C. S. Lewis and Myth 2023

  I am Phthonos. But you mortals may know me as the god of jealousy. Though I am not worshiped in this realm, I am indeed acquainted and close. I am a son of Aphrodite or as you Glomians say, Ungit. I have seen how you Glomians stole the praise and worship due to my mother and liberally give it to your mortal sister Psyche. I then watched my mother's wrathful hand bring dread upon your land, your king, and even your common folk. Though this bothered me not. For I know my Unit can be a wrathful goddess. As may know I am not the only son of Ungit. As there are as many as fifteen of us. But seeing my abysmal brother, Cupid, obtain the hand of Psyche in marriage, provoked unholy hatred and jealousy in me. There never was such a formosity in all the dome of the heavens or the land you mortals dwell. If the beauty of Helen of Troy sent one thousand ships to war. The beauty of Psyche of Glome would have sent one hundred thousand. I feigned to have that mortal for myself. Thus and thus I c...

I n Lewis’ Out of A Silent Planet. While waiting for the 28 day trip to Malacandra, Ransom entertained himself by getting to know his captors more intimately. Devine was quite open about his motivations. Ransom explains, “ for the most part [Devine’s] conversation ran on the things he would do when he got back to Earth: ocean-going yachts, the most expensive women and a big place on the Riviera figured figured largely in his plans. I’m not running these risks for fun.” Similar to Weston’s outlook on life Devine in another representation of another grave evil. This one being hedonism. While the consequences of this philosophy isn’t as clear as Westons they are just as bad. When one selfishly pursues their own lusts and desires they not only corrode their soul but they effect those close to them. There is no end in the path of hedonism. No women, job, money, or power will be enough to satisfy you. You will be constantly restless to the point where you must numb yourself with even more pl...

In Lewis’ Out of A Silent Planet a certain physicist, Dr. Weston kidnaps Ransom and takes him aboard his spaceship headed towards Malacandra. Once Ransom awakes from his slumber and realizes that he is in a spaceship he begins to question the estranged physicist. With little resistance Weston begins to explain his philosophy of life. Ransom responded, “ you hold all the cards, and I must make the best of it. I consider your philosophy of life to be raving lunacy. I suppose all that stuff about infinity and eternity means that you think you are justifiable in doing anything–absolutely anything–here and now, on the off chance that some creatures or other descended from man as we know him may crawl about a few centuries longer in some part of the universe.” Weston responded, “ Yes–anything whatsoever”. Weston resembles one of the great evils of mankind. That being the telos of evolution or in other words survival of the fittest. That is the basic idea the it is a means to an end and not ...

  Hear me mortal, and tremble. I am the god Hades, and my voice is the last that the ears of men hear. Among your people I may go by a different name, but in the hereafter, names mean nothing. I am the one to whom you thought of sending yourself, your father, Psyche, on occasion your sister, and the one who received that whiny Prince of Phars (his thought that he should not wet his sword with a woman's blood, and that he insisted that he should hang you assuming his victory in single combat, was deeply offensive to me. Where else is equality so real than the grave?) Among womenfolk I do not often find one so unperturbed about the transportation of others' souls from the realm above to my realm below. I took a special interest in you, my child, on that stormy night, when you journeyed to the border of the realm of the gods. In that moment, you saw the reality of existence, that mortals rarely ever perceive on this side of the grave. That reality, that the meaningfulness of lif...

  Why do Lewis and Tolkien, two respectable academics in their own rights, spend so much time in their stories developing the complex cultures (and in the case of Tolkien, even a full language) of their fantasy stories? Why should we care for the various types of humor offered by each of the species “the jokes of all three were equally incomprehensible to him. He thought he could see differences in kind- as that the sorns seldom got beyond irony, while the hrossa were extravagant and fantastic, and the pfifltriggi were sharp and excelled in abuse…” or for the random poetic breaks in the journey of the fellowship of the Ring: “"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” So much time and effort was placed in the creation and fleshing-out of a world that is not real. Or at least, not real in the sense that it cannot be touched, seen, or smelled. However, it can be felt. And th...

  It is remarkable that the characteristics of these fantasy creatures is so well established and understood that, if one were to ask a stranger to describe an Elf (provided it was established that the subject was not Santa’s little helpers), they would likely describe something similar to your understanding of the creatures, even down to the details of their haughty demeanor and isolationist tendencies. We all understand what Elves are, which, one could argue, makes them just as real as the material world. The myth is so powerful that, though the fantasy-worlds of Tolkien and Lewis exist in our minds’ eye, the vividness of the mythos allows us to collectively enter that space together. Perhaps the overwhelming feeling of isolation which many experience in the modern world is due to the lack of a shared mythology. “The American Dream” used to be that shared myth, along with all the stories of the founding fathers and their grand aspirations for the fledgling country. Now, that myth...

  I recently went to New York for a family trip. One should expect that New York City, having an enormously high population density and is the East Coast’s hub for “culture” would be an incredible place.. If all one knew of New York City was the songs and movies about it, they might imagine it as a place right out of a fantasy novel. Granted, it was incredible. But while some might look up at the lights and impossibly tall skyscrapers of Times Square and feel “in it”, I looked up and felt alone. Though thousands of unfamiliar faces brushed by me like sediments of sand on the ocean floor, it felt as if I was trapped in a neon prison of lights, sounds, and smells. The billboards, blazing with every color under the sun, demanded my attention, insisting that the product they were selling was exactly what I needed to fill the void. If I bought this car, then I’d be happy. Upon reflecting on this, I could not see the city for its beauty, but only as a place which voraciously consumed all...

  Our era contains the vastest and most accessible array of human experience of any era of human existence before us. The vast storehouse of the knowledge of humanity is a few keystrokes away from one’s fingertips. One can communicate with people across the globe in seconds. With all these advancements, one should assume that our society possesses more than enough connection. In fact, some of the original marketing campaigns for social media platforms such as Facebook advertised that their platform had the capability to bring the world together. And yet, we suffer the greatest sense of disconnection and isolation than any of our forefathers. In our sterile world, there is little room for imagination. We are told that our dreams of great deeds are “just fantasies.” In fact, that is exactly what they are. Those dreams are the fantastic desires of the human heart, repressed by the culture of comfort, convenience, and consumerism around us.

The “holy smell” of Ungit is described as a sweet, sticky thing, with strong associations to the rituals of the holy people pof Ungit.  The incense in “Till we have faces,” like the incense of other religious traditions, represents the prayers of the faithful, rising to the heavens. However, in the case of Ungit’s temple, the smell accompanies the other “holy” things (holy in this context has a negative connotation, because of the role of the temple of Ungit in the story). The description of a smell which evokes a strong response is a common experience, for smell is the sense which most closely relates to memory. A whiff of a smell from one’s childhood can instantly transport them to a different era of their life, evoking the emotions that represented that Era for them. For Oural, the “holy smell” evoked the fear and dread of anything related to Ungit.

  I was struck by the scene in which the priest of Ungit describes the reason that Psyche must be sacrificed to Ungit in order to avert the various calamities which befell the nation of Glome. He waxes poetic about the nature of the gods, and that they demand nothing less than the best in order to appease their wrath. He states “That is not enough, King. And you know it. We must find the Accursed. And she (or he) must die by the rite of the Great Offering. What is a thief more than a bull or a man? This is not to be a common sacrifice. We must make the Great Offering.” This sounds a great deal like Christ’s sacrifice within Christian theology. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice- the “Great Offering” made to cleanse the sins of the world. However, the difference between the two lies in the satisfaction of the wrath of the gods. For Psyche’s tale, her supposed sacrifice is not enough to quell the wrath of the gods, however, the divine nature of Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient to overcome ...

  Consider the Hrossa as the foil to the Elves of Middle-earth. Each Hross lives for nearly identical lengths of time, being resistant to the curse of sickness and other maladies that plague the elderly of mankind. The Hrossa live in harmony with the other denizens of Malacandra, and the only real cause of untimely deaths among their people is the hunt for the elusive hnakra, the Leviathan which plagues the waters of Malacandra. However, the Hrossa do not consider this ferocious monster a plague on their land, like humans might when faced with an infestation of wild animals near our cities, but rather, as a challenge to face, an obstacle to overcome, a demon to slay, and because of these things, a fellow creature in the web of life. Ransom himself becomes a hnarkapunti (essentially Leviathan-slayer) along with the rest of the Hrossa on that hunt. “He was one with them. That difficulty which they, accustomed to than one rational species, had perhaps never felt, was now overcome. The...

  Lewis takes a great deal of time with “Out of the Silent Planet” to describe the culture of the Hrossa and the other races of Mars. The Inklings share a unique penchant for the creation and exploration of fantasy worlds. Whether the grand and harsh land of Middle Earth, filled with kings, dragons, demons, prophecies, and wizards, or (much the same, but more child-friendly) versions for Narnia, or the vast landscapes and fantastical flora and Fauna of the planets of our solar system with the Space Trilogy- one can hardly claim that the world-building of Lewis and Tolkien is anything but remarkable. Not only does each of these authors take painstaking detail in the development of and the description of the scenery in which their characters inhabit, they have taken great pains to ensure that these rich worlds are not bereft of citizenry. In fact, a great deal of time is dedicated within the Space Trilogy and the Lord of the Rings to the vivid descriptions of these fantasy races....

  “Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.’ ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver. ‘Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” The works of CS Lewis contain a vast cast of characters (though not as vast as Tolkien, his world-building is second to none), kings, talking animals, British children, witches, spirits, and gods. This diverse cast occupy various worlds in which Good is in constant warfare with Evil (Lewis writes in Christian Reflections that “There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”), and this belief in the constant battle of the spiritual realm is reflected in his literary works.

  In Narnia, as is the case for most children’s stories, the depictions of the forces of Good and Evil are very obvious. Aslan is the clear representation of Jesus, and is the rightful Lord of Narnia and the most powerful force working for its good. On the other hand, the White Witch represents Evil, and will stop at nothing in order to conquer the world of Narnia for herself. There is an interesting philosophical claim being made about the nature of Evil when it is used in the context of the cold or the winter. Firstly, it contrasts with the spring and summer seasons, in which the world is filled with vibrant growth and change. Second, it shows that Evil does not necessarily take the form of darkness, violence, and bloodshed, but rather the more insidious type takes the form of stagnation. This is further emphasized within the Screwtape letters, where the elder demon cautions the younger about getting too excited about the War. “Do remember you are there to fuddle him. From the wa...

  What makes the faerie-story and the fantasy-tale so vastly different from these other methods of “Escapism.” For is the ravenous consumption of clothes, jewelry, and food not also a form of escape from the reality of human existence? Tolkien and Lewis both share a positive perspective of the role of “Escapism” of faerie-stories, but this will be shown to be vastly different from the type of escape that consumerist culture offers. Tolkien states “I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used: a tone for which the uses of the word outside literary criticism give no warrant at all.”  He approves of the use of “escape” from the drudgery of modern life, for that is what faerie-stories can offer us- an escape into a world of dragons, hobbits, and elves. However, the primary difference lies in what one is escaping to....

  The unspeakable (not in a negative way, but rather, that words are rarely sufficient to express it) desire that we have for beauty and creation is because we are created beings. Lewis asks this very question, saying “Why did we make anything? Why in particular did we make anything like a fantasy world? Because we are made: so made that we can both see through the veil and press on to those ultimate reaches where the veil is no more.” The creation of fantasy worlds and faerie stories are our reaches beyond the veil, where our people do great and noble deeds, and sing songs of long-lost heroes, and know the day we will die so as to do so in an honorable fashion.

  The fantasy worlds which they have created display a richness of life that our imaginations desire. The Faerie-story is not simply meant for children, for “A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” In fact, Lewis famously states that “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” He recognized the innate human longing for beauty, for creation, for- something greater. “We do not want merely to see beauty... we want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves.”

  Lewis argues extensively for the role of storytelling and myth, stating “The value of myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.” The ethnographies of the fantasy worlds of Lewis and Tolkien serve this very purpose, to hold our own cultures up to the mirror of myth, so we can clearly see beyond the veil of familiarity.

  In the collection of fairy tales recorded by the brothers Grimm, Elves have a very peculiar description that is very different from popular modern conceptions. Elves are described as small human-like creatures who are very mysterious and good at working with their hands. They’re also described as pretty with big heads and exquisite beards. These little creatures hail from mountains laden with intricate furniture. One must begin to question, where in the world did the idea of elves come from? Tolkien wasn’t the first to come up with them with his famous Lord of The Rings series. He just gave the idea flesh with a unique language, history, and appearance. But besides the brilliant creativity of Tolkien, who was the first to come up with elves? The brothers Grimm published their stories in 1812 but they didn’t create these stories. They merely put oral tales and fables into paper and mass produced it. These stories could very well be from the early 1000s. Maybe in the 1st century so...

I am the god of order. My planet is Saturn. I am balanced in everything. The crops come to be and come to rot as a result of my prudence. For every beautiful deer, there is a toad. For each songbird’s song, there is a pig’s grunt. Your appearance is a result of the future beauty of your sister. It is only for the sake of balance that you have been the way you are. I am sorry for your lot, but you must understand that your existence is ultimately necessary for the proper balance of all things, dear Orual. I have watched you from the moment you were born, and you never once understood this to be the case. I saw you as you cursed the gods beneath your breath for your appearance. I had hope for you at the birth of your sister. I thought perhaps your immediate understanding of her beauty would lead you to view yourself as a fit counterweight on the Earth. Instead, you tried to take her beauty for yourself. You had no beauty of your own and sought to benefit from hers. How selfish of you, de...

It hit me the other day that everytime I begin a new novel, I check to see if there is an illustration of a map of the world of the book somewhere within the first few pages. When there is a map, I become outrageously excited for the novel. I wondered why for a moment. Then it hit me. A book with a map is a book that gives much care to its setting and makes an effort to build a world within the novel. One of the first books I read which contained a map was Tolkien’s The Hobbit. I read it while I was in first grade and it had such a profound effect on me, in part because I was so effortlessly drawn into the world of middle-earth. When an author takes time to provide the reader with detailed descriptions of the setting, I experience the novel on a more visceral level. If I can see in my mind’s eye what the protagonist sees, I can more readily enter into a novel. As a result, I am more affected by what occurs in the novel. I learn lessons from the characters and my heart races when I sens...

  Watching the movie in class gave me a new perspective about Lewis. He had already been one of my favorite authors, but I never knew much about his personal life. This movie opened my eyes to the type of person he was. I now have a renewed interest in his work because I feel like I know him. The way he came around as he got to know Joy was extremely touching. The effect one person can have upon even the greatest of men gives me hope. A proper love holds a special power.  The movie has helped me recognize how Joy’s effect upon him is reflected in his later works. The simple fact that Till We Have Faces has a female protagonist shows Lewis’s growth after getting to know Joy. 

  Having our class at beervana has caused me to consider the benefits and problems with alcohol. Personally, I believe full drunkenness is a sin. In my opinion, a moderate amount of alcohol is not sinful, and can actually be somewhat beneficial for some people. A little bit of beer tends to do nothing other than relax me and slow the pace of my brain down, which helps me think clearly. I have found that many of my best conversations with my friends involve a small amount of alcohol. Not only does it have a positive physical effect, but it causes us to sit down and have intentional conversations while we finish our drinks – something the regular pace of life seems to prevent. I cannot help but think of the inklings and their use of alcohol in the same way. I am grateful for alcohol’s usefulness in building friendships, drawing people together, and facilitating conversation. 

  Xenophon’s masterpiece, The Education of Cyrus , recounts the story of Cyrus the Great of Persia’s life. Since this story is more of a biography, it does not maintain all of the qualities of myth/fiction, but the impact of this story potentially rivals the effect of any major myth. Cyrus’s mastery of rhetoric and leadership and manipulation made him incredibly successful. His ability to convince his people to love him while also completing an absurd amount of conquests is something all leaders should look up to. He is not necessarily the greatest person to look up to, though he is described as excelling in virtue and loving people. His story held a lot of influence over the founders of America. His excellence in effective leadership is nearly as impressive as a mythic/fiction hero like Odysseus. 

  I read a book about misinformation entitled, “Beyond Fake News” by Justin McBrayer. It dove into various topics about misinformation from its growth and spread to its effects and pervasive nature. In one of the chapters, McBrayer wrote about how news sources have incentives that rank higher on their list than sharing what is true. Their incentives for money which is gained only through selling peoples’ attention to advertisers is one such incentive. In order to hold peoples’ attention, they do any number of things. One thing that is common is to take a relatively unimportant piece of news and weave a very compelling narrative around it. People are easily sucked into stories, while plain information is not as enticing. This allows news sources to weave partially true tales that are enjoyable for readers and cause them to engage with them. Oftentimes engagement with narratives causes more important news to be less popular, and thus put forward less. Interesting how humans’ connecti...

  As previously mentioned, the Reds in the story live underground on mars, mining helium. They believe that they do this mining to supply helium for a failing Earth full of people. In reality, the rest of humanity has built a highly functioning society spanning the Solar System, and the Reds are mining helium to power their successful world. The main character, Darrow, is a Red. He discovers that the surface of Mars is actually a flourishing city, and sets off to overthrow the entire color-based caste system. In order to do so, he must transform his body into the body of a Gold. This process is incredibly brutal and painful, but he comes out a stronger man on the other side and sees reality for what it truly is. This entire narrative arc is so strikingly similar to Plato’s allegory of the cave. The Reds are those inside the cave. The Golds (who keep them there) are the puppeteers. The lie about the purpose of helium is the shadow on the wall. It is not until Darrow shakes free of t...

  This book’s political system is remarkably similar to Plato’s Noble Lie from the Republic . In the Kallipolis (Plato’s hypothetical just city that exists as an allegory for the human soul), Every person is lied to from birth. They are assigned a role in society based upon what type of metal is “mixed with their soul.” Bronze people form the working class of Society. Silver people serve as the military. Gold people make up the leaders of the society. This idea is echoed and taken to a horrific extreme in Red Rising . In the story, every person is assigned a color and they have been assigned colors for so long that people have evolved to fit the duties of their colors. Obsidians, for example, are the bodyguards and police in this world. They are massively tall and strong, perfectly designed for their jobs. A government enforced lie might help society function properly, but if the people ever see through that lie, a rebellion is bound to happen, as can be seen in Red Rising . 

  Pierce Brown’s novel is one of the most enjoyable pieces of literature I have ever read. In a dystopian universe, all people are separated by rank and these ranks are referred to by colors. Golds make up the top of society. They are the kings and rulers and elite. The Reds are the lowest members of society. They live underground on Mars and mine for helium, unaware of the outside world. This story reminded me how infectious a good story can be. I read faster than I ever have before because the story pulled me in and pulled me along at blistering speeds with it. I lost complete vision of myself while reading, and when I stopped, I could not stop thinking about it. The courage of the main character seemed like it found a home in me. I felt empowered by this story and in my daily life, I felt stronger and more rebellious. 

  The Fox is my favorite character in the book. He is such a great and kind teacher who seeks the best for Orual. One interesting thing about him is that he does not see value in poetry and fiction. This is really in line with Plato and Socrates’ teaching. Plato writes about Socrates having a bit of disdain for poets in both the Apology and the Republic . Socrates describes poets as fools because they pretend to have a knowledge of what they write, when they don’t. Plato also believes fiction to be devoid of Truth, since it is based on the world, which is roughly based on Truth. Funny enough, The fox seems to love poems. His voice changes and his face lights up when he reads fiction. I think of Plato being the same way. Despite what he says about poems and poets, Plato includes fiction within his own works to get across Truths. 

  Something that has struck me as interesting in the beginning chapters of this book is how Psyche’s beauty is described. She is described as perfectly beautiful, though not in any sort of flashy way. She held this beauty at every stage of her life. She was appropriately beautiful at every age. This description of Psyche was strikingly similar to the description of Alcibiades in Plutarch’s Lives, Thucydides’ History, and Plato’s Alcibiades Major. He was incredibly beautiful at every age, and this gave him a serious edge in society. Both Alcibiades and Psyche held power over the people in their towns (Athens and Glome) partly due to their beauty. Sometimes shear physical beauty grants people a level of influence over people that allows them to persuade others with ease. Psyche used her influence for good, while Alcibiades used it for personal gain. 

  In That Hideous Strength, N.I.C.E. seeks to destroy all that is organic. From plants to human weaknesses, everything organic should be eradicated. This is obviously a critique on modern society and the “cleansing” that seems to be the goal of various governments (both far right and far left). A similar critique is at the core of Lewis’s set of lectures, The Abolition of Man. Lewis is adamant that everything has an inherent value. Any modern attempt to strip things of value or attribute a different value to things is foolish. Truth is objective. With all things having value, each thing deserves a certain level of Love. N.I.C.E. ignores that fact. They push the narrative that everything organic has lesser value than what is man-made and “ideal.” This is a very dangerous ideology. Lewis is warning his readers of this danger, because a less exaggerated version of N.I.C.E.’s vision is pushed by modern people - even in education, which is Lewis’s focus in Abolition of Man. Beauty, Trut...

  The Lady in Perelandra has a strange encounter with her own reflection. Weston gives the Lady a mirror and she cannot recognize herself in the mirror. She knows it is a reflection of her, but she does not see her true self in the mirror. She does not identify herself with her appearance, unlike most americans. For most of us, our reflection is what best represents us. For the Lady, her appearance had little impact on who she viewed herself as. This reminded me of Ian McIntosh’s experience with Aboriginal peoples in Australia. His friend, when shown his reflection, said that he saw an octopus in the mirror. Clearly, the man did not see an actual octopus, but instead he saw a bit of his own reflection. His appearance didn’t define him. He defined his appearance. He viewed himself and his own soul as being intertwined with that of an octopus. Because of this, he viewed himself as an octopus - to the point that he even saw an octopus in his reflection. 

  I think I am going to write my short story about Dr. Cornelius. I am unnaturally drawn to his character. Something about a mentor/teacher who throws self-preservation to the wind in order to benefit his student is beautiful to me. I think I would like to be like that one day. Dr. Cornelius is largely an outcast and he risks his life in sharing true history with Caspian. He is self-sacrificial and wise, but ever-so loving. To me, he feels like a socrates-style character, though much more virtuous and admirable. Perhaps it is his squatty and ugly appearance as described by Lewis that has made Socrates come to mind. Perhaps it is the way he nearly dies for teaching the truth.  What can I learn from this character? Is that a question I should even ask?

  This is the only novel in the Narnia series that I remember well from childhood. Diving back into this has filled me with so much joy. We just discussed in class that Lewis never intended to make his stories allegories, it just happened naturally. Honestly, I find that hard to believe, especially when reading this novel again. The correlations to the story of Jesus and Christianity as a whole are so incredibly obvious in my eyes that I cannot imagine Lewis’s writing as void of allegorical intent. Perhaps my issue is how deeply the “Christian” imagery affects me since I am a Christian. Perhaps the sacrificial death of the most powerful and loving creature is not so connected to the story of Jesus in the eyes of others. Perhaps the Holy Spirit within me points out the possible connections between Edmund’s actions and the actions of Judas Isacriot and the actions of every christian as they sin and become redeemed. It is hard for me to imagine a world where Aslan is not representativ...

 By far the most interesting assignment from this class was writing narnia fanfiction. I know that's not what we called it, but that's basically what it was. I've never considered myself to be much of an author. Sure I write about all kinds of deep topics as a philosophy major, but I enjoy conversations far more than writing. I've always been the type to enjoy a presentation more than a paper. However I did end up liking the process of writing my story of reepicheep.  I found that my story developed best without trying to plan it all in advance. I liked leaving little details in the beginning that gave me room to play with towards writing the end of the story. I didn't really have in mind where I was going with the story as I was telling it. I just told it, and let me discover the story along the way. This means that my readers to experience the same surprises I did along the journey of writing. This seems to be a similar experience to Lewis himself who said his of ...

 I remember watching the narnia movies growing up. The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe would be on some of the free movies channels on TV all the time. However I was too young to pick up on a lot of themes of the series, and understand concepts like character development, and allegories. Now going back through the narnia series as an adult I find some concepts to be really fascinating. For example the stories of the creation of narnia, and how it all came to an end, are not something I remember from learning about narnia as a kid. Some of stories in the Narnia series that are grander in scale are now my favorites. I loved learning about the wood between the worlds, multiple dimensions, the origins of certain characters, etc. It all feels very different now, searching for deeper meaning in these stories that I didn't see at first. I guess that's the power of myths after all. When truth is expressed through myth instead of mere propositional knowledge, it has the ability to gro...

 To experience something is notably different from encountering something. I may experience a bear at a zoo, or dangerously encounter one in a forest. One implies perceiving, and the other implies communion (which could be good or bad). Our discussion of these concepts in class got me thinking, "Does our the interconnectedness of the internet create a culture of experience but not encounter?" I know that questions includes a lot, so let me unpack it. The internet fundamentally changes the way humans being relate to one another. I myself, having being basically raised on the internet have now gotten to the age where I realize my experience of childhood, was very different from the rest of the history of the world. I believe has created a reality in which anyone can experience almost anything, although mediated. I can watch as many cute dog videos as I want, but those dogs in the video will never watch me. I think because of this, a renewed appreciation for the embodied, the sa...

 We've talked a lot this semester about how narratives are essential built into humans. Humans are sub-creators, made in the image of God, with the potential to create all sorts of imaginary worlds. We mentioned Fishers "narrative paradigm" a few times as well. In this text Fisher argues that humans best understand all truth through stories. Theres a reason that anecdotal stories are more rhetorically powerful than statistics despite seemingly being a less reliable means of discovering truth. We're a social, story telling species. I think the perfect evidence of this paradigm is professor Kip Redick himself! I can remember almost every crazy story kip has told this semester, often better than some of the course content :(. I'm sure even in 20 years I might remember kips stories of running naked down mountains. This is because narratives are far more memorable than lists of facts. 

 I think studying the nature of how Jadis tempted Edmund reveals an aspect of the human condition Jadis uses edmunds desire to go on an adventure, to be strong, to be better than his siblings, etc to tempt him. She promises him acceptance when he feels rejected, offers him the position of a hero when he feels overshadowed, etc. It seems to be a fundamental aspect of the human condition to pursue good needs in bad places. Many people that come from broken homes pursue good needs, such as acceptance and connection, in bad places such as gangs, prostitution, etc. Its impossible to be tempted by something purely bad. Nobody could tempt me to cut off my own hand, because I have zero desire for that. Someone could tempt me with something that been corrupted. This is expressed in biblical passages such as in Genesis with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The bible says that eve ate the fruit because it looked desirable for gaining wisdom. It looked valuable, but it secretly dead...

 Lewis's essay, Myth became fact was by far and away my favorite of his writings I read this semester. Conveniently it is also one of his shortest works. Basically lewis argues that while the new testament is real history, it is also a myth. Lewis doesn't see the two concepts as mutually. He also argues that making the choice to engage with the text, as a myth is more powerful than as history! Narratives, invite curiosity, in an all together different way than a list of facts. Myths invites readers to ask questions about why it was written the way it was. When I read a history book I'm not asking myself why the author choose the write the story the way he did. After all a good historical account shouldn't really have an author it all. It happened because it happened. However in the case of a religious text, it could be altogether different. If God really does exist, than every page of the bible was divinely set in motion before time began. Now that invites questions! Wh...

 https://www.youtube.com/@CSLewisDoodle/videos I highly recommend this youtube channel about C.S Lewis! He reads the audiobook of various C.S Lewis books while drawing along with it to better illustrate the concepts. Sometimes when Lewis's concepts get really philosophical it can be helpful to see them illustrated. It also makes certain concepts his discusses more digestible. If you weren't able to read one of the books from this semester that was briefly mentioned, but not discussed in detail, this channel could be a great resource for you!  

  In the glorious medieval tale of The Song of Roland my heart jumped at the valiant speeches and actions of the brave Roland. He preferred death rather than safety to any notion of cowardice. When he found himself vastly outnumbered by the Heathens he did not fear. He smiled and cherished the opportunity to die for his beloved king. Or as he saith, “Verily for his liege a man ought to suffer pain and woe, and endure great heat and great cold , and should hold him ready to lose both hide and hair in his lord’s service. Now let each have a care that he strikes good blows and great, that no man may mis-say us in his songs”. After reading this book I was greatly inspired by the virtues of these men. Bravery, fortitude, sacrifice were all rampant themes and every knight bore these qualities. Cowardice, hedonism, and selfishness were foreign and shamed upon. Men even commended their enemies for the bravery and fearlessness to make war with each other. Reading these character traits of t...

Saint Boniface was an English benedictine monk and played the main part in converting the pagans of Germany. The story begins with St. Boniface forsaking a great promotion and life of comfort for the dangers of the hostile heathen woods. Eventually Boniface encountered a group of pagans. This group of pagans worshiped a massive tree dedicated to the norse god Thor. They offered sacrifices and bowed down before the Thor oak in order to appease the wrath of their god. Then a strange man came from a far land preaching about a new god who is greater than a tree for He created all the trees, and the ground, and the heavens. This strange man's name was Boniface. Boniface then began to mock the pagans' false god claiming Thor to be a phony and then offered a challenge to the aggravated tribesmen. The heathen priests told Boniface that Thor would surely cast a lightning bolt and smite him. Boniface responded by taking out an ax and with one fell swoop the tree split in two and went cr...

  In Lewis’s novel Till We Have Faces, there is a scene where The king of the land hires a servant to prepare to train his future son to be king. The king’s means of preparing this vassal is by letting him first try training his daughters because, “If a man can teach a girl, he can teach anything”. Perhaps I have become too saturated in our feminist culture but this seems like the king is implying that girls are dimwitted and unreceptive. I always thought the opposite. That young boys are the stubborn ones and that girls are the docile ones. Who gets in trouble the most in school? Who is usually the class clown? The answer is overwhelmingly young boys. Though some bring forth the argument that the educational system is geared towards women. What gender makes up most of the faculty at elementary-highschools? I myself have a 10 year old sister. I have taught her many things quite easily. She is far brighter and docile than I ever was when I was 10 years old. When I was 10 I was far ...

  In traditional Catholic mass the priest holds up the host(bread) and wine and blesses it so that it might become the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ. Although bread remains bread and wine remains wine to the eye orthodox Catholics believe that the substance is literally the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As a Presbyterian I thought it a bit strange. I too participated in communion every sunday, but at my church it was a symbolic gesture. We did communion to remember how our Lord had to be nailed and have his blood poured out because of our sins. Since then I have heard very interesting tales of Eucharist miracles where the bread bleeds literal blood during a mass. And it is said that the red liquid tested to be human AB+ blood. This has apparently happened multiple times with the blood being AB+ every time . There are even some claims that some hosts are still bleeding to this day.

  One of Socrates' famous ideals is that no one errs knowingly. I love many things about the late Greek philosopher, but I always thought that ideal was foolish. I am very grateful that the U.S. Government also agrees with me. It would be a travesty if pleading ignorance in court could exempt you. How ridiculous would it be if someone robbed a bank and, after being caught, appears in court and says that he didn’t know robbing banks was bad? What is the court system supposed to do? “Oh you didn’t know. Alright I guess I’ll just let you go free of charge”. The robber knew full well that robbing banks was wrong but out of selfishness he did it anyway. Also if such a thing were true there would be way less obese people in the world. I am willing to bet a lot of money that the large guy around the corner knows full well that eating cake and sweets is bad for him and grilled chicken and vegetables are good. Yet he can’t help but indulge himself in unhealthy food. Seems to me there's...

The topic of selective love was brought up in class relating to Oruel’s jealous love for Psyche. Dr. Redick made the connection that sometimes when you enter into a serious romantic relationship, people tend to lose friends due their devotion to their partner. These 'friends' even then complain about being betrayed. This behavior was quite common in high school and middle school. For example: lets say a boy named Timmy had a close knit friend group of guys who do everything together. From late night fast food runs and video games to trespassing and bad jokes, these boys love each other dearly. They even tend to refer to their little posse as “the boys”. Then one day Timmy finds a gal he likes. And as time passes on they get closer and closer. Soon Timmy and this gal become a couple. Timmy starts to spend more time with his little girlfriend and because of this he has less time to hang out with “the boys”. Now “the boys” don’t take well to this occurrence. Soon they start making...

  In Class, Dr. Redick mentioned how what frightened Oruel the most about the priest of Ungit was the smell. Then the class dove into the question about the power of smell as far as senses. Noah mentioned how the sense of smell is the most powerful of the senses. Then some other students added on how smell usually takes them straight into memory immediately without contemplation. I must say that I completely agree with this assertion. I am a freshman in college so being away from my parents is new to me. I was always close with my mother and I recall her love for sweet pea lotion and fragrance. Now since I have been with my mother since birth I have come to attribute this scent with her. Now it was a couple weeks into my first semester of college and I was just strolling about and enjoying my new found freedom. Then a girl passed by me who seemed to also be using sweet pea perfume. As her smell trailed off and met my nose I immediately felt calm and comforted and pictured my mom in...

As we have marinated ourselves in the thought of Lewis and the role of Myth of the past semester, I have always wondered how much myths and children's tales have changed since Lewis’ time. One thing I found interesting was Lewis and Tolkiens’ distaste for Disney. And that distaste came well before it became the liberal dumpster fire we know and love today. Last Christmas my father bought my siblings and I a copy of The Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales . It wasn’t long after I found myself reading the book out loud to my 10 year old sister. We both marveled at the depth and gruesome details for we were far too used to the watered down Disney versions. We also found that in my many of the stories, like Cinderella , had a very open and clear connection with our Christian beliefs. There was no ‘fairy godmother’ there was God who Cinderella prayed to. And God delivered his blessings to the poor girl through doves. It was also these same doves that informed the young prince of the deception ...

“ Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters. ” This is the quote that I chose to center my Narnia story around, and the reason I chose it was because it spoke to me in a way I wasn't expecting. Every place on this Earth has a story, a rich history that will keep on going for longer than we will, and it conveys that through the "whisper" of the wind. Certain trees do walk, such as the Scoratea exorrhiza which is a type of palm native to the rainforests that moves from shade to sunlight with its roots. Fungi send signals to each other with their underground system of mycelium.  This quote from the magicians nephew isn't just the beginning of Narnia, it also highlights the composition of our world, and I think that's beautiful. 

Throughout our time reading Narnia by C. S. Lewis, I was interested by just how much Christianity had influenced his work. I was especially intrigued by the idea of the Turkish Delight representing the apple that Eve ate in the Garden of Eden. Edmund is approached by the Witch (representing the idea of Satan) and tempted to bring his family to Narnia and meet her because of the enchanted Turkish Delight (representing the apple).  While Eve ate the apple due to her want of wisdom, Edmund ate the candies because they reminded him of happier times, and was subsequently cursed to need more of them to survive. This is only where it starts to differ though, because God had told Adam and Eve that the fruit would kill them if touched or eaten, and Edmund now has to eat the candy to survive. 

 As we discussed several philosophical theories throughout the course, the topic of Creation and subcreation was something that really stood out to me- it ended up being the topic of my research paper as well. While this topic has many branches, the most important question was what each term meant. Although the meanings are similar, it makes a huge difference in the conversation of existence and how we perceive our own influence as human beings. Creation can be a broad term, but through this context it represent the ability to create the existence of something out of nothing. While we can say that art or literature can make us a Creator, that is not necessarily the case- there needs to be something we use to base the art or literature from, and we cannot create if we don't exist in the first place. Therefore, it can be said that God is the only creator because nothing else would exist without us being created in the first place. This is also the basis of subcreation. Anything creat...

  As I write my last blog post, I want to reflect on my experience as a non-religious student in this class. I came into this class looking for literary relief - I wanted to engage with something I enjoyed, in ways that I enjoyed. I knew C.S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, and the thought of reading that as a requirement instead of a textbook was convincing enough for me. Personally, I don’t identify with any kind of religion. I knew I wasn’t the only person in the class that didn’t subscribe to a theist religion, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was way in over my head with the extensive amount of religious knowledge everyone else seemed to come with. Regardless, I have joined interpreting Lewis’ stories through a non-religious lens, and then coming into class and receiving a religious lens as well. It would be foolish of me to ignore the prevalence of religion in these works, considering the plethora of examples that can be noted across Lewis’ portfolio. Many scenes fro...