C. S. Lewis
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    A Series of Classes on

    C. S. Lewis


    Instructor: Dale Sullivan

    Description

    In this class, we explore C.S. Lewis's masterful adaptation of his message to his audience and to his purpose. We will read from a variety of different genres, including lectures given to students, lectures given to other professors, sermons preached in chapel, talks given over BBC radio, letters written to friends and to relative strangers, fantasy written to children and young teens, science fiction written to adults, scholarly articles written to other scholars, and perhaps diary entries written to hi mself as he wrestled with the death of his wife, Joy. Our objective will be to see how a master does more than just say what he or she wants to say; instead, an effective communicator creates a "fitting" response for the rhetorical situation.

    Texts:

    • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (LWW) Harpercollins Juvenile Books, List: $4.95
    • The Case for Christianity, (CC) Touchstone Books, List: $6.00
    • That Hideous Strength, (THS) Scribner, List: $6.95
    • The Great Divorce, (GD) Touchstone Books, List: $6.00
    • A Grief Observed, (GO) Bantam Books, List: $5.99
    • C.S. Lewis : A Biography, (CLB) by Roger Lancelyn Green, Walter Hooper, Harvest Books, List: $12.95
    • Some stuff on reserve
    Tentative Schedule
    Date In-class For next time
    1 Introduction to class and to Lewis CLB ch.1
    2 Lewis's early life LWW chs. 1-4
    3 symbolism and myth in LWW CLB ch.10; LWW 5-8
    4 Lewis' view of teaching through literature, LWW CLB ch.2 LWW 9-12
    Date In-class For next time
    5 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe CLB ch.3 finish LWW
    6 More on LWW CLB ch.4
    7 Lewis's conversion CLB ch.5
    8 Lewis as scholar CLB ch.6 Friendship
    9 Lewis on friendship CLB ch.7 THS chs.1-3
    Date In-class For next time
    10 That Hideous Strength THS chs.4-7, Inner Ring
    11 Lewis and social politics THS chs. 8-12
    12 That Hideous Strength THS chs. 13-17
    13 Lewis and mystery cults CLB chs. 8&9
    14 Lewis as Christian popularizer CC pgs. 3-28
    Date In-class For next time
    15 Lewis's view of ethics CC pgs. 31-56
    16 Lewis as radio speaker GD chs. 1-3
    17 The problem of hell and reality GD chs. 4-7
    18 Human foibles GD chs. 8-10

     

    		 no class!
    Date In-class For next time
    19 The Great Divorce GD chs. 11-14
    20 The Great Divorce as Apologia CBL ch.11
    21 Lewis and Joy Davidman GO chs. 1-2
    22 "Shadow Lands" Go chs. 3-4
    23 "Shadow Lands" GO Afterword;
    CBL ch. 12
    Date In-class For next time
    24 A Grief Observed review
    25 A Grief Observed, Lewis' Death, Class survey review, finish papers
    26
    		 Term's over