Mythlee’s Reviews > The Novels of Charles Williams > Status Update

I've started reading with a pencil in hand so I can relieve my feelings by circling some of the typos. I'm now on The Place of the Lion, and I have to say that the *recurring* theme of female obedience to male commands (Many Dimensions followed immediately by The Place of the Lion) hits somewhat differently now after #metoo and the Lindop biography.

There might be something to think about with respect to female scholars in the fiction of Lewis (Jane Studdock in That Hideous Strength) and Williams (Damaris Tighe in The Place of the Lion). Their scholarship is not exactly praised for its insight, relevance, etc., and their academic striving is somehow linked to their character defects. But they are also not inferior scholars surrounded by good scholars; they do not seem to move in scholarly social circles. And indeed, I think they're both yoked to non-academics if memory serves (though Arthur is far better educated and better read than Mark Studdock, as well as wiser and more virtuous). Still, I seem to recall that Grace Ironwood is well-educated and accomplished in her own right, whereas I don't think any of the other women are in The Place of the Lion. This might bear some further consideration.