Customer Reviews

C. S. Lewis On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lewis's shorter works were generally originally composed as speeches or as articles for periodicals. Various sets of them were collected and published in book form both during his life and after his death. Trying to determine what works are in what collections is difficult - most works appear in more than one collection, some works appear under more than one title, and some collections appear under more than one title.

To aid readers, in this review I've listed the works in this collection, with notes indicating other collections they have appeared in. Where a work has appeared under more than one title, I give both titles separated by a slash.

Table of Contents:

"On Stories" / "The Kappa Element in Romance" (1), (2)

"The Novels of Charles Williams" (2)

"A Tribute to E. R. Eddison" (2)

"On Three Ways of Writing for Children" (1), (2)

"Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to be Said" (1), (2)

"On Juvenile Tastes" (1), (2)

"It All Began with a Picture ..." (1), (2)

"On Science Fiction" (1), (2)

"A Reply to Professor Haldane" (1)

"The Hobbit" (2)

"Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'" / "The Gods Return to Earth" & "The Dethronement of Power" (2)

"A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers" (2)

"The Mythopoeic Gift of Rider Haggard" / "Haggard Rides Again" (2)

"George Orwell" (2)

"The Death of Words" (2)

"The Parthenon and the Optative" (2)

"Period Criticism" (2)

"Different Tastes in Literature" (2)

"On Criticism" (1), (2)

"Unreal Estates" / "The establishment must die and rot ..." (1), (2)

Notes:

(1) also published in "Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories"

(2) also published in "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces"

Recommendations:

I don't really recommend this book as a first choice.

What do I recommend?

In general, to anyone interested in Lewis's shorter works, my best advice is to get "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces", which, as of the time of this writing, is available from Amazon UK but not Amazon US. That collection consists of about 130 short works by Lewis. Although the works in that collection are mostly Christian, they also include almost everything in this collection, plus Lewis's short science fiction and fantasy from "The Dark Tower and Other Stories".

If your interest in Lewis's shorter works is restricted to literary criticism, and your budget or enthusiasm does not run to "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces", then my second-best advice is to go ahead and get this collection, and possibly "The Dark Tower and Other Stories" as well (Lewis's short science fiction and fantasy).

Fans of Lewis's science fiction who are on a really tight budget may prefer my third-best advice, which is to get "Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories", which contains about half of this collection plus the best of Lewis's short science fiction.

Finally, those interested in Lewis's literary criticism will be interested in the following collections, neither of which overlap with each other or have significant coverage in "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces":

"Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature"

"Selected Literary Essays"*

* ...very hard to come by, but it largely consists of essays unavailable in any other collection.

As a voracious reader and prodigious author, C.S. Lewis had lots of views to air on the art of telling stories. Twenty pieces he wrote through the years are here collected in a compendium that ranges over a wide array of topics. The titles give a good idea of the sorts of things you'll find in this book: The Novels of Charles Williams, On Three Ways of Writing for Children, Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said, A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, The Mythopoeic Gift of Rider Haggard, and Different Tastes in Literature are some of the things that Lewis discourses about with verve and understanding. This is fine reading for those who love enlightening commentary about what comprises good fiction.

This collection primarily contains Lewis' essays and reviews concerning
fantasy and science fiction stories. Many of the essays contained in this volume originally appeared in the magazine
Time and Tide, while others appeared in a variety of regional magazines. The nineteen essays cover such topics as
fairy stories, juvenile fiction, period criticism, and science fiction, plus the writers E. R. Eddison, H. Rider Haggard,
Dorothy Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

The title essay sets the tone for the bulk of the essays in this volume.
Lewis takes issue with the critics who downplay the genre of Romance and instead
prefer realism and character development in their novels. While excitement
is important in this genre, Lewis notes that elements such as atmosphere,
ideas and imagery are equally important or more so. Lewis argues these other elements
are what cause people to re-read the classic Romances; the initial excitement is gone, but the

other facets of the story provide opportunities for discovery and wonderment for the reader.

His reviews of the writers mentioned above, while glowingly positive and supportive, are balanced
in that he also notes their shortcomings. For example, while he praises Haggard for being a
mythopoetic storyteller, he notes the man could not or would not write, and worse yet, he tried
to philosophize. With Tolkien, he saw problems in the opening chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring, and

notes how all the characters can be split between good and evil.

In other essays Lewis lays out rules he feels reviewers should follow. One of the most
important Lewis argues is that the reviewer must like the subject he is reviewing. Hating
a subject does not allow one to do an objective review. Lewis also feels that it is improper
for the critic to play amateur psychologist since s/he has not had the opportunity
question the author directly, nor are they trained psychologists.
Other important criteria are: 1) honesty in the review; 2) giving formal cause
on why something is "bad"; 3) using words and language properly.

This is an intelligently written book that is a welcome relief to much of the
literary criticism being produced today. Lewis writes in a clear,
elegant style, and does not hide behind jargon.

"On Stories" is a collection of essays that C.S. Lewis wrote regarding the very topic he knew most about - literature. His title essay sets the ground for the ones that follow, as he lays bare everything from fairy tales to criticism. Included are reviews and appraisals of the works of his pals and fellow Inklings Dorothy L. Sayers and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as reviews of other writers and the writing of juvenile stories.

This collection is cohesive and well-laid out. Although, if read all at once, one is bound to encounter Lewis repeating himself (due to the fact that these essays are taken from a span of time). His arguments are well thought and cogently written, as usual. He takes umbrage in several essays, but always tells 'why' he feels that way. He is adoring in his praise for works he loves, and critical of works that he believes to have failed. His essay on George Orwell is fascinating - Lewis believes "Animal Farm" superior than "1984" and is somewhat flabbergasted by the latter's success.

Reading C.S. Lewis' thoughts on literature, I believe, is the next best thing to having had him as a professor of literature. One can only imagine what it must have been like to be a student of this thoroughly intelligent and well-read man - many of his students must have been intimidated. Yet the reader is given the opportunity to see the ligther side of Lewis in the final piece entitled 'Unreal Estates', a recorded conversation between Lewis, Kingsley Amis, and Brian Aldiss, that is filled with the author's incomparable humor. Having grown up on Lewis' stories, it was wonderful to read his thoughts (and the pictures that sparked those thoughts) behind them.

Most people see Lewis as a fantasy writer, or a Christina apologist. We forget, however, that his "bill paying" job was an English Literature professor at Oxford and Cambridge. This book exposes us to this side of Lewis's brain.

This book is non-fiction and revolves around his ideas of literary criticism, fairy tails, and other aspects of the "World of Books." Anyone on Amazon.com already loves books, so you understand where Lewis is coming from.

I love the essays in this book, since I share much of his World-View and his taste for good writing and the power of the Word.

For fans of Tolkien, he makes many passing references to his fellow Inkling, and has a chapter devoted to a review of the "Lord of The Rings." He and Tolkien were very close, and Tolkien was instrumental in Lewis's conversion to Christianity. That is why Lewis dedicated "The Screwtape Letters" to Tolkien.

My favorite essay was "on Writing," where Lewis explains his philosophy behind the Narnia books, but also gives hints about his creative process. He begins with pictures in his head (which means his is visually oriented), and then gets the pictures in his head to connect with each other. Then he types what he sees. Fascinating!

This book is for the hard-core Lewis fan, or the English Major or aspiring writer. For novices, stick with the "Usual" Lewis books, such as "Screwtape," "Abolition of Man," "Mere Christianity," and so forth. Keep this book for the Lewisophile on your Christmas list.

Unlike other Walter Hopper edited anthologies of C. S. Lewis works, "On Stories" is a coherent whole. C. S. Lewis fans will certainly want a copy, but more important Lewis' essays on twentieth century fantasy and science fiction will entertain and inform readers of those genre.

Hooper opens with a twenty page biography of Lewis, for the few unfamiliar with that background.

Finally, hidden among the personal opinion and criticism are nuggets about the craft of writing. One example, from "On Science Fiction" (p. 60), "Every good writer knows that the more unusual the scenes and events of his story are, the slighter, the more ordinary, the more typical his persons should be." He gives the examples of Alice, Gulliver and the Ancient Mariner has commonplace people set in extraordinary adventures. I'll leave his explanation to the reader intrigued enough to pursue "On Stories."

These essay collection books are a mixed bag. On Stories is a wonderful and stimulating collection for all interested in the nature of human stories, especially as they are told as fantasies and science fiction tales. The main areas of discussion surround the defense of fantasy, discussions on certain specific books, and the difference between good and not so good stories.

In the end the essays are of a very high quality, but as is common to Lewis his mind is universal and far reaching on his subjects. And as these are public essays, they are not academic in the traditional sense of rigor and detail.

Many of them left me wanting more, but for what it is, this book is quite good.

recommended.