The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis

Alister McGrath on The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis

I began a substantial research project on CS Lewis (1898-1963) after moving from Oxford University to take up a newly established professorship at King's College London in September 2008. My new position allowed me more time for research. Having read much by (and about) Lewis, I decided to write a major new study of Lewis to mark the 50th anniversary of his death in 2013. As the research proceeded, I realized that I would have to write two works on Lewis to cope with its significant findings. The first was a new biography of Lewis, entitled C. S. Lewis – A Life. Reluctant Prophet, Eccentric Genius, published in February 2013, which has been very well received. The second is The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis.

This second book provides eight meticulously researched studies of aspects of Lewis's thought that have not received the attention that they deserve to date. Four of them break new ground – especially the essays dealing with the literary character of Lewis's autobiographical work Surprised by Joy, and Lewis's extensive use of imagery based on sight and light. Although these are solid pieces of research, I have made them as accessible as possible. The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis is an ideal companion to the biography. The latter tells a story; the former unpacks some core ideas in Lewis's thought.

So what will readers get out of The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis? Taken together, these eight essays will allow readers to get much more out of their engagement with Lewis. For example, the essay on Lewis's approach to "myth" will helps readers make sense of (and appreciate) some core features of the famous "Chronicles of Narnia". The essay on Lewis's visual imagery helps make sense of many themes in Mere Christianity, and some of his most famous essays, especially "The Weight of Glory" and "Meditation in a Toolshed". Lewis's elegant style and accessible prose masks the conceptual profundity of his thinking. The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis will allow Lewis's readers to appreciate the depth of his ideas, while still enjoying the winsome way in which they are presented.