Literature in English, British Isles Commons^™

Review Of Companionship In Grief: Love And Loss In The Memoirs Of C. S. Lewis, John Bayley, Donald Hall, Joan Didion, And Calvin Trillin, Don W. King

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Don W. King: Review of: Jeffrey Berman, Companionship in Grief: Love and Loss in the Memoirs of C. S. Lewis, John Bayley, Donald Hall, Joan Didion, and Calvin Trillin

"There Is No Emperor": Merlin And The Ideal State In That Hideous Strength, L. S.B. Maccoull

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

C. S. Lewis’ Merlin has been brought forward from the sixth century. In the world he knew, though there was no longer a Roman Emperor in the West, there certainly was an Emperor reigning in Constantinople who could be called upon for aid. A closer look at Lewis’ depiction of Byzantium reveals what role the positive qualities he attributed to the city played in the development of his own views regarding the nature of the realm (or world) we should strive to realize here on earth.

The Stylistic Achievement Of Mere Christianity, Gary L. Tandy

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

This essay will not attempt to explain the cultural, sociological, and theological reasons for the ongoing relevance of Lewis’s Mere Christianity. It will, however, look closely at several aspects of the work in order to assess its rhetorical and literary achievement. It will also suggest that, while Lewis’ understanding of Christian doctrine and his mastery of logical argument are important (and have received the bulk of critical attention), the success of Mere Christianity has more to do with the style through which the author communicated its content. Specifically, Lewis’ rhetorical or apologetic theory led him to focus on the …

"A Dreadful Thing": C.S. Lewis And The Experinces Of War, Timothy J. Demy

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

From a Christian perspective, war entails the death and killing of people who are all created in the image of God and therefore have inherent dignity and incalculable worth. And yet, even after experiencing war at firsthand, C. S. Lewis believed that war is sometimes justifiable and necessary.

Like others of his generation, Lewis was deeply affected by the experience of war. He lived through the First and Second World Wars, serving as an officer on the Western Front between November 1917 and April 1918. His brother Warren (“Warnie”) was a career officer serving in the British army in both …

"The Curdie Books, Please": C.S. Lewis' Co-Creative Reading In That Hideous Stength, Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

The intent of this article is to initiate examination into the extent to which That Hideous Strength (1945), the last of the Ransom trilogy, is shaped by the “Curdie books”—particularly the second, The Princess and Curdie (1882).6 In doing so, some of MacDonald’s influence on Lewis’ understanding of “myth,” of “semantic unities,” and even of literary criticism will be set forth.

A Friend's Death: C.S. Lewis' Disagreement With St. Augustine, Jason Lepojärvi

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Lewis did nothing to conceal his admiration of—and theological pedigree to—Augustine: as he wrote, Augustine “is a great saint and a great thinker to whom my old glad debts are incalculable.”3 This is why the only time he explicitly disagrees with Augustine on an important point concerning love, he does so “with trembling.”4 Lewis’ sentiments in having to disagree with Augustine may be comparable to Stanley Hauerwas disagreeing with Lewis. It is difficult, Hauerwas wrote, “to criticize a writer who has done so much good as C. S. Lewis.”5 The purpose of the present article is to evaluate the gentlemanly …

Jack Lewis And His American Cousin, Nat Hawthorne: A Study Of Instructive Affinities, D. G. Kehl

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

When he was a student at Oxford University, C. S. Lewis wrote to a friend expressing his great admiration of and enthusiasm for the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, particularly The House of the Seven Gables and Transformation (British title of The Marble Faun). This study examines the parallels between these two kindred spirits and their works, focusing on their similar worldviews, their personal backgrounds and lifestyles, and the "Ultimates" they both pondered. It discusses common themes in their works, such as myth, scientism, and "the great power of blackness." Their respective attitudes toward these issues and others, such as faith, …

Veiled Victorian Vampires: What Literary Antagonists Reveal About Societal Fears Of 19th Century England, Jenna Harford

Honors Theses

In my thesis paper I look at three primary texts, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray to analyze their main antagonists through a vampiric lens. I explain how the characters of Bertha Mason, Miss Havisham, and Dorian Gray are all written with veiled vampiric traits that revolve around themes of sexuality, secrecy and seclusion, and unbridled physical and emotional violence. Although none of these texts is obviously a “vampire novel”, the authors lean into vampire tropes including eerie physical description, doubled relationships, and other vampire lore that can be best …

"Cabined, Cribbed, Confined": Tyrannical Anxiety And Maternal Power In Shakespeare, Elle J. Nieuwsma

Masters Theses

The tyrannical king, a common trope in Shakespearean plays, is on the surface a powerful and confident character. He is motivated, though, by overwhelming anxiety and fear about losing his power and the freedom he experiences through it. In other words, he suffers from a metaphorical claustrophobia and is terrified of being confined to physical, social, and sexual inadequacy. In order to protect himself and maintain his freedom, the tyrant must project his anxiety onto someone else, and interestingly, the Shakespearean tyrants choose a shared target: mothers.

Through a series of close-readings and analysis, this article explores how several different …

Dismantling Dualisms: Jane’S Liminal Agency In Charlotte Brontë’S Jane Eyre, Nicole Baniukaitis

Masters Theses

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is a complex and, at times, seemingly paradoxical novel. Through Jane’s journey, I argue that Charlotte Brontë offers possibilities that can be explained and understood through Val Plumwood’s ecofeminist lens of dismantling or escaping dualisms in order to make these crucial changes and rewrite the traditional story. Jane’s liminality throughout the novel empowers her, offers her access to alternative modalities, and allows her to notice the oppressive dualistic structures governing all aspects of life. Due to her unique liminal positioning, Jane is aligned with nature and fights against oppressive dualisms to shape her life in a …

Review Of C. S. Lewis Pre-Evangelism For A Post-Christian World: Why Narnia Might Be More Real Than We Think, Josiah Peterson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Josiah Peterson: Review of Brian Williams, C. S. Lewis Pre-Evangelism for a Post-Christian World: Why Narnia Might be More Real Than We Think (Cambridge, Ohio: Christian Publishing House, 2021). 308 pages. $15.95. ISBN 9781949586152.

Review Of Splendour In The Dark: C. S. Lewis’S Dymer In His Life And Work, Crystal Hurd

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Crystal Hurd: Review of Jerry Root, Splendour in the Dark: C. S. Lewis’s Dymer in His Life and Work (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2020). 240 pages, including Contributors and Indices. $20.00. ISBN 9780830853755.

Review Of Holly Ordway, Tolkien’S Modern Reading: Middle-Earth Beyond The Middle Ages, Lauren Spohn

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Lauren Spohn: Review of Holly Ordway, Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth beyond the Middle Ages (Park Ridge, Illinois: Word on Fire Academic, 2021). 382 pages, including pictures and Appendix. $28.47. ISBN 9781943243723.

Review Of The Reading Life: The Joy Of Seeing New Worlds Through Others’ Eyes, Corey Latta

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Corey Latta: Review of C. S. Lewis, The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Others’ Eyes, ed. by David Downing and Michael Maudlin (Harper Collins: New York, NY: 2019). 171 pages. $14.79. ISBN 9780062849977.

Review Of The Inklings And Culture: A Harvest Of Scholarship From The Inklings Institute Of Canada, Joel D. Heck

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Joel D. Heck: Review of Monika B. Hilder, Sara L. Pearson, and Laura N. Van Dyke, eds., The Inklings and Culture: A Harvest of Scholarship from the Inklings Institute of Canada (Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020). 397 pages. ISBN 9781527560147.

Review Of From Spare Oom To War Drobe: Travels In Narnia With My Nine-Year-Old Self, Sarah R. A. Waters

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Sarah Waters: Review of Katherine Langrish, From Spare Oom to War Drobe: Travels in Narnia with my Nine-Year-Old Self (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2021). 286 pages. $26.00. ISBN 9781913657079.

Review Of Waking The Dead: George Macdonald As Philosopher, Mystic, And Apologist, Carol Propst

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Carol Propst: Review of Dean Hardy, Waking the Dead: George MacDonald as Philosopher, Mystic, and Apologist (Hamden, CT: Winged Lion Press, 2020). 231 pages. $18.99. ISBN 9781935688211.

Review Of Dorothy L. Sayers, A Biography: Death, Dante, And Lord Peter Wimsey, Gary L. Tandy

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Gary L. Tandy: Review of Colin Duriez, Dorothy L. Sayers, A Biography: Death, Dante, and Lord Peter Wimsey (Summertown, Oxford: Lion Hudson Limited, 2021). 224 pages. $14.95. ISBN 9780745956923.

Review Of Subversive: Christ, Culture, And The Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara L. Prescott

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Barbara L. Prescott: Review of Crystal Downing, Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Broadleaf Books, 2020). 240 pages. $24.99. ISBN 9781506462752.

Annotated Listing Of The C.S. Lewis Collection At The Lanier Theological Library, Charlie W. Starr, Crystal Hurd

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

No abstract provided.

C.S. Lewis Manuscripts At The Lanier Theological Library, Charlie W. Starr, Crystal Hurd

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

In addition to a substantial collection of Lewis first editions, the Lanier Collection contains several handwritten Lewis manuscripts. Previously published Lewis pieces in the Lanier collection include eleven letters or excerpts from letters, a manuscript draft of “Learning in Wartime” from the collection The Weight of Glory, an early version of the poem “A Cliché Came Out of its Cage,” and a penciled outline of notes for Beyond Personality, later included in Mere Christianity. Fourteen Lewis manuscripts in the Lanier Collection are published here for the first time.

Review Of Looking For The King: An Inklings Novel, Annelise Holwerda

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Annelise Holwerda: Review of David C. Downing, Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel (San Francisco, 2010). 278 pages. $15.96. ISBN 9781586175146.

Review Of Death And Fantasy: Essays On Phillip Pullman, C.S. Lewis, George Macdonald, And R.L. Stevenson, Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson: Review of William Gray, Death and Fantasy: Essays on Philip Pullman, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and R. L. Stevenson (Newcastle upon Tyne, 2008). 136 pages. $24.99. ISBN 9781847188717.

Review Of Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis To Left Behind, Stephen F. Hayes

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Stephen F. Hayes: Review of Nancy M. Tischler, Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C. S. Lewis to Left Behind (Santa Barbara, 2009). 352 pages. $96. ISBN 9780313345685.

Review Of War Of The Fantasy Worlds: C.S. Lewis And J.R.R. Tolkein On Art And Imagination, Charles Franklyn Beach

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Charles Franklyn Beach: Review of Martha C. Sammons, War of the Fantasy Worlds: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien on Art and Imagination (Santa Barbara, 2010). xv + 237 pages. $44.95. ISBN 9780313362828.

Review Of The Narnia Code: C.S. Lewis And The Secret Of The Seven Heavens, Sørina Higgins

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Sørina Higgins: Review of Michael Ward, The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens (Carol Stream, Illinois, 2010). 193 pages, including “For Further Reading” and Discussion Guide. $13.99. ISBN 9781414339658.

Review Of The Hidden Story Of Narnia: A Book-By-Book Guide To C.S. Lewis' Spiritual Themes, Stephen Yandell

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Stephen Yandell: Review of Will Vaus, The Hidden Story of Narnia: A Book-by-Book Guide to C. S. Lewis’ Spiritual Themes (Cheshire, Connecticut, 2010). ii + 135 pages. $19.97. ISBN 9781936294022.

Review Of Shadows And Chivalry: Pain, Suffering, Evil And The Goodness In The Works Of George Macdonald And C.S. Lewis, P. H. Brazier

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

P.H. Brazier: Review of Jeff McInnis, Shadows and Chivalry: Pain, Suffering, Evil and Goodness in the Works of George MacDonald and C. S. Lewis (Eugene, Oregon, 2008). 307 pages. $39.00. ISBN 9781556356650.

Review Of Charles Williams And His Contemporaries, Stephen Barber

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Stephen BarberReview of Suzanne Bray and Richard Sturch, eds., Charles Williams and His Contemporaries (Newcastle upon Tyne, 2009). xi + 160 pages. $52.99. ISBN 9781443805650.

Review Of William Murdock, The Inklings At Christmastide, Bruce R. Johnson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Bruce R. Johnson: Review of William Murdock, The Inklings at Christmastide (Queen Creek, Arizona, 2009). 115 pages. $12.95. ISBN 9780984289219.