C.S. Lewis

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C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters

• Introductory Notes

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1. The Irish-English writer C.S. Lewis was born
in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1898. He was
educated in England, enlisted in the army in
1917, saw front line combat and was wounded in
the war. He returned to his studies at Oxford
after the war, and graduated in 1922. He taught
at Oxford and Cambridge as a professor of
Medieval and Renaissance literature.
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2. In his boyhood he was an atheist, but
converted to Christianity in 1931. His spiritual
pilgrimage followed two tracks, both intellectual
(i.e. mind) And emotional-intuitive (i.e
feeling).
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3. Lewis was part of the Oxford literary circle
known as the Inklings, whose membership included
J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings
and The Hobbit).
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4. In 1957 he married Joy Davidman Gresham, an
American with whom he had corresponded for a
number of years. Joy had been a Jewish atheist
and a communist. She converted to Christianity
partly as a result of reading Lewis books.
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5. Joy was already suffering from bone cancer at
the time of their marriage and died in 1960.
Lewis died three years later on Nov. 22, 1963,
the same day JFK was assassinated in Dallas.
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Their lives and love story are portrayed in the
play and movie Shadowlands. The title of the
movie alludes to Lewis belief that our world is
only a reflection of Gods wonderful kingdom
(Now we see through a glass darkly, but in the
end, face to face....).
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6. The screenplay gives some people the idea that
Lewis lost his faith after Joy died. This is not
true. In his autobiography, A Grief Observed, he
makes it clear that he did go through a period of
questioning Gods goodness for a short time. At
one point he speculates whether God might be
wicked. This statement is followed by the line
I wrote that last night. It was a yell rather
than a thought. It is interesting to note that
one of Lewis finest Christian books is Letters
to Malcolm Chiefly on Prayer, which was written
just before his death and some time after Joy had
died.
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7. Lewis was a talented writer and debater. He
wrote in many genres novels,poetry, childrens
literature, fantasy, science fiction, literary
criticism, and Christian apologetics.
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8. While Lewis was an Anglican, what he cared
most about was what he called Mere Christianity
that is, that faith which has been at the center
of the gospel and the creeds of the church since
the apostles announced it. It was the gospel
freed from the denominational idiosyncrasies, the
debris of history, and focuses on the essential
truth of the identity and mission of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth.
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9. When writing the book Mere Christianity, he
had the text reviewed by Anglican, Roman
Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian clergymen to
avoid any hint of denominational bias creeping in.
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10. In a telling passage in Allegory of Love, he
recognizes the potential flaws in both Catholic
and Protestant paths When Catholicism goes bad
it becomes a world-old, world-wide religio of
amulets and holy places and priest craft
Protestantism, in its corresponding decay,
becomes a watered-down vague mist of ethical
platitudes. The authority of Christ and His
teachings is what counts for Lewis not an
occasionally revised doctrine the church produces
(that we are expected to accept in advance of
changes), or a watered-down/ feel good
doctrine.
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The Screwtape Letters 1. Written in 1942,
it is a series of letters from one devil to
another. Screwtape is the author of the letters.
He is an experienced devil and is writing to his
nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter on his first
assignment. The letters deal with the psychology
of temptation, and will make most readers
laugh--and wince.
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2. Some editions contain the short essay
Screwtape Proposes a Toast. This is not really a
sequel to the original, but is a separate essay
in which Screwtape gives a speech praising recent
developments in the English and American
education system.
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3. While reading the letters, our goal should be
to gain insight into the potential pitfalls that
we face in trying to lead a Christian life.
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Literary Term epistolary essay epistolary
novel An epistolary essay or novel is one in
which the entire work is presented in the form
of letters written by one or more characters
to communicate the theme or plot/story line.