Till we have faces

Octesian

Octesian

New member
I just finished Till We Have Faces and its definatly a favorite and one of Lewis' best works. After I finished the book I looked at the painting on the cover (The 'A Harvest Book' copy) and I was trying to comprehend it. It seemed like it was a peticular part in the book, or is it only just a painting of the charactars. The god with wings and the arrow is undoubtedly Cupid-though my first thought was Zephyrus, the West Wind over Psyche about to carry her to Cupid.I can't decifer if the person on the right bottom corner is a male of female. But who was that demon creature in the left corner? Orual?Ungit?-But it looks like a man. Any Ideas?
 
It's hard to make a guess without seeing the same cover you are, and Faces has been published under many covers. Your description doesn't match the cover of any of the volumes I have. Any chance you could post a (small) scan of the picture?

Edit: I think I found a copy I have with the same cover illustration. The credit for the cover art is to Araldo de Luca/CORBIS. de Luca was (is?) a photographer of classical art who has published many books with images of the art of Greece, ancient Egypt, etc. I'm sure that the image came from some photo of his, probably of some Renaissance art. I'm sure you're right that the image is meant to represent Cupid (the winged figure in the middle) and Psyche (the figure on the lower right). The original context is obscure, though I'd guess that it would be that of an angel rescuing a soul from persecution or damnation. That would explain the demonic figure in the lower left, but makes the picture a poor fit for the story. Perhaps one could interpret the demon-ish figure as being like Orual, in her jealousy of Psyche's preferred status, but that would be a stretch.
 
Although Orual was supposed to be wrongheaded when she said it, in my God-questioning moods I often think of her line, "Terrors and plagues are not an answer."
 
I have often wondered the same thing. The image is attributed by Araldo de Luca, but was actually created by Giovanni Baglione, according to the CORBIS website, and is titled Sacred and Profane Love. Click here for the full wikipedia. Or you can go to the CORBIS website and search for the words "araldo de luca cupid", and it will be the eighth image to pop up in the list.

According to the Wiki...

Baglione's Sacred love versus profane love, a response to Caravaggio's Love Victorious, shows an angel (Sacred Love) interrupting a 'meeting' between Cupid (Profane Love) and the Devil (portrayed with the face of Caravaggio)
Click to expand...

So if that is true the primary angel on the book is an arbitrary angel interrupting an apparent interlude between Satan, the devilish face in the picture, and Cupid, the effeminate figure in the picture. Psyche is nowhere in the picture at all.

It is very interesting that they'd choose a picture that had nothing to do with the story. Especially considering there are Cupid / Psyche pictures a-plenty available.
 
Actually, if that's the name of the painting, they could have hardly chosen a more apropos cover illustration. Though Lewis uses the Cupid & Psyche myth as a framework, his real theme is about just that: sacred and profane love. The love of Orual for Psyche is profane, common, natural love. When Cupid woos and wins her away, Orual is tormented enough to try to destroy that love. She has to learn through years of co-suffering ("You, too, will be Psyche") that divine love is far superior to natural love, and lifts all men to their proper place.
 
Till We Have Faces

Has anyone ever read it?

I bought it the other week and finished reading it today. I had never really thought I'd be interested in it, because I'm not into mythology, but I bought it because I want to collect and read all of C.S. Lewis' books eventually.

It was actually a lot better than I expected. The first part was especially interesting, while the second part was a little more complicated. I felt like some of the story in the second part (when she's having the various visions/dreams/etc) was a little over my head. Anyway, I thought it wasn't like anything I had ever read before, but it was pretty good.

I'm interested to know what ya'll think about it. :)
 
This novel may be considered a study in delusional thinking--not on the part of Mr. Lewis, but on the part of his heroine Orual. We spend most of the book being told Orual's point of view, with her self-justifications for everything she has done; and the very fact that some of her actions WERE justified makes it harder both for her and for the reader to figure out where she went wrong. Fantasy though this is, Mr. Lewis is actually being MORE REALISTIC than many "realistic" novelists in respect to the main character's main personality problem. Self-deception comes in layers, which have to be peeled away one after another if the person is ever to confront reality as it IS.
 
I think there's already a thread on this - I'll see if I can find it and merge them. There are some great comments in that thread that are well worth reading.
 
Copperfox said:
Self-deception comes in layers, which have to be peeled away one after another if the person is ever to confront reality as it IS.
Click to expand...

Hmm...sounds a bit like Eustace, huh? ;)

I haven't yet read the book (b/c the libraries I go to never have it! :mad:), but I'm planning to soon. I think I'm going to just give up on the library and buy it at this point. :eek:
 
Alambil and Tarvis said:
Hmm...sounds a bit like Eustace, huh? ;)

I haven't yet read the book (b/c the libraries I go to never have it! :mad:), but I'm planning to soon. I think I'm going to just give up on the library and buy it at this point. :eek:
Click to expand...

That's what I did. :p My library only has a very few books by C.S. Lewis, and I've read them all, so now I've just started buying his books. Now is a good time- because of the PC release, all of the bookstores have more of a selection of his books.
 
Oh my gosh...when I first saw the title to this thread, I was firmly convinced it said 'Till we have faeces'... :D

Sorry for that little interruption. Do carry on, folks.
x]
 
If it helps to compare characters in this heavier novel with Narnian characters, the teacher nicknamed The Fox is like Professor Kirke in a toga, while the soldier Bardia is like Trumpkin if Trumpkin were a human. Princess Redival is like Susan at her worst depth of silliness and vanity.
 
I just finished re-reading Till We Have Faces for probably the fourth time. Not sure. But, I am sure that it is my favorite Lewis work - and I love a lot of what he wrote.

For all who say that he lost his faith later in life, this book - the last published fiction work - answers that charge. There are so many amazing quotes:

"Die before you die. There's no chance after."
" - Are the gods not just? - Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?"
"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer."

And so many amazing scenes... when the priest sees the dagger at his throat and shows no reaction, when Orual gets a brief glimpse of Psyche's palace, when she sees the "Shadowbrute" in his true form, when Orual hears her story and Psyche's told to her by a hermit... wow. It's just an incredible book. Definitely one of the five best books I've ever read.
 
I agree. Astonishing fiction with tremendous depth. A lifetime worth of insight went into that book. It took Lewis that long to realize he was Orual - and that he, too, was Psyche.
 
I finished it recently and it's still sinking in. I understood that I was like Oural....maybe too much like her. Maybe that's why I struggle with it as much as I have. There's so much more to grasp in there I'm sure. It is a great work of writing. Part of me likes some of Lewis' other fictional works better...but as I read it a few more times over the years this may change.
 
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