Tolkien & Lewis: Myth, Imagination & the Quest for Meaning
On a dreary September evening in 1931, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and their friend and fellow scholar, Hugo Dyson, met for dinner in Lewis’s Magdalen College dormitory in Oxford, England. Lewis’s transformation from atheist to theist to Christian was based on the insights of Tolkien and Dyson as they engaged in deep conversation about mythology, reality, ritual, imagination and faith. Tolkien & Lewis: Myth, Imagination & The Quest for Meaning explores the fundamental characteristics of myth with an emphasis on how myth impacts our lives. The hour-long film engages scholars from various spiritual and academic viewpoints while challenging viewers to draw their own conclusions about the meaning of life and the role that mythology and imagination play in determining belief.
Source: AVON
Perspectives
Why I Believe in Narnia
Reading WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA provides a panoramic view of C. S. Lewis' multi-faceted genius and its application in fields as diverse as social criticism and children's literature. WHY I BELIEVE gathers reviews and essays that span Prof. James Como's many years as a preeminent Lewis scholar, to which the author of Remembering C.S. Lewis and Branches to Heaven has added several new entries. Chapters range from reviews of critical books, documentaries and movies to evaluations of Lewis's books to biographical analysis. In addition to close-up looks, Como reflects on the "big picture" of the most important contributions Lewis has made, not just in literature, but as a social philosopher and reformer. For the serious student of C. S. Lewis, WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA is an invaluable tool for appreciating the breadth and depth of Lewis' thinking. "By this book, Jim Como shows himself to be the Babe Ruth of C. S. Lewis critics. With each reading of these forceful essays I gain a greater insight into the man behind the books." Walter Hooper, Literary Adviser to the Estate of C.S. Lewis, author of: C.S. Lewis, A Companion and Guide. "A valuable, wide-ranging collection of essays by one of the best informed and most astute commentators on Lewis' work and ideas." Peter Schakel, professor, Hope College, author of: Imagination and the Arts in C.S. Lewis "Lewis remarked that the more the Bible is translated, the less people read it. It would be possible that the more people write commentaries on Lewis, the less we read Lewis himself. That cannot be said of these reviews and essays. Como is the rare man who has so absorbed Lewis that one senses the man through him. I cannot think of anyone whose critiques would have pleased Lewis more." George W. Rutler, pastor, Church of Our Savior, NYC, author of Coincidently: Unserious Reflections on Trivial Connections. "James Como writes enthusiastically and vividly. His love of C. S. Lewis shines through every sentence. This book should be read by all Lewis fans as well as by the general reader who would like to know more about Lewis." Ian Ker, John Henry Newman scholar, Oxford University, author of: Mere Catholicism.
The Narnia Code
Using dramatizations of C.S. Lewis' early life and career, this intriguing documentary travels the world, meeting experts, testing evidence, and uncovering surprising questions behind the best selling series.
Narnia and the Fields of Arbol
The remarkable breadth of C. S. Lewis's (1898-1963) work is nearly as legendary as the fantastical tales he so inventively crafted. A variety of themes emerge in his literary output, which spans the genres of nonfiction, fantasy, science fiction, and children's literature, but much of the scholarship examining his work focuses on religion or philosophy. Overshadowed are Lewis's views on nature and his concern for environmental stewardship, which are present in most of his work. In Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: The Environmental Vision of C. S. Lewis, authors Matthew Dickerson and David O'Hara illuminate this important yet overlooked aspect of the author's visionary work. Dickerson and O'Hara go beyond traditional theological discussions of Lewis's writing to investigate themes of sustainability, stewardship of natural resources, and humanity's relationship to wilderness. The authors examine the environmental and ecological underpinnings of Lewis's work by exploring his best-known works of fantasy, including the seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia and the three novels collectively referred to as the Space Trilogy. Taken together, these works reveal Lewis's enduring environmental concerns, and Dickerson and O'Hara offer a new understanding of his pioneering style of fiction. An avid outdoorsman, Lewis deftly combined an active imagination with a deep appreciation for the natural world. Narnia and the Fields of Arbol, the first book-length work on the subject, explores the marriage of Lewis's environmental passion with his skill as a novelist and finds the author's legacy to have as much in common with the agrarian environmentalism of Wendell Berry as it does with the fantasy of J. R. R. Tolkien. In an era of increasing concern about deforestation, climate change, and other environmental issues, Lewis's work remains as pertinent as ever. The widespread adaption of his work in film lends credence to the author's staying power as an influential voice in both fantastical fiction and environmental literature. With Narnia and the Fields of Arbol, Dickerson and O'Hara have written a timely work of scholarship that offers a fresh perspective on one of the most celebrated authors in literary history.
C. S. Lewis Companion and Guide
An award-winning resource on the life and work of C.S. Lewis, the most beloved Christian thinker and storyteller of our century. The year 1998 marks the centenary of this legendary writer's birth.A brilliant Mind of the Twentieth Century, C.S. Lewis drew upon his vivid, luminous imagination to reveal the divine, magical, terrifying, and ecstatic reality of the world we live in. His explorations of Christian faith, transcending sectarian divisions, have been praised by churchmen from Billy Graham to Pope John Paul II, while his fictional works, including the Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, have enchanted readers of all ages for decades.C.S. Lewis Companion & Guide, recipient of the 1997 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) Gold Medallion Award for Biography, presents Lewis's life and reflections in one authoritative volume. Organized in sections dedicated to the central ideas, events, people, and works from his remarkable career, this delightful compendium is an indispensable reference for Lewis devotees and novices alike. From the spiritual searching of his early years through his prolific literary and intellectual career, C.S. Lewis Companion & Guide provides keen insight into Lewis' legacy.
C. S. Lewis: Apostle to the Skeptics
"That a writer of Dr. Lewis's scholarly and literary stature should publish more than a dozen books directly or indirectly defending Christianity is news; that his works should have such wide repercussions is still more significant news and merits a second thought. What does it mean when his books become best-sellers? Does the fact indicate anything about the intellectual currents of the present decade? If so, it seems time to examine more closely the exact kind of Christianity and philosophy presented in Dr. Lewis's writings, and the literary techniques that have brought him into the forefront of authors dealing with religious themes.""In this book I hope to add something (though not too much) to the scanty supply of biographical information available about Dr. Lewis, but my main concern will be with his ideas, the way he presents them, and the significance of his popularity. "--from the foreword by the author