The prior two posts addressed the question: What was the value of the books C.S. Lewis read? This post closes out that discussion.
The first of the three posts established that C.S. Lewis read very broadly. Lewis read profusely in five major fields of knowledge, including: Literature, Religion, Philosophy, Linguistics and History.
The second of the three posts looked closely at the huge number of books Lewis read in doing research for English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, one of twelve volumes that comprise the Oxford History of English Literature. Lewis’ contribution to this series is generally considered to be the best of the lot.
This third post presents a short list of the books he most valued. The list begins with ten books identified by Lewis in his answer to the question from The Christian Century:
“What books did most to shape your vocational
attitude and your philosophy of life?”
The Christian Century sent the same question to 108 theologians, authors, editors, and other culturally influential individuals. Lewis’ answers were published in the June 6, 1962, edition of The Christian Century alongside the response by Ann Landers.
I have never been convinced that those ten were the absolute right ten, if only because anyone who is asked such a question might have different answers on different days of the week, let alone different years. It is unclear how much advance notice he was given, or whether he took the time to provide the most thoughtful answer.
I read somewhere that Lewis may not have been quite so fond of a few of the books on the list—The Idea of the Holy by Rudolph Otto, for example. Moreover, I am surprised that Unspoken Sermons by George MacDonald did not make the list ahead of Charles Williams’ Decent into Hell. Still, I take his list at face value, and they are identified on the accompanying graphic in red text.
The accompanying graphic is not intended to convey some profound truth about Lewis’ erudition. To start, there are only 108 books on this list. That is roughly one-half of one percent of the total number of books (20,000) that my systematic projection (a.k.a., “S.W.A.G.”) has produced. Its greater value might be as a guide for Lewis aficionado’s.
My list springs from 20 years of reading books and essays (both by Lewis and about C.S. Lewis) that mentioned this book as profoundly impactful, or that book as simply admired by Lewis. To be candid, I cannot now recall the source in many of the books on my list.
I have little doubt that many Forum members could add new selections and argue that others do not belong on the list. I welcome input. It is not my list, but Lewis’.
There are several books and lists available on the same topic. Will Vaus has published three volumes in a series entitled: C. S. Lewis’ Top Ten: Influential Books and Authors that addressed the ten that Lewis identified in The Christian Century interview. They are a superb source of insight into these ten books. Similarly, David and Susan Werther compiled a book entitled C. S. Lewis’s List: The Ten Books That Influenced Him Most. This book also evaluates the ten books Lewis identified in The Christian Century interview.
C.S. Lewis exemplar Brenton Dickieson published a list of 85 books that Lewis specifically mentioned in An Experiment in Criticism. Our lists have some overlap, but less than you might expect.
Here are five observations from my own list of 108 books:
- His reading is NOT narrow topically. The broad fields of knowledge that I alluded to in an earlier post hold true even for this relatively small sample of 108 books.
- His reading is NOT narrow chronologically. Despite his unparalleled commitment to books from the 16th century, only ten (9.25%) of the 108 books, are from the 16th century.
- It is not true that Lewis was primarily interested in “old books”. The era with the greatest number of books (40 out of 108, or 37%) is the Modern Era.
- No book from the 16th century ranks among his top ten. However, a strong case could be made for Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. After all, he famously said of Spenser: “To read him is to grow in mental health.”
- Of Lewis’ Top Ten books, seven of them are from the Modern Era, and four were published within the last 50 years of his life. As relates to his taste in books, he was a “dinosaur,” but he was also “thoroughly modern.”
By any measure, Lewis’ list of favorite books is skewed toward “poets, prophets and philosophers.” That fact alone confirms that his reading was broad, not narrow. It also corroborates the “value,” or worthiness, of the books he read.
Beyond that, it is widely known that he read fictional literature prodigiously, especially English literature. This included not only classic English writers like Jane Austin and Anthony Trollope, but also the great faerie-genre writers like John Bunyan, George MacDonald. Lewis Carroll and J.R.R. Tolkien.
It is apparent that Lewis was exceedingly fond of the ancient Greeks. This affinity included not just the great philosophers Plato and Aristotle, but also (and perhaps to a greater degree) the great playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
His list of readings across all three eras is heavy not only in prophets and mystics, but also theologians such as Athanasius, Augustine, Vincentius of Lérins, Richard Hooker, and William Law.
Thus, it would be fair to expand the scope of Lewis’ favorite books to: “poets, prophets, philosophers, prosaists, playwrights and preachers.”
When I look at this list that I have been building for the past 20 years, it amazes me that this brilliant man could enjoy reading Rider Haggard one day AND John Milton the next. Just as my parents were amazed that I could be an ardent fan of Soul Brother #1, James Brown, while at the same time my greater passion is the music of Beethoven. It seemed a disconnect to them. Perhaps it was.
Personally, I am most drawn to the books on Lewis’ list that are highest on my list. If I can name just three, they are:
- Unspoken Sermons by George MacDonald (spiritually inspiring)
- The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton (profoundly intelligent)
- Anything by Owen Barfield (utterly fascinating . . . and if only I could understand it fully, it would be even better).
Is that not interesting? . . . that I am most drawn to MacDonald and Chesterton, the two greatest influences on C.S. Lewis? And I think many Lewis “exemplars” would agree when I say that Owen Barfield is right there with them. I suspect many readers feel as I do.
Up next: I move into one of the important questions: “How thoroughly did Lewis ‘comprehend’ the author’s meaning?”
Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
Erudition Series Index
