilns) each year and many include
a stop at the cemetery outside Holy Trinity Church
to visit his grave. While it's safe to say that
Lewis' day-to-day life was mostly unremarkable,
he did one thing incredibly well and it's that for
which he would no doubt like to be remembered. C.S.
Lewis spent hours each day mulling ideas while walking,
researching and reading in the Bodlien Library.
And then, hunched over a tablet, nib pen and inkwell
at hand, Lewis had one simple goal in mind - to
share his imagination, ideas and beliefs through
his writing.
Yet them an still fascinates readers worldwide --
despite Lewis' own objections. Dabney Hart, who
met Lewis at Cambridge while doing her doctoral
work on his writing said "Lewis believed that
it is false literary criticism to concentrate on
learning about the author, and learning about whether
he got along with his mother, and so on. He said
that when you try to find out all these features
of the author's life and try to relate them to the
book, it's not literary criticism, it's gossip.
If you cannot understand the novel or the poem on
its own, if you have to go to the author's life
to find out the clues to understanding it, then
there are only two possibilities. Either the author
has failed to make his point in the work of art,
or you lack the ability to understand it.
"There
are many people who would disagree with that. There
are people who love to go sifting through all the
works to find little details here and there that
reflect part of Lewis' own experience. Sometimes,
I admit, I'm guilty of calling attention to details
like that just because I know an audience enjoys
them. But I'm almost ashamed of myself when I do
it," said Hart, laughing.
Despite Lewis' own objection to knowing more about
him on a personal level, it can also be argued that
such details enhance the understanding of his work.
Yet to know Lewis as a man is a challenge. While
the basic facts of his life are well documented
and the philosophical course of his life is covered
in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, there are
few alive today who knew him intimately. His professional
life is filled with lectures, books, articles and
BBC radio addresses, of which copies and transcripts
remain. His interactions with his literary colleagues,
The Inklings are well noted; yet much of their time
was spent in friendly comment, philosophical argument
and literary criticism. What allows us to meet C.S.
Lewis today are the insights of those few people
who did know Lewis as well as the in-depth analysis
of his writings from scholars who have spent years
studying his work.
Many of the interview insights that comprise the
following chapters were compiled during the course
of a television documentary production on C.S. Lewis
called THE MAGIC NEVER ENDS - The Life & Work
of C.S.Lewis, which is a visual companion to this
book. Produced by Crouse Entertainment Group (CrouseEntertainment.com)
and The Duncan Group (DuncanEntertainment.com),
it can be viewed on public television in the United
States and on numerous networks around the world.
As part of this production, we were granted interviews
with several of the world's leading scholars on
Lewis and his work as well as those who knew him.
Each is notable in his or her own right, and each
contributed invaluable comment to this book. They
include:
o
Douglas Gresham - Minister, writer, former journalist,
stepson of C.S. Lewis and son of Joy Davidman and
William Lindsay Gresham. Born in New York, Gresham
spent much of his youth in Oxford, England with
his mother, his brother David, C.S. Lewis and Lewis'
brother Warnie.
Following his parents' divorce in 1954, Gresham
went to school in Surrey, England. The next year
the family moved to Headington, Oxford. After his
mother died in 1960 and his father in 1962, Gresham
continued to live with C.S. Lewis in their Headington
Quarry home until Lewis' death in 1963.
For the next few years, Gresham studied Agriculture,
and worked on farms, and during this time he met
and fell in love with Meredith Conan-Davies. Shortly
after their wedding, he and Merrie sailed for Australia.
During many eventful years there, he worked as a
farmer, a radio and television broadcaster, a restaurateur
and "many other things between."
Since
1973, Gresham has worked with the estate of C.S.
Lewis. In 1993, the family moved to Carlow County,
Ireland. Gresham and his wife, both of whom are
committed Christians, have made their home into
a multi-faceted, non-denominational Christian House
Ministry that specializes in counseling and seminar
hosting.
In 1988, Gresham published his autobiographical
book Lenten Lands. He now works full time and he
and his wife devote their spare time to " to
addressing whatever work the Lord sends them."
o Walter Hooper - Writer, Lewis scholar and editor.
Born and educated in North Carolina, Walter Hooper's
life changed immeasurably when he relocated to Oxford,
England in the early 1960's. It was during this
time when, according to Hooper, he became a personal
assistant to C.S. Lewis. As a temporary resident
of Lewis' home, the Kilns, says Hooper, he got to
know Lewis personally. He gained insights into Lewis'
prolific correspondence with fans and friends and
he studied his writings. Though in graduate school
in the USA when Lewis died, Hooper later returned
to Oxford where he's become the editor of several
collections of Lewis' writings as well as the book
C.S. Lewis: Companion & Guide. He is also an
advisor to the estate of C.S. Lewis.
It should be noted that Walter Hooper has been the
source of some controversy. As recently as 2001,
author Kathryn Lindskoog in her book Sleuthing C.S.
Lewis: More Light in the Shadowlands suggested that
several literary and theological works attributed
to C.S. Lewis may, in fact, be the product of forgery.
According to Lindskoog's work, Hooper may be at
the helm of the forgery. Lindskoog has previously
accused Hooper of embellishing the facts of his
relationship with Lewis.
For the purposes of this book, it should be noted
that Mr. Hooper is one of several interview subjects
who either knew Lewis personally or have studied
his work extensively. Hooper's claims to have known
Lewis and to have served as his temporary secretary
(during the absence of Lewis' brother, Warnie, who
was notable as Lewis' secretary in later years)
in 1963 are true and have been substantiated by
others who knew Lewis, including Douglas Gresham.
And there is no doubt that Mr. Hooper has focused
much of his career as a writer and editor on the
life and work of C.S. Lewis. His contributions to
this book as an interview subject are substantial;
however, like all of those interviewed, his comments
are purely subjective.
o
Dabney Hart PhD - English Professor, Lewis scholar
and lecturer. As a student, Dabney Hart met C.S.
Lewis during his time at Cambridge University as
part of her graduate studies on his work. "He
had a good handshake," Hart recalled, "and
a lovely, warm welcoming smile. He wasn't striking
or distinctive looking in any way, just pleasant."
Hart went on to author numerous articles on Lewis
as well as the book Through The Open Door: A New
Look At C.S. Lewis for the University of Alabama
Press. Today, Hart is an Associate Professor of
English at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
o
Lyle Dorsett PhD - Professor, author, lecturer.
A professor of evangelism and spiritual formation
at Illinois' Wheaton College and Graduate School,
Dorsett is the author of numerous articles and books
on C.S. Lewis including And God Came In: A Biography
of Joy Davidman. Dorsett is also the editor of The
Essential C.S. Lewis and co-editor (with Marjorie
Mead) of C.S Lewis, Letters To Children. He is currently
writing a spiritual biography on Lewis. Dorsett
is the former director of the Marion E. Wade Center
at Wheaton College and is a senior pastor at the
Church of the Great Shepard in Wheaton.
o
Christopher Mitchell, PhD - Pastor, missionary,
director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton
College. After receiving his doctorate from the
University of St. Andrews (Scotland) where his concentration
was historical theology, Mitchell spent several
years as a Christian missionary including time in
both India and Haiti. As Director of the Wade Center,
Mitchell has lectured widely on C.S. Lewis and published
articles including "Bearing the Weight of Glory:
The Cost of C.S. Lewis' Witness" and "University
Battles: C.S. Lewis and the Oxford Socratic Club"
along with numerous contributions to journals and
other publications. He is currently working on a
book-length study of C.S. Lewis and the Oxford Socratic
Club. Mitchell is also an assistant professor of
theological studies at Wheaton College and book-review
editor of SEVEN: An Anglo-American Literary Review.
o Colin Manlove - Professor, writer, Lewis scholar.
Born in Falkirk, Scotland in 1942, Manlove earned
his bachelor's degree in literature at Pembroke
College, Oxford, with a thesis on English fantasy.
He received his master's degree in English language
and literature at Edinburgh University. He became
a lecturer in English at Edinburgh University in
1967 and was awarded a doctorate in 1990. In 1993,
Manlove retired from the University and has continued
writing.
Manlove's
has authored numerous books on fantasy, science
fiction, Shakespeare and English literature from
1600-1800. His extensive writings on C.S. Lewis
include C.S. Lewis - His Literary Achievement (1987)
and The Chronicles of Narnia - The Patterning of
a Fantasic World (1993). He has also written approximately
forty articles and essays. It is Manlove's belief
that fantasy can best be described in terms of its
country of origin, and he has plans for a book on
the fantasy of different European countries.
Manlove was first drawn to C. S. Lewis after reading
The Problem of Pain, which excited him intellectually.
He later read Perelandra, which, he says, "has
never failed to awaken wonder." Years of teaching
Lewis texts to students continually highlighted
new aspects of his work, which, like any good literature,
revealed fresh perspectives with each reading. Lewis'
mind and work have brought light to Colin Manlove's
life, and he looks forward one day to saying so
face to face.
The common denominators among those included in
this oral history on C.S. Lewis are their passion
for Lewis' work and their commitment to sharing
personal insights into C.S. Lewis the man, the writer,
the teacher and the creator of magical worlds.
We are grateful for the time they've shared with
us, for their participation in the interview process,
and for their commitment to our efforts to share
the story of C.S. Lewis on television and in various
forms of educational media and print.
-----
Thank
you for reading the introduction to the book THE
MAGIC NEVER ENDS - The Life & Work of C.S. Lewis.
If you would like to purchase the book or the related
home video documentary, please click
here. The book may also be purchased in bookstores
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We would be happy to hear from you.
Our colleagues at Crouse Entertainment Group can
be accessed through the "Links"
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