Clive Staples Lewis, although his name avowed around the world, his literary works are exceedingly identifiable to the common household. There are few children who have yet to experience the mystical land in “The Chronicles of Narnia” and numerous scholars who have dissected the “Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature”. Having written over thirty published works by his death in 1963, Lewis has explored close to every genre of literature. (CSLEWIS.COM) Referred to as one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century, and arguably the largest influential writer of the last hundred years Lewis has left his mark on millions of readers worldwide. Gaining his literary influence as a Fellow and tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, Lewis had already published twenty three literary works, five of which are the commonly beloved “Chronicles of Narnia”. Consequently, after Lewis’ time at Oxford University, he was afterward unanimously elected to be the chair of “Medieval and Renaissance Literature” at Cambridge University. Understandably Lewis only published seven novels from his time at Cambridge until his death in 1963, although, Lewis published three more belletristic works posthumously. Popular as his works remain, the most distinguished and favored by the general public include: “Mere Christianity”, “Out of The Silent Planet”, “The Great Divorce”, “The Screwtape Letters”, and increasingly notorious, “The Chronicles of Narnia”. The
Like most movies based on novels, there are some major differences between the written and the theatrical versions of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
She does not understand why the older and well-known authors are not being read in high school. Prose uses a personal experience from her son’s sophomore English class. He had to read a “weeper and former bestseller by Judith Guest” (424), about a dysfunctional family dealing with a teenage son’s suicide attempt. “No instructor has ever asked my sons to read Alice Munro, who writes so lucidly and beautifully about the hypersensitivity that makes adolescence a hell,”(424). She again mentions books she approves of that should be read in English classes.
how it caused her to become a writer fiction. To express the intensity and value of said
Few authors in history have had an impact that has lasted beyond their own time. I was born on the 29th of November in 1898 and died on the 22nd of November 1963 not quite living until my sixty-fifth birthday (“About C.S. Lewis” 1), and during my life, I earned somehow the right to be remembered like few authors have gotten he chance to do. Although, I do not know how I came to earn that. I grew up in Belfast, Ireland surrounded by the plains to Flora and August Hamilton (About 1). My childhood was often filled with fantasy as my brothers and I wished for greater adventures. I found this adventure in some ways when World War I was on the rise and I participated in the British army (About 2). Later in life, I attended Oxford and had
Anderson also worked at Candlewick Press before his books were accepted for publication there. He has also gone on to win 7 awards and honors from his publications, and has written over 15 books. Although he has won many awards for his novels, that doesn’t mean he is a perfect writer: “I can't help but notice, now that you ask, that my favorite lines are usually examples of poor English”. (Anderson, interviewed by Melody Joy Kramer) Works cited Anderson, M. T. Feed.
In the 1600s, critics saw the increased production of books as a threat to society, because they feared that people would not be able to keep up and process the information at the same rate as it became available. Others feared that new books would outshine the classics, and as a result the society would plunge into a primitive state with masses of uncultured people. Ann Blair offers quite the opposite perspective in her article titled “Reading Strategies for Coping with Information Overload ca. 1550–1700,” where she demonstrates that the plethora of books, rather than numbing the minds, in reality cultivated new learning methods while making reading a more personal and intellectually stimulating experience.
C.S. Lewis is one of the greatest authors in history. His books are still widely available and sold to many interested readers. In Lewis’ childhood, he experienced a tragedy that affected his belief in god; in his middle life, he mainly focused on college and his studies, but his father’s death played a role in Lewis later becoming a Christian. In Lewis’ later life, he married one of his own fans. Clive’s passion for writing began when he was a small child, and it continued to grow as he furthered his education to become a college professor at Oxford University. Lewis is still remembered today for his great works, such as The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a popular series among children.
Rooted deep in many of the works of C.S. Lewis are themes of Christianity and the relationship between man and the spiritual world. His last novel, written in the mid 1950s, Till We Have Faces, is one of the most intellectual works of C.S. Lewis. Considered by Lewis as his best work, it is a retelling of the classical mythical story of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of Orual, the older sister of Psyche. Masterfully written, Lewis prompts the reader to identify with Orual and view her as the victim. Lewis then shows the faults of Orual and in the process reveals our own faults and those of society. As an upcoming freshman, I believe that college students would profit from Till We Have Faces, because it opens the readers eyes to the spiritual
1. There are numerous reasons about why Miss Narwin’s opinion of reading books differs from Philip’s opinion. The first reason is that Miss Narwin is a mature adult, who can understand literature better than children. Miss Narwin also has a love for classic literature, which not everyone shares. The second reason is that Philip would enjoy books that were written when he was growing up; it would be easier to understand and relate to for him. I concur with Miss Narwin’s point of view, as I love to read and some older books have a deeper meaning to them. I also agree with Miss Narwin, for I believe that more classic literature should be spread, so that classics won’t be forgotten. Philip’s attitude might be considered a self-fulfilling prophecy since most children would not have such a deep love towards classic literature. Children also appreciate books that they can understand and relate to.
Through his books C. S. Lewis gives a voice to children and adults alike. He acknowledges the intelligence and vulnerability that stem from discovering the world around us. He didn’t just give a voice to people, he treated every person he met as their own planet rather than just another person. He saw people with wonder, compassion, and grace. What a gift to be able to learn from this admirable writer. C.S. Lewis, the great author, wrote all kinds of reading material: poetry, novels, and even children's fiction. He began writing at a young age. He would draw his own pictures. People during his time loved his books, and today people still love to read his books. This author was also intelligent, joyful, and charitable.
Our cohort is nearing the end of its secondary education and therefore it is important that we reflect on the ways in which it has shaped our attitudes values and beliefs. For example, over the past five years we have read, analysed and evaluated various literary works (novels, plays, films etc) in our English studies. These texts express various ideologies, some of which have left a lasting impression on our attitudes, values and beliefs. In addition to this, English literary texts have provided us with historical knowledge aswell as a thorough understanding of the role that aesthetic devices play in engaging readers and expressing ideas. Three texts that have influenced me as an
Lewis talked about how he came to write the books of Narnia, saying that they
The famous book The Maze Runner by James Smith Dashner, is the famous story about a young man named Thomas who wakes up in the middle of a metallic box that serves as an elevator with no memory of his past, the box opens up to a place called “the Glade” with 60 other boys staring back at him as he tries to run away pass them. Every thirty days a new boy or supplies arrive from the box and for three years they have lived together trying to find clues through the maze that surrounds them; but as they start losing hope it all changes when something unprecedented happens and a girl along with a note arrive through the box. The book along with amazing imagery and relevance to today’s world manages to attract more than just teenagers but anybody that is up for the challenge of the maze, and that is just the purpose of this paper to demonstrate multiple reason of why this book not only deserves to be read but it should hold a place in the literary canon.
J. K. Rowling, along with many other modern fantasy authors, owes a great deal to Dante in the formulation of her best-selling series. Though the subject matter she undertakes—a magical world of witchcraft and wizardry—would have, in Dante’s eyes, landed her in the eighth circle of the Inferno, fourth pouch, Rowling would arguably have been unable to create the magical universe of Harry Potter without immense inspiration from The Divine Comedy. In an overly simplistic picture, Voldemort might be thought of as a representation of Satan, arrogantly believing that he has the power to conquer the whole wizarding community, let alone the entire world, with his magical faculties. Indeed, similar to Satan, Voldemort exemplifies the damning qualities of greed, wrath, violence, deceit, and betrayal every step of the way on his path to power.
Using imagination and creativity, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has defined literature as transformative. In this seven-book series J.K Rowling imagined and creatively pieced together a fantasy world of muggles, wizards, tyrants, and heroes to symbolically share with readers problems plaguing modern society. Similar to Shelley’s work of the past, never before have readers in the modern era seen teenage and adult mania surrounding an 11-year-old wizard. Some will argue that J.K. Rowling’s young-adult series lacks depth or wants to twist young minds by using magic and evil, but through close examination it is evident that