50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

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50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by Ajnos » Fri Nov 22, 2013 3:17 pm

Today marks 50 years since Lewis' death. As various commemorations happen around the world, and Lewis gets his own memorial in Poets Corner of Westminster abbey, I thought we could discuss what kind of impact Lewis' writings (Narnia or otherwise) have had on our lives.
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by Benisse » Fri Nov 22, 2013 7:08 pm

I'm not sure which is truer -- I grew up with C.S. Lewis, or C.S. Lewis grew me up.

I was a 4th grader when I first entered the Wardrobe, thanks to Mrs. Blue, who read through the chronicles in publication order to my class after lunch recess. She was a wonderful reader, changing her voice for the various characters, and making the "Aslan/Us lions" pun really stand out clearly in the unfreezing of the statues scene. The story drew me in and the imagery made the truth of my faith come alive for me. I remember discussing the biblical parallels in LWW after school with my teacher, and staying in for recess sometimes to draw scenes from the chronicles with a classmate -- she did the animals and mythological creatures, and I did the humanoids. My piano teacher and her daughter were also Narniac friends and I remember attending book club meetings with them, including one on The Last Battle.

Lewis taught me that imagination and critical thinking could be friends. And love of Lewis gave me my first kindred spirit friendships.

Years later I had the pleasure of introducing my husband to Narnia, and he introduced me to Lewis' apologetic works... (one of many ways we complement one another). And when I was a camp counselor, I delighted in reading LWW to my cabin after lights out (never had a problem with getting them to quiet down at night because of that!)

When we started our family we had the joy of listening to Focus on the Family dramatizations of the Chronicles during our road trips, or introducing the books in read alouds. One of my parenting highlights is when my youngest was able to sit in the kitchen reading Horse and His Boy aloud to me while I cooked or cleaned... And of course when my husband had sabbatical one year in the UK we made a pilgrimmage to Oxford to see Jack's old haunts. I loved the quiet, overgrown green pond surrounded by trees by the Kilns. It reminded me of the Woods between the Worlds.

When caring for my mother in 2005 in Texas, my homeschooling daughter and I helped create a room-sized Narnia for a Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe book study at my mom's church http://www.narniafans.com/forum/album.php?albumid=433. And in 2008 my children and I got to attend LionCon, a meeting of fans from various Narnia sites, and a whole new world of friends opened up for me: i.e., "What--You too?!" friends... Friends to play with and pray for.

Thank you Jack for the thoughts to think, the dreams to dream and for the friends along the way.
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by Ariel.of.Narnia » Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:43 pm

My main experience with Lewis is with Narnia, though I've read a few others of his works.

Narnia:
"[In your world,] I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." ~ Aslan
"The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity." ~ C.S. Lewis
Need I really say more? 'cause really, those quotes nutshell everything I can say of his Narnian legacy. Through the Chronicles, I got a fresh view of our great God. And with every re-read, I still get something out of it on the spiritual level.

Screwtape:
Seriously, that's one insightful book. And so convicting! His devil's advocate approach to the struggles we face not only puts a new spin on such topics, but also makes you think about it. I never mark up my books, but there were a couple lines in there I really wanted to take a highlighter to.

Till We Have Faces:
Not only is it a great story written beautifully (and with a good, strong female lead I can relate to), but it also makes you think. It really is a brilliant theodicy, regardless of whether or not you are conscious of how the book makes you process and think over God's workings in our lives. Some friends and I have had some discussions recently and I've gained so much insight from them as a result.

The Four Loves:
I don't remember a whole lot from this book, but I distinctly remember enjoying it as I read it and appreciating all the thought and work Lewis put into defining the four loves.

The Space Trilogy:
Technically, I had read this after I'd read Narnia, but I didn't fully appreciate them (especially That Hideous Strength) until I read them again this summer. (I didn't really understand a lot of what was going on the first time, especially when characters would engage in lengthy discourse; now I have no idea how I'd missed all that and I also now have a greater appreciation for literary sci-fi.) Like Narnia (though not to such a high degree), I found that they still had things to say about God and life.


And then there's the totally unrelated side note about how Lewis is one of my writing heroes. :D
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by aslie » Sat Nov 23, 2013 2:42 am

I grew up on Lewis as well but faintly. I remember when I was little, before war time (pre-9/11) I remembered seeing a beautiful cover a unicorn and wondering what it was all about. My sister, told me "read it and find out." but of course, having Dyslexia, I didn't want to bother struggling through reading so I didn't bother. However, she would tell me about Jadis, the wardrobe, the Pevinsies and what not from LWW and VDT. I would always be in awe over the stories. It wasn't until dad's first deployment over seas that I began to really read them for myself. I needed comfort after the war started and what other better book then Narnia? I was a child who was a slow, one that was thrown in to hard times, I was also a new Christian and wondered why my dad had to go so far away to fight in a war. These books helped me a lot. They helped me grasp a better understanding and zeal for the Lord. They gave me characters that I could relate to because of the war. They also gave me a love of books and they helped me read. Narnia has done so much for me and most of it I cannot express. Lewis was an amazing author and knew that when kids or even adults read these books they could not help feel different, transformed and longing for something better than what we see around us. These books gave me a community of friends who I have grown to love and am very fond of. God used Lewis's writings to better people's walk with Him and to see Him in a different way and a different light.

Another thing Lewis's writings taught me and showed me was how much words can come alive. Narnia and his other works like Till We Have Faces showed me that stories are not one diminutional but three. The words fly off the pages into our hearts and minds. They show us how to figure out life problems by bringing us close to the Characters and themes of the books. The words are forever engraved upon our memories if we let them. They open up worlds, they transport us to places we've never dreamed of until then. I believe Lewis had that gift and ability to do so, leading us into our own imagination and showing us that life is so much more bigger than what we preserve it to be.

Lastly, the great thing about Narnia in itself is this: Lewis placed the mystery of God into books that are commonly meant for Children. He placed God's great wonder, power, love and might into books that were written in the mind's eye of a Child. He explains Creation in the most wonderful way that you cannot help but stand in awe of it when going back and reading about it Genesis. He wrote about God in such a child like way that it is hard not for it to impact your life. God gave Lewis a wonderful gift and it is still impacting the world, 50 years later.
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by exTarkheena » Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:48 pm

Narnia, and the apologetic works of C.S. Lewis, have (we shall suffice to say) kept me from the broad and well-travelled road too many times to count. I can think of no greater compliment to Jack, as his friends called him, than the former.
For one thing, I was introduced to the lovely, small, but tight-knit family of TLC, certainly off the beaten track of the internet, but nevertheless as cozy as the Mrs. Beaver's dam.
I was introduced to Narnia early--second grade actually--when my friend and I had a competition to see who could read through the series fastest. Truthfully, however, I didn't need the incentive of a competition to keep me enamored with the relatable and honestly capable characters of the Pevensies, and the rich context of faith that surrounded them.
I think it would be as impossible to separate the respect Lewis had for the virtue of childhood from Narnia, as it would be to separate Narnia from my childhood.
Narnia was Middle Earth for a child. It was all the moral teachings, depth of character, and world-building that Tolkein developed in the Lord of the Rings, without such a stuffy academic and historical tone.
Don't get me wrong, I love Tolkein now, but it was pretty overwhelming at that age.
The significance that Narnia had on my childhood, by providing hope through some difficult times, Lewis' specific brand of humor, and seeming confidence that he had in the capabilities of children, produced a soulful bond between myself and C.S. Lewis. I trusted him, almost more than any other adult in my life. So, Narnia certainly, is what drew me back to his apologetics when I began to question my faith.
For a rational thinker, I couldn't be disappointed with Lewis' honest and intellectual, but nevertheless biblical views, laid out in text accessible to the pre-teen layman. They reassured, and reaffirmed, that faith is as Lewis says, "the art of holding on to something in spite of changing moods and circumstances;" rather than holding onto something you have no reason to believe other than tradition or expectation.
In this way, Narnia was not only precious to me because I loved the characters and the stories, but because it strengthened my faith later in my life. It ended up being the most poignant gift the Lord could give me.
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by Benisse » Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:28 am

Here is a video taken from the dedication of the memorial stone in honor of C.S. Lewis in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in 2013 -- the 50th anniversary since Lewis quietly entered his Savior's presence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQdKUEe ... yskP5DaqnA

(This link was approved by Swan White, but this is not a general endorsement of YouTube by any means.)
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by narnialove » Mon Feb 09, 2015 4:52 pm

I first read The Chronicles of Narnia in 2013. I automatically fell in love with the stories and messages in it. It has helped me through many hard times. When I have a bad day, I read quotes. When I'm sick, I watch the movies. At night I always think of Aslan and it makes me fall asleep quickly. C.S. Lewis was a great man and I wish I could've met him. His stories have kept me happy.
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by hobbit_of_narnia » Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:30 pm

C.S. Lewis has impacted my life in many ways, and his depiction of Aslan has actually helped shape the way I've seen God all my life. Also, as I was reading his biography, I was strongly reminded of myself. His writing style, too, has greatly affected the way I write. :P
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by marmota-b » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:38 pm

In many ways as well... Narnia has taught me to see beauty in my own world in ways I wouldn't have otherwise, his apologetics shaped my faith in ways I often don't even realise... and his works also taught me a thing or two about language(s) (like that interpreting scene in Out of the Silent Planet - actually, that book in general).
And while I don't think I have the same writing style, I do have a thing for using parentheses (and I can't tell if it was his use of them that made me like them or if it was his use of them that taught me it was okay). And I think somewhere around reading Narnia was where I realised the ideas and characters populating my mind could be put into writing...
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Re: 50 years on - How has Lewis impacted your life?

Post by hansgeorg » Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:14 am

aslie wrote:He explains Creation in the most wonderful way that you cannot help but stand in awe of it when going back and reading about it Genesis.
When he told about Aslan first creating beasts and then making some of these already created as dumb beast into talking beasts, it is probably the only way Narnia could have been created, but it is also a theological difficulty when it comes applied to creation of man as man in our world.

Meaning, his stories got me thinking about such details.

Both Narnia and the other ones.
exTarkheena wrote:I trusted him, almost more than any other adult in my life.
I only trusted Tolkien and Chesterton a bit more. As for CSL, I trusted him more in Letters to Malcolm, say, than in Reflexions on the Psalms.
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