Romantic religion;: A study of Barfield, Lewis, Williams and Tolkien [Hardcover]

Robert James Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1971

When Romantic Religion was first published thirty-five years ago, no one dreamed that Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia would one day be boxoffice hits and that their authors, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, would be household names. R.J. Reilly's remarkably readable and perceptive book about the two writers and their two brilliant friends, Owen Barfield and Charles Williams, was soon treasured by fans as the best book on their circle of writer-philosophers, the Inklings. Romantic Religion went out of print and commanded high prices on the rare-book market. Now it has finally been republished so that a new generation of readers can delve into this book, whose relevance has kept pace with the growing reputations of its subjects. The title Romantic Religion reflects Reilly's premise that these four thinkers share a "matured romanticism." For them, creative imagination is central, with literary and religious views intimately related. Reilly devotes an insightful chapter to each of the writers and, in his conclusion, discusses their differences and similarities. Barfield fans will be especially impressed by the author's ability to clarify Barfield's famously condensed prose. In a compelling new preface, Reilly considers the changing reputations of the four writers and their relevance for today's readers. The book was first published, he tells us, during a war and horrendous societal dilemmas, not very different from those that plague the world today. Now, as then, says Reilly, the four writers remind us of "the possibility of a higher and saner life." They remind us that "if we belong to the party not of memory but of hope, it is because we are imaginative beings and can imagine better beings and better worlds." This is the first study to examine in depth the theological and philosophic implications of the work of that remarkable group of writers now called the Oxford Christians. In focusing on the central religious concern of the group, R.J.Reilly provides and approach that is destined to become normative. This is not a work of convention literary biography (even less hagiography) or conventional literary history. Rather, it is intellectually informed criticism that makes possible a deep understanding of the enduring dimensions of the work of four of the most attractive and challenging writers of our time. With the republication of Romantic Religion, this wise, penetrating picture of our own possibilities is put before us once more.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'An especially valuable guide to these writers' intellectual principles and goals. This is a splendid book, highly recommended.' -- Philip Zaleski, editor of Best American Spiritual Writing 'The world is awash with writing on the Inklings these days, but precious little of it has the scope, the clarity, and the ability to surprise and convince that are in evidence on just about every page of this pioneering and brilliant study.' -- Ptolemy Tompkins, author of Paradise Fever and senior editor of Guideposts Magazine 'I came away from a recent rereading with a renewed sense of the vital relevance of these four thinkers to the philosophical, theological and religious tasks of our post-secular world.' -- Jacob Holsinger Sherman, California Institute of Integral Studies 'I love this book. The writing is beautiful; the point of view, wise and illuminating; and Reilly is one of the few who can elucidate Barfield's famously condensed prose without watering it down.' -- Kate Farrell, author of Time's River: The Voyage of Life in Art & Poetry --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Robert James Reilly, born in 1925, is Professor of English (Emeritus) at the University of Detroit, where he taught for thirty three years. He lives in Detroit. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press; First Edition edition (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820302678
• ISBN-13: 978-0820302676
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,092,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Barfield thought, May 7, 2011

By 

Ashtar Command "Seeker" (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romantic Religion: A Study of Barfield, Lewis, Williams, and Tolkien (Paperback)

"Romantic religion" is ostensibly an analysis of the ideas and writings of the Inklings: Owen Barfield, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams and J.R.R. Tolkien. In reality, most of the book is about Barfield, who seems to be some kind of personal favourite of R.J. Reilly's.

Nothing wrong with that.

In fact, "Romantic religion" is the best introduction to Barfield's thoughts I have seen. Barfield is notoriously hard to understand, and even more difficult to really "get". Reading the extensive Barfield chapter in this book might be a good place to start. It should be noted that Reilly isn't an expert on Rudolf Steiner, Barfield's main inspirator, and therefore reads Steiner through Barfieldian glasses, as it were. But then, so did Barfield himself, so this is not necessarily a minus either. Personally, I consider Steiner to be frustrating, since he seems to have combined interesting philosophical insights with sheer bunk, occasionally bordering the ridiculous or insane. (Steiner founded a new religion, known as Anthroposophy.) I'm surprised that a seemingly intelligent person such as Barfield could have so uncritically fallen for this man.

The chapters on Lewis, Williams and Tolkien are also interesting, but are really a kind of afterthought to the bulk of the book. In the chapter on Lewis, Reilly argues that Lewis' Christianity was really a kind of baptized Romanticism, and that Barfield had a decisive influence on him. Others would differ, including (somewhat ironically) Barfield himself! For another perspective, see G.B. Tennyson's "Owen Barfield on C.S. Lewis" and Lionel Adey's "C.S. Lewis Great War with Owen Barfield".

The most fascinating chapter deals with Charles Williams, whose works I've never read, but who was apparently a former member of the Golden Dawn (the A.E. Waite version), while also considering himself a Christian. Judging by Reilly's description, his interpretation of the Christian message did emphasize romantic love (including erotic love), and had affinities with Hermetism, Neo-Platonism and the Kabbala. This erotic mysticism is surely connected to the Golden Dawn in one way or another.

I only skimmed the Tolkien chapter, but it seems to be the least interesting one, essentially a rather heavy and scholarly literary criticism of "The Lord of the Rings". Sounds familiar?

In sum, "Romantic religion" might not tell you much about Lewis and Tolkien, while giving a few tantalizing glimpses of Williams. But above all, it's a work about what Barfield thought!