Who knew C. S. Lewis

TimmyofOz

Well-known member
With the 50th anniversary of Lewis' death this year, seems like everyone is saying they knew Lewis or say that this person was a friend of Lewis. A list of people that Lewis knew seems to go on forever. I thought a thread on who were some of the real friends of Lewis would be interesting. We can also talk about people who are just hanging on. If you want to know some of the people that can be talked about, there are:

JRR Tolkien
H. G. Wells
Winston Churchill
Owen Barfield
Roger Lancelyn Green
Charles Williams
Walter Hooper
J I Packer
Joy Davidman
Douglas Gresham
Jane Moore
George Sayer
Warnie Lewis
Hugo Dyson
George Orwell
Elizabeth Anscombe
 
With the 50th anniversary of Lewis' death this year, seems like everyone is saying they knew Lewis or say that this person was a friend of Lewis. A list of people that Lewis knew seems to go on forever. I thought a thread on who were some of the real friends of Lewis would be interesting. We can also talk about people who are just hanging on. If you want to know some of the people that can be talked about, there are:

JRR Tolkien
H. G. Wells
Winston Churchill
Owen Barfield
Roger Lancelyn Green
Charles Williams
Walter Hooper
J I Packer
Joy Davidman
Douglas Gresham
Jane Moore
George Sayer
Warnie Lewis
Hugo Dyson
George Orwell
Elizabeth Anscombe

Sorry you left one out another famous Irish writer who Lewis admired and inspired him to learn the Celtic tounge (Irish lanague) which was totaly against his strict Protestant upbringing. I will leave it to you to to find out who he was . :)
 
If you mean William Butler Yeats, I am not sure Lewis actually knew him.
G. K. Chesterton also was admired by Lewis but I don't think Lewis ever met him in person. Lewis was in his thirties when these gentlemen die.
 
Let me give an example on how this thread can be used. Walter Hooper has been accused of as just hanging on to Lewis for his own personal gains. This is a man who latched on to Lewis in the last years of his life to the chargin of some of his older friends, but the same could be said of Joy Davidman. It is clear that Fr. Hooper has written a lot of books on Lewis. Yet nothing he has written about Lewis or manuscripts he has said were by Lewis has been proven to be false.

So this thread gives you a chance to talk about those who spent time around Lewis.:D
 
Of course we know that Joy Davidman knew him very well! I like their story because I feel like Lewis didn't really get a chance for romance in earlier life. He had a tragic childhood after his mother's passing, was brutalized in a bad boarding school -- and as a young man fought in WW I which we know was a traumatic experience, even by today's standards of warfare. After the war he was stuck with his old buddy's aging and cranky mama -- Lewis had vowed to the man he would look after his mother if anything happened to him ... and something happened to him. So although she was no relation, he brought her into his home and provided for her. That cannot have been conducive to dating or attractive to a woman who might have been interested in him (a faux mother who ruled the roost? run the other way!)

But then in his twilight years, along came a lovely and vivacious woman who worshiped CSL the writer ... and he had the chance, at long last, to experience love with a woman, and marriage even. What a gift they gave to each other in their final years. It's sad, to me, that CSL did not live long -- I feel that his experience with Joy might have brought fresh themes to his writing, had he lived long enough to recover from losing her and meditate on her memory.

You know in Out of the Silent Planet when the hross explains why their species only mates and has children during a very short season of their lives -- he says the rest of their life is spent remembering and coming to understand those brief seasons of joy, and make poems about them, so that really, those seasons last a lifetime and are only fully appreciated in old age ... I think there might have been something of that in Lewis' writing had he lived longer.
 
If you mean William Butler Yeats, I am not sure Lewis actually knew him.
G. K. Chesterton also was admired by Lewis but I don't think Lewis ever met him in person. Lewis was in his thirties when these gentlemen die.

It was indeed W.B.Yeats, Lewis met him twice in 1921 and it was his works he admired for in a letter to a friend he says "I have here (oxford) discovered an author exactly after my own heart, whom I am sure you would delight in.W.B.Yeats. He writes plays and poems of rare spirit and beauty about our old Irish Mythology." This even today would be unheard of by a Protestant as they don't want to know any Irish history, culther,Myths ect as they are Anglo-Saxon and pro Royals, Lewis him self said that the English accent was like the voice of Demons, but it took him to leave Ireland to find that out. I don't want to get into politics religon is enough. :)
 
Of course we know that Joy Davidman knew him very well! I like their story because I feel like Lewis didn't really get a chance for romance in earlier life. He had a tragic childhood after his mother's passing, was brutalized in a bad boarding school -- and as a young man fought in WW I which we know was a traumatic experience, even by today's standards of warfare. After the war he was stuck with his old buddy's aging and cranky mama -- Lewis had vowed to the man he would look after his mother if anything happened to him ... and something happened to him. So although she was no relation, he brought her into his home and provided for her. That cannot have been conducive to dating or attractive to a woman who might have been interested in him (a faux mother who ruled the roost? run the other way!)

But then in his twilight years, along came a lovely and vivacious woman who worshiped CSL the writer ... and he had the chance, at long last, to experience love with a woman, and marriage even. What a gift they gave to each other in their final years. It's sad, to me, that CSL did not live long -- I feel that his experience with Joy might have brought fresh themes to his writing, had he lived long enough to recover from losing her and meditate on her memory.

You know in Out of the Silent Planet when the hross explains why their species only mates and has children during a very short season of their lives -- he says the rest of their life is spent remembering and coming to understand those brief seasons of joy, and make poems about them, so that really, those seasons last a lifetime and are only fully appreciated in old age ... I think there might have been something of that in Lewis' writing had he lived longer.

True Lewis did have a troubled life and he put it in Narnia, Digory and his mother was Lewis and his, and it was one of the hardest of all the Narnia ones to write. His friend Paddy in WWI made a pact together and as Paddy was killed Lewis honered it which is true friendship, one of the 4 things Lewis held dear to. He also gave most of his money away to good causes and when he was asked why he gave money to a begger who would only spend it on drink he replied if iI did not gave him it I would only spend it on drink, Lewis gave so much to this world in his books, the message of love, peace and harmony no matter what religion, creed, colour you are. :)
 
True Lewis did have a troubled life and he put it in Narnia, Digory and his mother was Lewis and his, and it was one of the hardest of all the Narnia ones to write. His friend Paddy in WWI made a pact together and as Paddy was killed Lewis honered it which is true friendship, one of the 4 things Lewis held dear to. He also gave most of his money away to good causes and when he was asked why he gave money to a begger who would only spend it on drink he replied if iI did not gave him it I would only spend it on drink, Lewis gave so much to this world in his books, the message of love, peace and harmony no matter what religion, creed, colour you are. :)

:)

JtW said:
This even today would be unheard of by a Protestant as they don't want to know any Irish history, culther,Myths ect as they are Anglo-Saxon and pro Royals,
I think maybe you read too much into denominational lines? Or do you mean, this would never be said by a Protestant in Ireland/England? In the USA, at least, everyone is free to study and love whatever history and mythology they like. Perhaps the denominational divide is not as political or important here as it is in the UK.
 
I am an Evangelical Christian and disagree with many of the teachings of the Catholic church yet I love all those in my close family who are Catholic. The situation in Ireland is purely nationalism in nature. The Irish hate the Brits over there struggle for independence. Over the years because of all the invasions by German and Norsemen tribes into England which the Irish didn't experience as much, the nationalities of the Brits and the Irish are completely different. And though the English from a completely strategic point of view wanted to be united with Ireland as a front to stand against bigger France and Germany whom they feared being invaded by, the Irish felt the same way toward bigger England forcing themselves on their smaller island. Scottland and Wales hated the English also you know.

Lewis had little trouble with his Catholic friends, though I feel his Catholic friends were upset that he didn't become Catholic. I think Lewis had a problem with the whole denominational thing, but I feel he was very happy with the Anglican Communion. Seems like every denomination feels that Lewis should have been one of theirs. Catholics say he should have been a Catholic, Evangelicals say he should have been a Evangelical, I have even heard Mormons say Lewis would have been a natural Mormon. Remember the Anglican Communion is rather neutral between Catholicism and Protestantism.

But this thread has to do with how Lewis got along with his friends and who they were. Does anyone ever know if Lewis did meet G. K. Chesterton. I know he admired him. Lewis would have been about 36 when Chesterton died.
 
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Well I love the English accent. Oh, I was wrong Lewis was 40 when Yeats died.

Of course you do we all speak it as it was spread through out the world in the gise of entlightment to other native speaking peoples who which since have lost their lanague and belifes. You'r from Utha Texas, remember the Alamo, Spanish Catholics or christians as I will put them all under the same unbrella as christianty tried to take the US. As Inkspot pointed out earlier in a post the adment of her land and the land of the free and the Adments of the USA would not be in place if you did not overthrow the English 4th July ring a bell. :)
 
I know your from Ireland, but you really got to learn your American states. Texas and Utah are two different states and there relationship is very different. Yes Mexico claimed Utah area too as well as Texas but the Mormons settled the land. If you study the expansion into the Americas by different nations in the 18th century, claiming is done first, but if you don't back it up by settleing the territory means nothing. Mexico claimed Texas and Utah but never made effort to settle those lands in the early 19th century. The only true state that you might say that the USA took from Mexico is California. I am from California and know it's early history and know that few Californians at the time of 1846 wanted to stay part of Mexico. Now I know a lot of Americans would love to give California back to Mexico now. Mexico had only separated from Spain in 1821. Mexico gain the land only by Spainish claims and Spain couldn't hold anything by the 1820s on the Americas. Know this that the United States in the early 19th century claimed all of Canada, even went ot war to get it from England, but we never made an effort to settle the land and the Canadians want to stay loyal to the crown, so our claim didn't mean a thing. So Learn your American history, and don't listen to modern rewrites. The Mormons that settled Utah, where no Mexican was anywhere to be seen, wanted Utah (and Nevada and more) for all themselves. But when they had to choose between the USA and Mexico they choose the USA. Though they may have not had a choose. The Mormans also claimed more land than they could settle in front of others.

But this is a Lewis thread so please stick to the subject.
 
I am an Evangelical Christian and disagree with many of the teachings of the Catholic church yet I love all those in my close family who are Catholic. The situation in Ireland is purely nationalism in nature. The Irish hate the Brits over there struggle for independence. Over the years because of all the invasions by German and Norsemen tribes into England which the Irish didn't experience as much, the nationalities of the Brits and the Irish are completely different. And though the English from a completely strategic point of view wanted to be united with Ireland as a front to stand against bigger France and Germany whom they feared being invaded by, the Irish felt the same way toward bigger England forcing themselves on their smaller island. Scottland and Wales hated the English also you know.

Lewis had little trouble with his Catholic friends, though I feel his Catholic friends were upset that he didn't become Catholic. I think Lewis had a problem with the whole denominational thing, but I feel he was very happy with the Anglican Communion. Seems like every denomination feels that Lewis should have been one of theirs. Catholics say he should have been a Catholic, Evangelicals say he should have been a Evangelical, I have even heard Mormons say Lewis would have been a natural Mormon. Remember the Anglican Communion is rather neutral between Catholicism and Protestantism.

But this thread has to do with how Lewis got along with his friends and who they were. Does anyone ever know if Lewis did meet G. K. Chesterton. I know he admired him. Lewis would have been about 36 when Chesterton died.

I am a Catholic in Belfast and I think I should know what the religous divide is it is still here. The 12th of July commeth. Sorry I don't know G.K.Chesterton but I will look him up and get back to you on it. Lewis was a Atheist most of his life and he did marry a Jew. Lewis books when you look at it are not one religon aginst another but one christian idear that it is the only religon. :)
 
Don't forget that C.S. Lewis died on the same day that John Kennedy was killed in Dallas, Texas. The next day is also the 50th anniversary of the debut of Doctor Who on TV.
 
JtW - I am a Christian, but I bought up Mormonism because I live in Utah where about half the people are Mormon and you were asking me about Utah and the people who live in Utah. People calling themselves evangelical just means that we are Bible believing Christians going back to the Great Awakening movements from 1730 to 1830 that covered both England and the Americas. And we Americans are very proud of out history, and honor the Eurpopeans and others who came here to get away from sectarian Europe. I really don't know why you say I called the writings of Lewis the Bible. If you mean that I used the word canon loosely in using the phrase Narnian Canon. Conan means recognized. When we say the Canon of the Bible we are saying the recognized books of the Work of God. When I said Narnian Canon I was saying the recognized published books by Lewis of The Chronicles of Narnia, meaning that any other writings of Narnia by other authors or manuscripts by Lewis that he didn't mean to be published in the Chronicles about Narnia would not be recognized as a true story line on the subject of Narnia. Nothing to do with me saying the writings of Lewis are the Word of God and I would base my eternal soul on them. Oh and the Ancestry of Rev. Billy Graham was Scottland who hated the English and I have Walsh blood in me, who also hated the English, but they got over it because Britian is too small of an island for people to hate each other over. It took several hundred years for them to get over the hatred but I feel it was the love of Christ during the 1st Great Awakening that healed that land. And that healing is moving threw Ireland also if one is open to it. The Irish and those of Northern Ireland are not killing each other like they were just 40 years ago.
 
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64 - I wish I could go back in time and meet C. S. Lewis during one of his Inkling meeting. That would have been grand. I never watched Dr. Who on BBC here in America. The only BBC shows I liked was To The Manor Born and I, Claudius. Whenever I hear the words Dr. Who I think of the Jame Bond movie Dr. No first before I catch myself. I wonder if Lewis knew Ian Lancaster Fleming getting back to the subject of the thread. Their lives match each other very closely in that Fleming died less than a year after Lewis. Fleming described himself as "at least some kind of a sub-species of a Christian". So he may not have read much of Lewis. :)
 
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