Narrative Poems (Paperback)

by C.S. Lewis (Author) "At its original appearance in 1926, Dymer, like many better books, found some good reviews and almost no readers..." (more)
Key Phrases: The General, The Master, The Chancellor

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Lewis often said that his favorite form of literary expression was the narrative poem, although he appears to have written just four, all of which are collected here. They exhibit the romantic aspects of his temperament and reveal his deep love for medieval and Renaissance poetry. Edited and with a Preface by Walter Hooper.


About the Author
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) gained international renown for an impressive array of beloved works both popular and scholarly: literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and numerous books on theology. Among his most celebrated achievements are Out of the Silent Planet, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, The Four Loves, and Surprised by Joy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books (May 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156027984
• ISBN-13: 978-0156027984
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #249,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good stories in poetry, June 19, 1998

By	David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Narrative Poems of C.S. Lewis (Paperback)

Narrative poems are distinguished because of their aim to tell a story, rather than share a few thoughts, feelings, or experiences like shorter poetry does. For my money, the best narrative poet is Longfellow, with great tales like Hiawatha, The Courtship of Miles Standish, or Evangeline; Lewis wrote four narrative poems, only one of which reached publication during his lifetime: Dymer. Dymer is long and complicated and only partially successful as a good story. Walter Hooper, who edited this volume, feels that The Queen of the Drum was Lewis's best of the four poems, while I thought it the least interesting. The two best poems of this book are Launcelot and The Nameless Isle (and not just because they - at 9 and 21 pages respectively - are by far the shortest ones in the book.) I loved the imagery Lewis invoked with these two poems, the nostalgia and almost mystical pull of these stories. If you love narrative poetry, buy this book. If you don't like narrative poetry, this book won't change your tastes.