Andrew is joined by Dr. Junius Johnson to discuss “The Dark Tower”, Lewis’ abandoned sequel to “Out of the Silent Planet”.
S6E28: “The Dark Tower” (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Drop-In
Quote-of-the-week
“If there is to be any more space-travelling, it will have to be time-travelling as well”
C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet (Postscript)
Biographical Information
Dr. Junius Johnson is a Yale-trained scholar of theology, philosophy, and literature who devotes his time to thinking and writing about whatever is good, noble, and excellent, and how to bring these things to bear to nurture meaningful lives. He is a prolific writer, an engaging speaker, an inspiring teacher, and a passionate musician.
Guest Biographical Information
Toast
- Both men were drinking peppermint tea
Discussion
1. “Personal introduction”
Q. What else should our listeners know about you? What gets you up in the morning?
2. “Drawn to Lewis and the Dark Tower”
Q. What drew you to this book?
Dr. Johnson quoted both these bible passages:
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death
Proverbs 14:12
Andrew mentioned Mere Anglicanism Conference and The Noises that Weren’t There by Charles Williams.
3. “What is it?”
Q. A lot of people have never heard of The Dark Tower. What is it?
Lewis probably wrote The Dark Tower 1938-1939. Andrew suggested that Lewis hinted in Out of the Silent Planet the direction he was planning to follow:
“If there is to be any more space-travelling, it will have to be time-travelling as well”
C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet (Postscript)
It was rescued from the fire by Walter Hooper. While there was a dispute about its authenticity, Inkling Gervaise Matthew says he clearly remembers it. Referring to Charles Williams and C. S. Lewis: Friends in Co-inherence by Paul Fiddes, Andrew pointed out that not every Inkling was at every meeting, so it is not surprising that it is not better remembered. He also referred to Chronologically Lewis by Joel Heck.
4. “The plot”
Q. What is the basic plot of the book?
Andrew said that Orpheo is probably an allusion to Orpheus, for which Owen Barfield also wrote a play. Andrew highlighted that Lewis helped Tolkien with his translation of Sir Orfeo, which has echos of this story.
Dr. Johnson pointed out that “Scudamore” means “Shield of Love”.
5. “The wager and recycling”
Q. Do you think that this is related to the wager between Lewis and Tolkien about writing a space-travel book and a time-travel book?
Both men spoke about the completed sequels to Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.
6. “The abrupt end”
Q. There are some pages missing and it breaks off mid-sentence, right?
Dr. Johnson notes that it stops mid-sentence and that two pages are missing.
Walter Hooper tells the story of how, in January 1964, he rescued some of Lewis’ work from a bonfire made by his brother following his death:
7. “What would you change?”
Q. What would you change about the book if you could?
Andrew refers to the suicide of Virginia Woolf.
8. “A glimpse of an Inklings Meeting?”
Q. I was struck during this re-reading that in this story we’re almost given a glimpse into an Inklings meeting. What do you think?
In reference to Inklings meetings, Andrew alluded to a passage in Surprised By Joy where Lewis talks about the friends who disagree with you:
…the Second Friend is the man who disagrees with you about everything. He is not so much the alter ego as the anti-self. Of course he shares your interests; otherwise he would not become your friend at all. But he has approached them all at a different angle. He has read all the right books but has got the wrong thing out of every one. It is as if he spoke your language but mispronounced it. How can he be so nearly right and yet, invariably, just not right? He is as fascinating (and infuriating) as a woman. When you set out to correct his heresies, you find that he forsooth has decided to correct yours! And then you go at it, hammer and tongs, far into the night, night after night, or walking through fine country that neither gives a glance to, each learning the weight of the other’s punches, and often more like mutually respectful enemies than friends. Actually (though it never seems so at the time) you modify one another’s thought; out of this perpetual dog-fight a community of mind and a deep affection emerge.
C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy (Chapter 13)
Andrew also noted that The Dark Tower containers the first appearance of the Scottish Andrew MacPhee, probably inspired by Lewis’ teacher, William Kirkpatrick (“The Great Knock”). We encounter him again in That Hideous Strength.
Andrew once again referred to Charles Williams and C. S. Lewis: Friends in Co-inherence by Paul Fiddes and referred to William’s book, The Place of the Lion.
9. “The Lewis Character”
Q. Can you please talk to us a little bit about the Lewis character in Out of the Silent Planet and The Dark Tower?
Lewis writes himself into the end of Out of the Silent Planet:
This is where I come into the story. I had known Dr. Ransom slightly for several years and corresponded with him on literary and philological subjects, though we very seldom met.
C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet (Chapter 22)
Andrew points out a possible inconsistency in the Ransom Trilogy. We are told that “Ransom” is not his real name, yet in Perelandra he is told the following:
“My name also is Ransom,” said the Voice.
C.S. Lewis, Perelandra (Chapter 11)
Andrew spoke about the connection between the Ransom Trilogy and The Screwtape Letters. David interviewed Dr. Brenton Dickieson about this link in Season 4:
10. “Story inconsistencies”
Q. Is The Dark Tower compatible with the rest of the Ransom Trilogy?
Referring to inconsistencies in Lewis’ books, Dr. Johnson quoted Emerson:
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
11. “Till We Have Dark Towers”
Q. What are the connections with Till We Have Faces?
Andrew claimed that because Scudamore means “Shield of Love”, the book is about Till We Have Faces, because it’s all about love. He also saw significance in its reference to “something else …or…someone else”:
Don’t you see that long before you had reached the level of timeless experience, you would have had to become so interested in something else or, frankly, someone else that you wouldn’t be bothering about time-travel…
C.S. Lewis, The Dark Tower
Dr. Johnson quoted the title of one of Lewis’ essays, Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said.
Wrap-Up
More Information
- Dr. Junius Johnson
