What Barfield Thought: An Introduction to the Work of Owen Barfield

by Landon Loftin, Max Leyf

As interest in Owen Barfield grows, we aim to meet the need for a scholarly introduction to his thought. Our primary purpose is to present an overview, analysis, and synthesis of Barfield's most salient ideas in a manner that will be of interest to neophytes and initiates alike. Barfield's work can, at times, be difficult to understand; C. S. Lewis put it well when he described Barfield's style of argument as "dark, labyrinthine," and "pertinacious." But Lewis ardently promoted Barfield's work because he knew that people who willingly walk in those dim and winding corridors are, in time, richly rewarded by the bright light at their end. We offer the present work in service to those who wish to undertake this adventure. While the present book will help those readers who wish to engage Barfield for the sake of achieving a greater understanding of and appreciation for other writers who have been associated with or influenced by him, we aim first and foremost to present Barfield as a profound and original thinker in his own right.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2023

Reviews

[Katherine Sas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my review of What Barfield Thought in the latest issue of Mythlore: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol43/i...

[Ted Kriwiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was wonderful. I was not familiar with Barfield before this book and this was a great introduction. I particularly loved the exploration of Barfield’s thoughts on poetry. Those passages introduced me to new concepts I had never considered. I struggled to understand other parts, but the final chapter definitely brought the book home.

[G. Salter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview of an underrated thinker

The authors work hard to talk about Barfield, not Barfield-and-the-Inklings or Barfield-and-Anthroposophy. That commitment pays off, showing he is an interesting thinker in his own right who deserves further study.
My only concern was that the second-to-last chapter was a bit densely written, but it is talking about complex ideas.

[Cade Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went back and forth over whether to rate this as a 3 or a 4. The biggest issue is that I suppose I’m not smart enough to understand much of Barfield’s thought, and much of the book was an impenetrable fog, the final chapter being the most accessible to me.

[Robert Cowlishaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great introduction to Owen Barfield

This fine book is a wonderful introduction to the works and thoughts of Owen Barfield. I stopped and pondered upon these thoughts on many occasions. I am now prepared to read the works of Owen Barfield directly!
-Robert Cowlishaw

[Mythlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, esp. for the overlaps with both the Iain McGilchrist book and with the Musk phenomenon.

But as I got further in to the work, I increasingly kept wondering whether this is a good use of my time, reading someone else's efforts to explain Barfield's thinking. Why not just go to Barfield?

[David Willey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic short introduction to Barfield's work by two sympathetic authors - I would highly recommend this work as a companion to be read alongside Barfield's key texts like "Poetic Diction" or "Saving the Appearances."

[Peter Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been less dense and academically written.

Would have given this five stars if the authors had endeavored to make it more easily digestible to a larger audience. The world needs to be able to hear and understand thinkers like Barfield now more than ever.