History Creator / CSLewis

* EvilVirtues: He argues that these debunk the very concept of Dualistic God/[[TheAntiGod Anti-God]] religions like Zoroastrianism, since the Evil deity must have inherently good qualities (not just the EvilVirtues themselves, in fact, but existence and sapience and will) in order to be on equal footing in terms of power with the Good deity.

* DemocracyIsFlawed: The chief value he saw in Democracy was simply that [[WhoWatchesTheWatchmen it prevented tyranny]] ("I do not deserve a hare in governing a Hen's roost much less a nation"). Otherwise he would have preferred Aristocracy.

* DemocracyIsFlawed: The chief value he saw in Democracy was simply that [[WhoWatchesTheWatchmen it prevented tyranny]]. Otherwise he would have preferred Aristocracy.

* EvilVirtues: He argues that these debunk the very concept of Dualistic God/AntiGod religions like Zoroastrianism, since the Evil deity must have inherently good qualities (not just the EvilVirtues themselves, in fact, but existence and sapience and will) in order to be on equal footing in terms of power with the Good deity.

Clive Staples Lewis[[note]][[SomeCallMeTim "Jack" to his friends and family]][[/note]] (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was an Irish-born British author of many sorts of books in the mid-20th-century: scholarship regarding medieval literature, lay Christian theology, ScienceFiction, and {{Fantasy}}.

* ResignedToTheCall: The way Lewis describes his conversion in ''Surprised By Joy'':

* TalkingAnimal: ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''

Lewis and Gresham's romance was dramatized in the teleplay and it's subsequent stage and film adaptations ''{{Film/Shadowlands}}'', with Creator/JossAckland, Creator/NigelHawthorne and Creator/AnthonyHopkins taking the role of Lewis in the television, stage, and film versions. Also, a {{biopic}} called ''Tolkien & Lewis'' portraying the two authors' friendship is reportedly in development.

Lewis and Gresham's romance was dramatized in the film and stage play ''{{Film/Shadowlands}}'', with Creator/JossAckland and Creator/AnthonyHopkins taking the role of Lewis in two different film versions. Also, a {{biopic}} called ''Tolkien & Lewis'' portraying the two authors' friendship is reportedly in development.

* JesusWasCrazy: Famously, ''Mere Christianity'' popularized the so-called "trilemma" argument in favor of the deity of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}: if Jesus wasn't {{God}}, then it's fallacious to say He was "[[JesusWasWayCool a great moral teacher]]," since an actual great moral teacher would be humble rather than [[AGodAmI claiming to be God]] as Jesus did. So either Jesus was GodInHumanForm, Jesus was [[ThatLiarLies a liar]], or Jesus Was Crazy. [[note]]Assuming the usual [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christian view]] of Literature/TheBible, of course. Let's remember the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment. And in fact, in the next chapter of that book, he considers other possibilities outside the "trilemma"—such as the possibility that Jesus' words were not recorded accurately.[[/note]]

* AllJustADream: [[spoiler: ''The Great Divorce'']].

* TheFarmerAndTheViper[=/=]UngratefulBastard: Opens his provocatively-titled essay "We Have no Right to Happiness" (calling out how the sexual impulse was being held by some to justify any breach of faith) with the tragedy of "[[NoNameGiven Mrs. A]]", who helped her husband through a long illness, only to have him ditch her for someone younger, [[DrivenToSuicide leading to her suicide]].

* ''Literature/TheSpaceTrilogy''
** ''Out of the Silent Planet'' (1938)
** ''Perelandra'' (1943)
** ''That Hideous Strength'' (1946)

* HighFantasy: He and Tolkien were the {{Trope Maker}}s, though Lewis' ''Narnia'' books skew more toward FairyTale than Tolkien's more epic ''Literature/LordOfTheRings''. Among other things, they [[TropeCodifier codified]] many genre staples, such as the EvilOverlord and MedievalEuropeanFantasy (before them, similar fantasy works would have taken place in the actual MiddleAges).

* ''Boxen: the Imaginary World of the Young C. S. Lewis'' (1985): Stories about talking animals which Lewis and his brother wrote from childhood through their teen years, [[OldShame which he never considered publishing during his life]].

* HeAlsoDid: Lewis's fiction and Christian writings have a much wider readership than his works of academic literary scholarship.

* HilariousInHindsight: It wasn't until after Lewis published his autobiography ''Surprised By Joy'' that he wound up quite unexpectedly finding romance late in life and getting married... to a woman named Joy.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A scholarly book entitled ''Language and Human Nature'' was begun but never completed. The rub: It was to have been coauthored with Creator/JRRTolkien. [[http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2009/07/CSLewis070809.html]]. Mind you, he fought in a World War, so we should really be thankful we had him at all.

* {{Deconstruction}}[=/=]RealityEnsues: In 1955, a psychologist (to whom the idea of female astronauts had not occurred) suggested that Mars astronauts might need ladies of the evening to keep them sexually satisfied. Lewis (taking [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+26%3A5&version=NIV Proverbs 26:5]] to heart) shows how the implementation would fail; the only women who volunteered were a fashionable psychologist who bought this (and would talk the hind leg off a donkey) and a washed-up tart who has lost all her charms with age. Furthermore, the men on Mars are not nearly as horny as supposed (and Paterson is AmbiguouslyGay), the professor-whore is unlikeable, and the crew of the ship that brought the two are fed up with them.

* {{Deconstruction}}: In 1955, a psychologist (to whom the idea of female astronauts had not occurred) suggested that Mars astronauts might need ladies of the evening to keep them sexually satisfied. Lewis (taking [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+26%3A5&version=NIV Proverbs 26:5]] to heart) shows how the implementation would fail; the only women who volunteered were a fashionable psychologist who bought this (and would talk the hind leg off a donkey) and a washed-up tart.

Clive Staples Lewis[[note]]"Jack" to his friends and family[[/note]] (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was an Irish-born British author of many sorts of books in the mid-20th-century: scholarship regarding medieval literature, lay Christian theology, ScienceFiction, and {{Fantasy}}.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''. In terms of InUniverse chronology, they were published OutOfOrder. Later editions correct the SequelNumberSnarl by numbering them chronologically, but many readers maintain that reading them in publication order is more rewarding, because the prequel contains [[CallForward references that only make sense if you've read the other books first]]. As for Lewis himself, the man didn't care that much about reading order.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''
** ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' (1950).
** ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'' (1951).
** ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' (1952).
** ''Literature/TheSilverChair'' (1953).
** ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' (1954).
** ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' (1955).
** ''Literature/TheLastBattle'' (1956).

-->None of us can fully escape this blindness [of our age], but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. ... To be sure, the books of the future would be just as good a corrective as the books of the past, but unfortunately we cannot get at them.