From across the pond, Dr. Simon Horobin joins David to discuss an upcoming exhibition being held at the Oxford University, as well as his new book, “C. S. Lewis’s Oxford”.
Show Notes
01. “Substitute Teaching for Lewis”
Q. How are you “substitute teaching” for C. S. Lewis?
- Dr. Simon Horobin is a fellow tutor of English at Maudlin College at Oxford University, a post that C. S. Lewis held at one point.
02. “Words and Worlds”
Q. You are currently running an exhibition at Oxford. Could you tell us about “Words and Worlds”?
- The exhibition “Words and Worlds: A Study of C. S. Lewis” opened recently, and is being held in the library at Maudlin College. It explores Lewis’ life at the university, and features several interesting documents and objects that Lewis held in his possession.
- Dr. Horobin showed a postcard that will be handed out at the exhibit.
03. “Exhibition Features”
Q. Are there any other things that you’d want to highlight in the exhibition?
- An item in the college’s stash is Jack’s tobacco jar with the college emblem on it, along with his pipe and case.
- There are some amusing archives as well, including records from dinners at Oxford, where they would weigh the attendees beforehand. Observers can see how Lewis gained some weight over the years!
- Other documents show heated discussions Lewis got into with other scholars. IN one, Lewis got into a bet with historians regarding the use of the word “eros” in Homer’s “The Odyssey”. Lewis won the bet.
04. “C. S. Lewis’s Oxford”
Q. I’m assuming that much of this exhibition is inspired by your book, which was recently released. Could you tell us a bit about that?
- The cover for “C. S. Lewis’s Oxford” has a very Narnian cover, and the back sports Dr. Horobin’s favourite picture of Jack, standing by a bookshelf in Oxford.
- The book explores Lewis’ life at university, as well as the surrounding area. The Eagle and Child and the Eastgate Hotel were staple locations for Lewis and his company.
05. “Book Inspiration”
Q. I love that this book provides context for things that are typically not explained. What was it that made you want to write this book in the first place?
- There are several books that are part of the collection that Lewis annotated himself. There are some obvious connections to the “Chronicles of Narnia” series in the novels he writes in, including “Le Morte Darthur” by Sir Thomas Malory, and “Sir Gawain and the Green Night”.
06. “Undiscovered C. S. Lewis Conference”
Q. You’re coming to the Undiscovered C. S. Lewis Conference at George Fox University in September. Will you be offering a paper or speaking?
- David mentioned that he will be seeing Dr. Horobin at the “Undiscovered C. S. Lewis Conference” at George Fox University.
- Dr. Horobin will be speaking about a collection of recently published poems that he discovered. He found several interesting annotations in a dry text called “A Short History of English” by H. C. Wyld, a man Lewis constantly complained of, and wrote hate poems about.
07. “Future Projects”
Q. After this conference and the book release, what other projects do you have planned for the future?
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