Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis is regarded as one of the most prolific writers and thinkers in both fiction, and Christian apologetics. To this day, his works are still being taught in theological academics along with people like John Calvin, as far (and further) back as St. Augustine, as well as the likes of 20th and 21st century thinkers such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, N.T. Wright, and the late Billy Graham. For years, Lewis has been celebrated as one of the most approachable and respected Christian apologists Born in Belfast, Ireland in 1898, Lewis navigated his way through most of his adolescent life away from his faith, until he later converted, with the help of his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien—author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy—to Anglicanism at 32 (partly to the demise of Tolkien, a devout Catholic). The faith Lewis encountered dramatically influenced his writings, and brought him to worldwide acclaim. Later in life, Lewis married Joy Davidman on the 21st of March 1957. Since Davidman had diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, the ceremony was performed at her beside in Churchill Hospital[1].
Notable Works:
(Fiction) The Pilgrim’s Regress The Screwtape Letters The Great Divorce Space Trilogy The Chronicles of Narnia
(Non-Fiction) The Abolition of Man The Problem of Pain The Case for Christianity Miracles Mere Christianity
Legacy:
In preparation for the construction of this webpage, I consulted a few of my good friends who have studied theology, and had more experience with Lewis and his works than I. I asked them, “Why, of all the other prominent voices in Christian teaching, is C.S. Lewis so widely acclaimed and studied? And why do you respect him in this regard?” Their answer was both simple and complex. “Well,” one said, “he was a lay theologian and apologist. The way he defended Christianity was unique. He wrote theology in very plain, and more understandable language. He was not so much doctrinal—he was more about putting theological themes into easy to understand analogies and stories, like The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc.” Another said, simply, “Because he was brilliant. He was the complete definition of an apologist, which was different in his time era.” Personally, the reason why I think Lewis’ legacy is so profound is because he is so widely accessible and understandable. He is not only taught in English literature classes, but in Bible college seminars, Religion classes, etc. His brush paints many aspects of who we are today, personally, spiritually and academically.
Views on Gender:
This exercise is, for the most part, a study of the theological depictions of gender that are presented in The Chronicles of Narnia themselves, and, as a result of this, it is profoundly imperative to understand some of Lewis’ personal (and biblical) views of gender. By doing this, we will be able to correlate his biblical and real-world understanding of gender with the “Narnian” counterparts found in the novels themselves. The other pages of this website (above) will explore the depictions of gender within the confines of the novel. For now, it is important to have some idea of where Lewis was coming from. So, let’s discuss, shall we? In order to understand his views on gender, why not start at the source? In his book, A Grief Observed, Lewis—under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk—shares a collection of reflections on his experience with his dying wife, Joy Davidman. He reflects, on the short marriage saying: For we did learn and achieve something. There is, hidden or flaunted, a sword between the sexes till an entire marriage reconciles them. It is arrogance in us to call frankness, fairness and chivalry “masculine” when we see them in a woman; it is arrogance in them, to describe a man’s sensitiveness or tact or tenderness as “feminine.” But also what poor warped fragments of humanity most mere men and mere women must be to make the implications of that arrogance plausible. Marriage heals this. Jointly the two become fully human. “In the image of God created He them.” Thus, by a paradox, this carnival of sexuality leads us out beyond our sexes. (42-43) Herein lies some of Lewis’ primary beliefs when it comes to the division between sexes, and for the most part, his most vulnerable writings. I think this is a highly illustrative example of Lewis’ personal beliefs on the subject, because, not only is he at his most vulnerable point (reflecting on the grievances with his wife’s terminal cancer), but he is expressing his beliefs from the core of his being. I’ve often read others’ interpretations of C.S. Lewis’ later-in-life marriage to his wife, which argue that he was very much on his “high horse” until the later years of his life, and too much involved with himself to see women as companions. The arguments are based in the idea that Lewis thought no woman was as equal in his level of intellect until he met Joy Davidman[2]. This argument, to me, has been rather lack-luster because while Lewis was indeed, initially drawn to Davidman because of her bright mind, this doesn’t stand to suggest that Lewis thought of himself as superior to women. Lewis and Daviman married out of want, between the two, of a “true, Christian” marriage[3]. In her article, “CS Lewis on Gender,” Ann Loades argues that: Love cannot cease to will the removal of infirmities. In [Lewis’] The Four Loves, this linkage is given further development when [he] develops his conviction that “headship,” crowned or inflicted upon the husband, is not to be found in the husband he and others would like to be, “but in him whose marriage is most like a crucifixion; whose wife receives most and gives least, is most unworthy of him, is—in her own mere nature—least lovable.” (23) Here, its clear—as Loades points out—that Lewis himself does not regard man as a superior in marriage, but rather views marriage as a holy union between a man and woman, who both strive to be as Christ-like as they can be. I think it’s fairly clear, through this example, how Lewis’ views gender in his own life. And now that we have a general basis on Lewis’ personal feelings towards gender, let us continue the discussion in the next section, here.