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Reflecting the Eternal: Dante's Divine Comedy in the Novels of C.S. Lewis
The characters, plots, and potent language of C. S. Lewis's novels reveal everywhere the modern writer' admiration for Dante's Divine Comedy. Throughout his career Lewis drew on the structure, themes, and narrative details of Dante's medieval epic to present his characters as spiritual pilgrims growing toward God.Dante's portrayal of sin and sanctification, of human frailty and divine revelation, are evident in all of Lewis's best work. Readers will see how a modern author can make astonishingly creative use of a predecessor's material - in this case, the way Lewis imitated and adapted medieval ideas about spiritual life for the benefit of his modern audience.Nine chapters cover all of Lewis's novels, from Pilgrim's Regress and his science-fiction to The Chronicles of Narnia and Till We Have Faces. Readers will gain new insight into the sources of Lewis's literary imagination that represented theological and spiritual principles in his clever, compelling, humorous, and thoroughly human stories.
379 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2015
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November 9, 2015
I still clearly remember a speaker who came to visit my college campus approximately ten years ago, when I was just a freshman. It was Dr. Michael Ward, and I only knew that he was speaking about one of my favorite authors--C.S. Lewis. He spoke at length about what later became the content of his book, Planet Narnia, opening up Lewis in completely new ways by showing how Lewis's study of medieval cosmology influenced the Chronicles of Narnia. In the years since that lecture, I've grown to love such literary scholarship and the ways in which it helps the reader to see an added depth and richness to an already beloved text--or perhaps, making a connection between a familiar text and an unfamiliar one, inspiring the reader to explore both more deeply. In that same vein, Dr. Marsha Daigle-Williamson's Reflecting the Eternal, which explores the connections between Dante and Lewis's fictional works, has certainly whet my appetite to re-read these works again with a new appreciation for how they illumine each other.
Daigle-Williamson begins her book with a helpful introduction to Lewis and some of his own thoughts about writing and 'imitating' other authors, before moving to an overview of Dante's The Divine Comedy, helpful for readers who may be entirely unfamiliar with the work (or who, like me, haven't read it in quite some time). In subsequent chapters, she neatly expounds the connections between Dante and each of Lewis's fictional works: The Pilgrim's Regress, Out of the Silent Planet, The Screwtape Letters, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, The Great Divorce, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Till We Have Faces. Helpfully, each chapter contains a brief summary of the book being discussed, making Daigle-Williamson's book incredibly accessible to readers. Even though I haven't [yet] read The Pilgrim's Regress, the brief overview and her clearly organized argument allowed me to grasp the points she was making just as well as I did in the chapter on The Great Divorce (which I've read at least a half-dozen times). Readers don't need to worry about coming to this book having already read Dante or even every single work of Lewis's that is discussed. Daigle-Williamson provides more than enough context for her evidence without boring the reader or detracting from her own thesis--a difficult balance to achieve!
Daigle-Williamson primarily focuses on a few motifs of Dante that are present throughout Lewis's fiction: the creation of worlds (more prevalent in the first few works), a pilgrim's journey, a Virgil-like guide, and a Beatrician figure. What's utterly fascinating is the way that Lewis uses these motifs in varying ways, depending on the work; sometimes he combines the Virgil/Beatrice role or has multiple characters fulfill them, sometimes he shows the entirety of the pilgrim's three-part journey through the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, while other times only part of the journey is shown. Daigle-Williamson highlights these differences for the reader, adeptly revealing Lewis's skill and creativity and the increasing complex use of these motifs in his novels
My personal favorite of the works discussed was The Great Divorce, not only because it had some of the strongest parallels, but also because it's my favorite novel of Lewis's, and certainly the one I am the most familiar with. Yet despite my familiarity, I have to admit I had never thought of the allusions to Dante prior to reading this work! As Daigle-Williamson mentions early on, Lewis's subtle use of "...the ever-present Divine Comedy most often lies below the surface...and may not be visible at first glance" (15), and this was certainly the case for me, though it seems obvious to me now. Beginning with the fictive world, Daigle-Williamson notes how, similar to Dante, Lewis does include both hell, purgatory, and heaven, though not in quite the traditional way that Dante does. The "Grey Town" (which is later revealed to be hell) is explicitly mentioned as being a Purgatory for those souls which eventually travel from the Plain to the Mountains. Additionally, Daigle-Williamson points out that the Plain is the "moral equivalent of Dante's purgatory because it is the place of preparation for heaven" (130). This is just one brief example of the way in which Lewis takes key concepts from Dante, but varies them subtly and creatively to add unique nuances to his own story. When considering characters, it seems clear that George MacDonald most certainly fulfills the roles of Virgil and Beatrice as he guides the narrator through his journey, and Daigle-Williamson explains this connection thoroughly while adding that MacDonald's character also echoes three other minor characters from Dante as well, adding that MacDonald is "one of the most vivid examples of the technique Lewis uses throughout this novel to create continuous, multilayered echoes of Dante's poem" (137). But perhaps most interesting to me was in the discussion of Sarah Smith as Beatrice's parallel. As Daigle-Williamson discussed Beatrice types in other works, I had begun anticipating that Sarah Smith would serve this function in The Great Divorce. However, I was not expecting the explanation of the particular line discussed here: "After such a specific kind of prelude, Lewis's narrator naturally has to ask his guide, 'Is it?...is it?' (GD 107), meaning, of course, 'Is it...is it Dante's Beatrice?' The question need not have been repeated twice, but perhaps Lewis had in mind Beatrice's repetition in her initial greeting when she first appears in the garden: 'Ben son, ben son Beatrice' (Purg 30.73), meaning, 'I really am, I really am Beatrice'" (151). I instantly remembered this moment, because it was always a curious note for me in my previous readings of The Great Divorce, my only thought was that possibly the narrator was thinking the figure was the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary). However, that idea never seemed to satisfy me completely and it seemed to be a slightly random interjection; interpreting the figure as Beatrice instead makes more sense of the double-repetition of the question. All in all, this is a very beautiful and subtle reference surrounding a figure who clearly functions in a Beatrice-like role for her husband, the Tragedian, as Daigle-Williamson aptly demonstrates in the rest of her discussion.
It would be impossible to discuss every chapter in the same level of detail in a brief review, but I hope to have given the reader the briefest of tastes into some of the parallels that they can expect to read in this book. All of Lewis's works do have these sorts of parallels, though The Great Divorce does seem to be the most clearly connected to Dante. If there was one weaker chapter it was the last on Till We Have Faces, mostly because the connections to Dante seemed to have much broader strokes--less unique to Dante in particular and perhaps more strongly echoing the Christian theology that they share, though even here the themes of a pilgrim's journey and Virgil/Beatrice figures seem evident. There were certainly a few pieces of evidence in each chapter that occasionally seemed to be a bit of a 'stretch' or seemed to draw more broadly on the larger Christian Tradition that Dante and Lewis would have shared as opposed to being a specific connection to Dante. Yet there certainly was plenty of evidence in each work that was very unique, the most persuasive being unique Dantean phrases that were used in particularly parallel moments or even quotes from Lewis's letters and other writings explaining his references to or appreciation of Dante. When all the pieces are taken as a whole, the Dantean influence in Lewis's fiction certainly seems clear.
Ultimately, the subtlety of connection on Lewis's part serves his stories well, as Daigle-Williamson notes, "[The works of Dante and other authors] tend to be woven into the fabric of Lewis's novels in such a way that a reader's lack of familiarity with those works constitutes no hindrance to the enjoyment of Lewis's writing. Although erudition on the part of readers is not required to understand his stories and their messages, recognizing the ways in which he draws on his literary heritage enhances one's appreciation for Lewis's masterful artistry" (13). In many ways, this is the true genius of Lewis's craft: his works stand on their own two feet, they can be understood apart from their connection to other classic works. And yet, the moment when the reader steps back and notices the proverbial "giants" underneath allows for even more astounding insights--into Lewis as a person, his own works, and the other works which have become the "furniture" of his mind. That is the mark which every author should aspire to reach: to create books that can be read again and again, each time drawing the reader "further up and further in" to their richness, and to their connections to numerous other examples of literature and human history. And it is always helpful to have a book such as Reflecting the Eternal to help illuminate these connections and excite the reader to go and mine the source texts more fully.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book in exchange for this review, but that did not affect the content of my review in any way.
Daigle-Williamson begins her book with a helpful introduction to Lewis and some of his own thoughts about writing and 'imitating' other authors, before moving to an overview of Dante's The Divine Comedy, helpful for readers who may be entirely unfamiliar with the work (or who, like me, haven't read it in quite some time). In subsequent chapters, she neatly expounds the connections between Dante and each of Lewis's fictional works: The Pilgrim's Regress, Out of the Silent Planet, The Screwtape Letters, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, The Great Divorce, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Till We Have Faces. Helpfully, each chapter contains a brief summary of the book being discussed, making Daigle-Williamson's book incredibly accessible to readers. Even though I haven't [yet] read The Pilgrim's Regress, the brief overview and her clearly organized argument allowed me to grasp the points she was making just as well as I did in the chapter on The Great Divorce (which I've read at least a half-dozen times). Readers don't need to worry about coming to this book having already read Dante or even every single work of Lewis's that is discussed. Daigle-Williamson provides more than enough context for her evidence without boring the reader or detracting from her own thesis--a difficult balance to achieve!
Daigle-Williamson primarily focuses on a few motifs of Dante that are present throughout Lewis's fiction: the creation of worlds (more prevalent in the first few works), a pilgrim's journey, a Virgil-like guide, and a Beatrician figure. What's utterly fascinating is the way that Lewis uses these motifs in varying ways, depending on the work; sometimes he combines the Virgil/Beatrice role or has multiple characters fulfill them, sometimes he shows the entirety of the pilgrim's three-part journey through the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, while other times only part of the journey is shown. Daigle-Williamson highlights these differences for the reader, adeptly revealing Lewis's skill and creativity and the increasing complex use of these motifs in his novels
My personal favorite of the works discussed was The Great Divorce, not only because it had some of the strongest parallels, but also because it's my favorite novel of Lewis's, and certainly the one I am the most familiar with. Yet despite my familiarity, I have to admit I had never thought of the allusions to Dante prior to reading this work! As Daigle-Williamson mentions early on, Lewis's subtle use of "...the ever-present Divine Comedy most often lies below the surface...and may not be visible at first glance" (15), and this was certainly the case for me, though it seems obvious to me now. Beginning with the fictive world, Daigle-Williamson notes how, similar to Dante, Lewis does include both hell, purgatory, and heaven, though not in quite the traditional way that Dante does. The "Grey Town" (which is later revealed to be hell) is explicitly mentioned as being a Purgatory for those souls which eventually travel from the Plain to the Mountains. Additionally, Daigle-Williamson points out that the Plain is the "moral equivalent of Dante's purgatory because it is the place of preparation for heaven" (130). This is just one brief example of the way in which Lewis takes key concepts from Dante, but varies them subtly and creatively to add unique nuances to his own story. When considering characters, it seems clear that George MacDonald most certainly fulfills the roles of Virgil and Beatrice as he guides the narrator through his journey, and Daigle-Williamson explains this connection thoroughly while adding that MacDonald's character also echoes three other minor characters from Dante as well, adding that MacDonald is "one of the most vivid examples of the technique Lewis uses throughout this novel to create continuous, multilayered echoes of Dante's poem" (137). But perhaps most interesting to me was in the discussion of Sarah Smith as Beatrice's parallel. As Daigle-Williamson discussed Beatrice types in other works, I had begun anticipating that Sarah Smith would serve this function in The Great Divorce. However, I was not expecting the explanation of the particular line discussed here: "After such a specific kind of prelude, Lewis's narrator naturally has to ask his guide, 'Is it?...is it?' (GD 107), meaning, of course, 'Is it...is it Dante's Beatrice?' The question need not have been repeated twice, but perhaps Lewis had in mind Beatrice's repetition in her initial greeting when she first appears in the garden: 'Ben son, ben son Beatrice' (Purg 30.73), meaning, 'I really am, I really am Beatrice'" (151). I instantly remembered this moment, because it was always a curious note for me in my previous readings of The Great Divorce, my only thought was that possibly the narrator was thinking the figure was the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary). However, that idea never seemed to satisfy me completely and it seemed to be a slightly random interjection; interpreting the figure as Beatrice instead makes more sense of the double-repetition of the question. All in all, this is a very beautiful and subtle reference surrounding a figure who clearly functions in a Beatrice-like role for her husband, the Tragedian, as Daigle-Williamson aptly demonstrates in the rest of her discussion.
It would be impossible to discuss every chapter in the same level of detail in a brief review, but I hope to have given the reader the briefest of tastes into some of the parallels that they can expect to read in this book. All of Lewis's works do have these sorts of parallels, though The Great Divorce does seem to be the most clearly connected to Dante. If there was one weaker chapter it was the last on Till We Have Faces, mostly because the connections to Dante seemed to have much broader strokes--less unique to Dante in particular and perhaps more strongly echoing the Christian theology that they share, though even here the themes of a pilgrim's journey and Virgil/Beatrice figures seem evident. There were certainly a few pieces of evidence in each chapter that occasionally seemed to be a bit of a 'stretch' or seemed to draw more broadly on the larger Christian Tradition that Dante and Lewis would have shared as opposed to being a specific connection to Dante. Yet there certainly was plenty of evidence in each work that was very unique, the most persuasive being unique Dantean phrases that were used in particularly parallel moments or even quotes from Lewis's letters and other writings explaining his references to or appreciation of Dante. When all the pieces are taken as a whole, the Dantean influence in Lewis's fiction certainly seems clear.
Ultimately, the subtlety of connection on Lewis's part serves his stories well, as Daigle-Williamson notes, "[The works of Dante and other authors] tend to be woven into the fabric of Lewis's novels in such a way that a reader's lack of familiarity with those works constitutes no hindrance to the enjoyment of Lewis's writing. Although erudition on the part of readers is not required to understand his stories and their messages, recognizing the ways in which he draws on his literary heritage enhances one's appreciation for Lewis's masterful artistry" (13). In many ways, this is the true genius of Lewis's craft: his works stand on their own two feet, they can be understood apart from their connection to other classic works. And yet, the moment when the reader steps back and notices the proverbial "giants" underneath allows for even more astounding insights--into Lewis as a person, his own works, and the other works which have become the "furniture" of his mind. That is the mark which every author should aspire to reach: to create books that can be read again and again, each time drawing the reader "further up and further in" to their richness, and to their connections to numerous other examples of literature and human history. And it is always helpful to have a book such as Reflecting the Eternal to help illuminate these connections and excite the reader to go and mine the source texts more fully.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book in exchange for this review, but that did not affect the content of my review in any way.
May 13, 2022
My review and critique of this excellent book here: https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2021/08/...
July 16, 2023
Really good book overall! Very close to a 5 star book for me. Only holdup is that it is a slog of a book sometimes with less commentary on WHY Lewis uses Dante the way he does in works and rather showing THAT there are either direct or striking allusions in much of his own work. This makes the book primarily as a great companion piece that could be a primer before one reads Lewis and/or Dante.
It is amazing though how many connections can be made. While some of these are tenuous connections, it is obvious that Dante looms large in Lewis' mind, especially as Lewis used the pilgrim motif and the wise guides of Virgil and Beatrice as archetypes for many characters of his own books.
Additionally, the number of times Lewis brings characters to gardens and pools/rivers as major shifting scences in novels unmistakeably has a touch of the end of Purgatorio to it. I will never read those scenes without Dante in view.
As recent works have established, this one so confirms that Lewis operates beauitfully in writing as one who had a medieval mind. He both then serves as a gateway to much of Medieval literature (like Dante) as well as, in the end, cannot be fully appreciated without grasping some of the medieval mind that Dante and others wrote out of. I think this is very crucial and is a point that every Lewis reader must understand, lest you just miss a lot of what Lewis is doing.
A wonderful book and glad I read it! Eliot and Lewis agreed that Canto 33 of Paradiso was the height of poetry and the way Lewis carries Dante in his mind is one who had mastered and internalized Dante as his own kind of Virgil as he wrote his own novels! Get this piece and enjoy it as you read through Lewis' novels.
It is amazing though how many connections can be made. While some of these are tenuous connections, it is obvious that Dante looms large in Lewis' mind, especially as Lewis used the pilgrim motif and the wise guides of Virgil and Beatrice as archetypes for many characters of his own books.
Additionally, the number of times Lewis brings characters to gardens and pools/rivers as major shifting scences in novels unmistakeably has a touch of the end of Purgatorio to it. I will never read those scenes without Dante in view.
As recent works have established, this one so confirms that Lewis operates beauitfully in writing as one who had a medieval mind. He both then serves as a gateway to much of Medieval literature (like Dante) as well as, in the end, cannot be fully appreciated without grasping some of the medieval mind that Dante and others wrote out of. I think this is very crucial and is a point that every Lewis reader must understand, lest you just miss a lot of what Lewis is doing.
A wonderful book and glad I read it! Eliot and Lewis agreed that Canto 33 of Paradiso was the height of poetry and the way Lewis carries Dante in his mind is one who had mastered and internalized Dante as his own kind of Virgil as he wrote his own novels! Get this piece and enjoy it as you read through Lewis' novels.
December 5, 2020
Interesting to read. Probably 3.5 stars would be my rating here. In some places, the synergies are quite strong and convincing. Much less so in others. I found the purported Dantean echoes in The Silver Chair particularly generic and implausible - for example, the Lady's transformation into a serpent is a power she chooses to exercise at her own discretion and for her own benefit (unlike the punishments of thieves in The Inferno), and our heroes' descent into the Underworld is not in any way parallel to the increasing evil associated with the lower levels in The Inferno (indeed, the Earthmen are stranded much closer to the surface than is good or healthy for them, and the land of Bism is not a hellish place at all, but a place of wonder and beauty and their natural home). I found myself increasingly skeptical about the supposed Dantean echoes in The Great Divorce, as well, particularly when the claimed similarities between MacDonald and two different guardians in The Inferno were so generic as to support equally a claim that Dante's two different guardians were "the same."
January 21, 2016
Marsha Daigle-Williamson is Professor Emerita at Spring Arbor University where she taught English for over two decades and won numerous teaching awards. Daigle-Williamson has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She has served as translator for the Preacher to the Papal Household and has translated sixteen books from Italian as well as published dozens of articles and reviews. She has also presented at the International Congress on Medieval Studies eight times over the past decade and has been a prominent member of The Dante Society of America for over fifteen years. Most recently, Daigle-Williamson has published a captivating examination into the fiction literature of the beloved C. S. Lewis and his dependence upon the medieval mind of Dante degli Alighieri.
Reflecting the Eternal: Dante’s Divine Comedy in the Novels of C. S. Lewis appropriately opens by building a framework for the reader to rightly recognize Lewis’s permissible usage of his literary forerunners. Daigle-Williamson argues that Lewis saw such usage as not only permissible but utterly appropriate, and quickly brings attention to Lewis’s lifelong appreciation for the work of Dante. The opening chapter concludes with a helpful summation of the plot of Dante’s Divine Comedy—the plot that stands as a scarlet thread interwoven throughout Lewis’s fictional lifework. As the book unfolds, Daigle-Williamson examines each of Lewis’s fiction works in light of this reality, including The Pilgrim’s Regress (1933), Out of the Silent Planet (1938), The Screwtape Letters (1942), Perelandra (1943), That Hideous Strength (1945), The Great Divorce (1946), The Chronicles of Narnia series (1950-1956), and Lewis’s final novel, Till We Have Faces (1956). Daigle-Williamson concludes her exploration with a summary chapter that brings Lewis’s usage of Dante’s Divine Comedy to a threefold pattern: (1) construction of fictional worlds, (2) journey narratives, and (3) Beatrice figures.
At the risk of losing many friends, I have to (reluctantly) admit at the offset of my overall impression of this book that I have not read a single fictional work by Lewis. This may come as a shock to some given this review and the nature of the present volume. However, in many ways, because of this lack of exposure, I am able to represent a unique perspective of Daigle-Williamson’s work and attest to the usefulness therein. It is evident that Daigle-Williamson is well-acquainted with both Lewis and Dante. Her keen ability to grasp the overall themes that transcend both authors, especially Lewis’s fictional corpus, is admirable and well-displayed for the reader. One of thing that I appreciated most about Daigle-Williamson’s work is that she appears to assume that her readers will possess minimal exposure to all of Lewis’s fictional work, and thus each chapter opens with a brief introduction to the specific book in question, including an overview of the content, plot, and themes. This positions the novice reader to better understand the exploration ahead. As one of those novice readers, I can attest that I had absolutely no issue following behind Daigle-Williamson as she carefully guided me through each of Lewis’s books. Now, on the backend of that journey, I have to also admit that Daigle-Williamson has aroused an excitement for Lewis’s fictional work that was not previously there—and for that I anticipate a longstanding indebtedness.
Reflecting the Eternal: Dante’s Divine Comedy in the Novels of C. S. Lewis by Marsha Daigle-Williamson is a fascinating exploration into the fictional corpus of one of modern Christendom’s most beloved figures. Daigle-Williamson has provided a well-researched and thoroughly documented investigation into the thematic underpinning of C. S. Lewis’s dependence upon Dante’s Divine Comedy. By surveying Lewis’s novels chronologically Daigle-Williamson is able to carefully guide the reader into the riches of Lewis and his lifelong appreciation for the work of Dante. She is clear and persuasive in her evaluation of Lewis and sensitive to readers of all levels of exposure to his work, and the same could be said of Dante. Daigle-Williamson has produced an exceptional volume that is certain to excite readers of all interests—both literary critics and Lewis fans alike. Regardless of your acquaintance with or interest in C. S. Lewis and his fictional work, Reflecting the Eternal is a significant volume in the field of Lewis studies, and its influence is sure to reach far beyond this unique academic circle.
I received a review copy of this book in exchange for and honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Reflecting the Eternal: Dante’s Divine Comedy in the Novels of C. S. Lewis appropriately opens by building a framework for the reader to rightly recognize Lewis’s permissible usage of his literary forerunners. Daigle-Williamson argues that Lewis saw such usage as not only permissible but utterly appropriate, and quickly brings attention to Lewis’s lifelong appreciation for the work of Dante. The opening chapter concludes with a helpful summation of the plot of Dante’s Divine Comedy—the plot that stands as a scarlet thread interwoven throughout Lewis’s fictional lifework. As the book unfolds, Daigle-Williamson examines each of Lewis’s fiction works in light of this reality, including The Pilgrim’s Regress (1933), Out of the Silent Planet (1938), The Screwtape Letters (1942), Perelandra (1943), That Hideous Strength (1945), The Great Divorce (1946), The Chronicles of Narnia series (1950-1956), and Lewis’s final novel, Till We Have Faces (1956). Daigle-Williamson concludes her exploration with a summary chapter that brings Lewis’s usage of Dante’s Divine Comedy to a threefold pattern: (1) construction of fictional worlds, (2) journey narratives, and (3) Beatrice figures.
At the risk of losing many friends, I have to (reluctantly) admit at the offset of my overall impression of this book that I have not read a single fictional work by Lewis. This may come as a shock to some given this review and the nature of the present volume. However, in many ways, because of this lack of exposure, I am able to represent a unique perspective of Daigle-Williamson’s work and attest to the usefulness therein. It is evident that Daigle-Williamson is well-acquainted with both Lewis and Dante. Her keen ability to grasp the overall themes that transcend both authors, especially Lewis’s fictional corpus, is admirable and well-displayed for the reader. One of thing that I appreciated most about Daigle-Williamson’s work is that she appears to assume that her readers will possess minimal exposure to all of Lewis’s fictional work, and thus each chapter opens with a brief introduction to the specific book in question, including an overview of the content, plot, and themes. This positions the novice reader to better understand the exploration ahead. As one of those novice readers, I can attest that I had absolutely no issue following behind Daigle-Williamson as she carefully guided me through each of Lewis’s books. Now, on the backend of that journey, I have to also admit that Daigle-Williamson has aroused an excitement for Lewis’s fictional work that was not previously there—and for that I anticipate a longstanding indebtedness.
Reflecting the Eternal: Dante’s Divine Comedy in the Novels of C. S. Lewis by Marsha Daigle-Williamson is a fascinating exploration into the fictional corpus of one of modern Christendom’s most beloved figures. Daigle-Williamson has provided a well-researched and thoroughly documented investigation into the thematic underpinning of C. S. Lewis’s dependence upon Dante’s Divine Comedy. By surveying Lewis’s novels chronologically Daigle-Williamson is able to carefully guide the reader into the riches of Lewis and his lifelong appreciation for the work of Dante. She is clear and persuasive in her evaluation of Lewis and sensitive to readers of all levels of exposure to his work, and the same could be said of Dante. Daigle-Williamson has produced an exceptional volume that is certain to excite readers of all interests—both literary critics and Lewis fans alike. Regardless of your acquaintance with or interest in C. S. Lewis and his fictional work, Reflecting the Eternal is a significant volume in the field of Lewis studies, and its influence is sure to reach far beyond this unique academic circle.
I received a review copy of this book in exchange for and honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
read-in-part
March 4, 2025Skimmed for thesis research. Perhaps worth returning to in future as I didn't really read it it in depth. Some good stuff about daemones. I struggle to like Dante which makes me not as interested in his presence in Lewis, but it's certainly undeniable and I'll probably have to appreciate it someday. If I live a good long life I predict I will love Dante in my fifties.
In the section on Out of the Silent Planet, I think Daigle-Williamson is misreading Augustine and makes Lewis come out looking both more crafty and more dumb than he actually is, but I am not certain of this, not having read either Dante or Lewis' Ransom books recently. So do with that what you will. I am just a lowly undergraduate, but I do know what I'm talking about for the most part. (and even if I end up disagreeing with this book's approach, I'm glad it exists, and more people should be talking about Lewis' influences!)
In the section on Out of the Silent Planet, I think Daigle-Williamson is misreading Augustine and makes Lewis come out looking both more crafty and more dumb than he actually is, but I am not certain of this, not having read either Dante or Lewis' Ransom books recently. So do with that what you will. I am just a lowly undergraduate, but I do know what I'm talking about for the most part. (and even if I end up disagreeing with this book's approach, I'm glad it exists, and more people should be talking about Lewis' influences!)
February 22, 2016
When I received a copy of Reflecting the Eternal, I was intrigued by the subject matter (Dante's influence on C.S. Lewis) but equally intrigued by the author, Dr. Marsha Daigle-Williamson. The name stood out to me and it bugged me until I figured out who she is. She is the translator for the Preacher to the Papal Household. As soon as I had that ah-ha moment, this book moved up from a must read to an instant read. The book begins with an introduction that talks about the themes and characters in Lewis' novels and how they were influenced by classics in Western literature. She then points out that no one has analyzed Dante's impact on Lewis' works, which she finds surprising because she believes that Dante's Divine Comedy is essential for understanding all of Lewis' works. She then provides us an opening chapter which details Lewis' admiration for Dante and a brief summary of the Dante Comedy. Dr. Daigle-Williamson then takes us through a chronological examination of the works of C.S. Lewis and explains the influence of Dante in each. The chapters are as follows:
2. The Pilgrim's Regress
3. Out of the Silent Planet
4. The Screwtape Letters
5. Perelandra
6. That Hideous Strength
7. The Great Divorce
8. The Chronicles of Narnia
9. Till We Have Faces
Reading through this book, I realized just how little of C.S. Lewis' works that I have actually read. For that reason, the chapters I connected with more are logically the ones which I have read. For example. In the chapter on The Pilgrim's Regress, we see the use of a pilgrim and a guide like Beatrice. In the chapter on The Screwtape Letters, we see similarities between Lewis and Dante in the description of Hell and the three stages of spiritual development. My favorite chapter, without a doubt, was the one that addressed The Chronicles of Narnia. Dr. Daigle-Williamson shows how The Silver Chair is similar to the Inferno, and she also compares The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to Dante's Purgatory and Paradise. As many times as I have read those books, the clear influence of Dante never struck me, but it made me want to immediately go re-read them all. That will have to wait until I read Lewis' Ransom Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength). It is a series I have always wanted to read, but I have extra motivation to do so now.
The level of research, notes, and academic depth in this book is astounding. You would normally pay $50 for a book of this nature from an academic publisher, but the $15 price point makes this book a bargain! I have long considered myself a student/fan of C.S. Lewis, but after reading this, I realize I still have so much to read and learn. If you are a fan of Lewis, Dante, and/or great literature then you will want to read this book. Like me, you'll probably need to read or re-read some of these works either before or after reading this book, but you will read them at a deeper level and appreciate them all the more.
2. The Pilgrim's Regress
3. Out of the Silent Planet
4. The Screwtape Letters
5. Perelandra
6. That Hideous Strength
7. The Great Divorce
8. The Chronicles of Narnia
9. Till We Have Faces
Reading through this book, I realized just how little of C.S. Lewis' works that I have actually read. For that reason, the chapters I connected with more are logically the ones which I have read. For example. In the chapter on The Pilgrim's Regress, we see the use of a pilgrim and a guide like Beatrice. In the chapter on The Screwtape Letters, we see similarities between Lewis and Dante in the description of Hell and the three stages of spiritual development. My favorite chapter, without a doubt, was the one that addressed The Chronicles of Narnia. Dr. Daigle-Williamson shows how The Silver Chair is similar to the Inferno, and she also compares The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to Dante's Purgatory and Paradise. As many times as I have read those books, the clear influence of Dante never struck me, but it made me want to immediately go re-read them all. That will have to wait until I read Lewis' Ransom Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength). It is a series I have always wanted to read, but I have extra motivation to do so now.
The level of research, notes, and academic depth in this book is astounding. You would normally pay $50 for a book of this nature from an academic publisher, but the $15 price point makes this book a bargain! I have long considered myself a student/fan of C.S. Lewis, but after reading this, I realize I still have so much to read and learn. If you are a fan of Lewis, Dante, and/or great literature then you will want to read this book. Like me, you'll probably need to read or re-read some of these works either before or after reading this book, but you will read them at a deeper level and appreciate them all the more.
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