Thursday, September 7, 2017

Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis (The Great Courses) by Louis Markos


5 out of 5 stars  *****

Life and Writings of C.S. Lewis is a lecture from The Great Courses by Louis Markos. Markos admits that the subject is a favorite of his, personally, because C.S. Lewis influences this author profoundly. The course is broken up into 12 chapters, each describing the events affecting Lewis at the time of his writing.

I learn a lot about this prolific writer who encompasses so many genres from children's literature to explanatory assignments from Oxford University on 16th and 17th century English literature, like John Milton, 1608-1674, a poet who wrote Paradise Lost in 1667. Another tidbit of information is what Lewis answers to, the nickname, Jack, since childhood. I know of Lewis's eventual conversion to Christianity later in life but I am unaware, until I listen to this lecture, that an estranged relationship between he and his father occurs after his mother dies and he is shipped off to boarding school. Only after his father's death does Lewis become Christian. Closure with the father figure and the prodding by his close friend, J.R.R. Tolkien allows Lewis to drop his resistance and develop Christianity's best apologetic arguments to date.


Markos excitedly delves into the stories and their deeper meanings with each interesting lecture. The Narnia Chronicles are a favorite of his and his children. The symbolism is rich in his tales that display Lewis's knowledge of scripture and its meaning. I enjoy this course immensely and have a greater appreciation for C.S. Lewis because of it. 

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