What do you think?
Rate this book
C.S. Lewis Man of Letters: A Reading of His Fiction
Regarded as one of the best authorities on the fiction of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Howard presents in this work brilliant new insights into Lewis' fiction and helps us to see things we may not have seen nor appreciated before. Focusing on Narnia, the space trilogy, and Till We Have Faces, Howard explores with remarkable clarity the moral vision in the imaginary world of the master storyteller Lewis.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
6 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Howard
81 books76 followersThomas Howard (b. 1935) is a highly acclaimed writer and scholar.
He was raised in a prominent Evangelical home (his sister is well-known author and former missionary Elisabeth Elliot), became Episcopalian in his mid-twenties, then entered the Catholic Church in 1985, at the age of fifty. At the time, his conversion shocked many in evangelical circles, and was the subject of a feature article in the leading evangelical periodical Christianity Today.
Dave Armstrong writes of Howard: "He cites the influence of great Catholic writers such as Newman, Knox, Chesterton, Guardini, Ratzinger, Karl Adam, Louis Bouyer, and St. Augustine on his final decision. Howard's always stylistically-excellent prose is especially noteworthy for its emphasis on the sacramental, incarnational and ‘transcendent’ aspects of Christianity."
Like C.S. Lewis, who he greatly admires and has written about often, Howard is an English professor (recently retired, after nearly forty years of teaching), who taught at Gordon College and then at St. John's Seminary. He is a highly acclaimed writer and scholar, noted for his studies of Inklings C.S. Lewis Narnia Beyond: A Guide to the Fiction of C.S. Lewis (2006, 1987) and Charles Williams The Novels of Charles Williams (1991), as well as books including Christ the Tiger (1967), Chance or the Dance (1969), Hallowed be This House (1976), Evangelical is Not Enough (1984), If Your Mind Wanders at Mass (1995), On Being Catholic (1997), and The Secret of New York Revealed.
He was raised in a prominent Evangelical home (his sister is well-known author and former missionary Elisabeth Elliot), became Episcopalian in his mid-twenties, then entered the Catholic Church in 1985, at the age of fifty. At the time, his conversion shocked many in evangelical circles, and was the subject of a feature article in the leading evangelical periodical Christianity Today.
Dave Armstrong writes of Howard: "He cites the influence of great Catholic writers such as Newman, Knox, Chesterton, Guardini, Ratzinger, Karl Adam, Louis Bouyer, and St. Augustine on his final decision. Howard's always stylistically-excellent prose is especially noteworthy for its emphasis on the sacramental, incarnational and ‘transcendent’ aspects of Christianity."
Like C.S. Lewis, who he greatly admires and has written about often, Howard is an English professor (recently retired, after nearly forty years of teaching), who taught at Gordon College and then at St. John's Seminary. He is a highly acclaimed writer and scholar, noted for his studies of Inklings C.S. Lewis Narnia Beyond: A Guide to the Fiction of C.S. Lewis (2006, 1987) and Charles Williams The Novels of Charles Williams (1991), as well as books including Christ the Tiger (1967), Chance or the Dance (1969), Hallowed be This House (1976), Evangelical is Not Enough (1984), If Your Mind Wanders at Mass (1995), On Being Catholic (1997), and The Secret of New York Revealed.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Read
May 10, 2016This was a fascinating book. Made me realize how good a story teller Lewis was because there was so much depth I never caught because his message and mechanics never got in the way of his story. But now... I know more and am blown away. Also -- JOY! His love for Joy and the deeper story, the "deeper magic" permeated everything. Highly recommend this!
February 16, 2010
five stars plus some more.
October 19, 2012
Easily the best analysis of Lewis's fiction and moral universe in print. As Peter Kreeft says in the Introduction, "At last! A book about C.S. Lewis that doesn't sound like a term paper." Many books on Lewis are dull, but Howard manages to bring joy to the subject at last.
Two elements of the book are worth noting:
First, Howard dispels the myth that Lewis used mere analogies in his writing (Aslan = Jesus, etc). Howard fleshes out Lewis's more deeply literary sensibilities, whereby Aslan can represent Christ without having to, somehow, mimic all of Christian theology. Thus, the entirety of Lewis' fairy tales are better understood as a whole, and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is no longer merely a story of Jesus saving sinners. This draws Lewis closer in line with Tolkien's thinking.
Second, Howard manages to draw out the marrow of Lewis's stories while simultaneously enchanting you with Lewis's world, driving the reader back to Narnia. Thus Howard manages to write a book about Lewis that provokes us to read more Lewis, and not more Howard.
Two elements of the book are worth noting:
First, Howard dispels the myth that Lewis used mere analogies in his writing (Aslan = Jesus, etc). Howard fleshes out Lewis's more deeply literary sensibilities, whereby Aslan can represent Christ without having to, somehow, mimic all of Christian theology. Thus, the entirety of Lewis' fairy tales are better understood as a whole, and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is no longer merely a story of Jesus saving sinners. This draws Lewis closer in line with Tolkien's thinking.
Second, Howard manages to draw out the marrow of Lewis's stories while simultaneously enchanting you with Lewis's world, driving the reader back to Narnia. Thus Howard manages to write a book about Lewis that provokes us to read more Lewis, and not more Howard.
June 20, 2024
Truly excellent and insightful reading of Lewis. I want to reread some sections of this book already. There's only one chapter covering Narnia, so if you want an in-depth reading of Narnia (rather than a great overview of what Lewis does with Narnia) you will have to go elsewhere.
In addition to Narnia, Howard discusses each volume in the Space Trilogy and Till We Have Faces.
In addition to Narnia, Howard discusses each volume in the Space Trilogy and Till We Have Faces.
October 23, 2008
This book provides a great overview and introduction to Lewis' fiction. His chapters on That Hideous Strength and Till We Have Faces are excellent. He does a great job of showing the unity of thought behind Lewis' work. As a teacher who uses Till We Have Faces, it opened my eyes to new ways to develop themes and get my students to really appreciate all the layers of the story.
January 14, 2008
A work full of amazing insights into the beliefs about the absolute nature of the world and our stories within the larger story that guided Lewis.
February 22, 2009
Quite good.
November 26, 2019
I bought this book because it had three whole chapters about the space trilogy, which usually gets passed over in Lewis scholarship. At first I was a bit taken aback by Peter Kreeft's rave review in the preface: "At last! A book about C. S. Lewis that doesn't sound like a term paper, a book that is a joy to read, a book written with Lewis' own passionate power with words, Mercurial magic. At last a book that shows us things we didn't see or appreciate in Lewis before, instead of trotting out a recital of the obvious things we did see (unless we were morons)."
Whoa! When Kreeft gets this glowing, time to pay attention!
The book is more literary analysis than theology, assuming you have already read and appreciated not only Lewis's entire fictional canon but also the works of T. S. Eliot, Dante, Shakespeare, Virgil, and Homer. Howard surfs easily from one author to the other on the crest of a theme, and if you can't keep pace, he shrugs.
It's also more philosophical than simple literary analysis, not only looking at motifs and symbols but also glorying in the worldview behind them. Such profound appreciation for Lewis's thought is definitely contagious; I found myself alternately settling in comfortably, crying with shame, soaring with joy, and feeling downright elegiac about much we have lost in modernity (the same way I always do after reading The Four Quartets--can I get an amen?). I actually had to take breaks between reads because I was so emotionally involved. I ended up reading it not as a way to learn more about Lewis, but as a devotional reading that took me to task.
As Owen Barfield noted, "Somehow what Lewis thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything." So the same themes were repeated throughout, from Narnia to the sci-fi to Till We Have Faces. Still, Howard turns the themes different ways, inviting us to behold them from different angles. He gave me an appreciation for the cohesiveness of Lewis's work: his consistent, levelheaded, hope-filled worldview.
Whoa! When Kreeft gets this glowing, time to pay attention!
The book is more literary analysis than theology, assuming you have already read and appreciated not only Lewis's entire fictional canon but also the works of T. S. Eliot, Dante, Shakespeare, Virgil, and Homer. Howard surfs easily from one author to the other on the crest of a theme, and if you can't keep pace, he shrugs.
It's also more philosophical than simple literary analysis, not only looking at motifs and symbols but also glorying in the worldview behind them. Such profound appreciation for Lewis's thought is definitely contagious; I found myself alternately settling in comfortably, crying with shame, soaring with joy, and feeling downright elegiac about much we have lost in modernity (the same way I always do after reading The Four Quartets--can I get an amen?). I actually had to take breaks between reads because I was so emotionally involved. I ended up reading it not as a way to learn more about Lewis, but as a devotional reading that took me to task.
As Owen Barfield noted, "Somehow what Lewis thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything." So the same themes were repeated throughout, from Narnia to the sci-fi to Till We Have Faces. Still, Howard turns the themes different ways, inviting us to behold them from different angles. He gave me an appreciation for the cohesiveness of Lewis's work: his consistent, levelheaded, hope-filled worldview.
October 1, 2023
Focuses on Lewis's fiction: one chapter for Narnia, three chapters for the Ransom Trilogy, one chapter for Till We Have Faces. Isn't systematic in its analysis of each book: there is no plot summary, no chronological examination, not much telling. More musings than anything. Rightfully avoids allegorizing. Normally I'd say scattered, but Howard is an insightful and skilled enough writer he got away with it.
May 27, 2022
Howard is an excellent writer, challenging the reader with his thoughts and vocabulary. While this series of "reviews" of Lewis's fiction is excellent, it requires much background that average - and modern - readers likely do not have. Further, each of the chapters would be best read after reading (or rereading) the book about which they are written. Recommended but with these words of caution.
May 19, 2020
Howard was very helpful in bringing some key themes to light. This would be a helpful starting point for those who have only read his fiction, and are wanting greater understanding of Lewis' mind.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews