Month: November 2013

Favorite C.S. Lewis Quotes on 50th Anniversary

William OFlaherty CSL Minute

C.S. Lewis died on November 22, 1963. In honor of his life I’ve collect a small handful of quotes by him. These are not necessarily my favorites, but a few selections from quotes I’ve shared over the last year. The first however is an exception. It is a longer quote about death from his book Miracles. Also I’ve included a quote below from his brother, Warnie that is available in the memoir section of Letters of C.S. Lewis.

“Friday, the 22nd of November 1963, began much as other days: there was breakfast, then letters and the crossword puzzle. After lunch he fell asleep in his chair: I suggested that he would be more comfortable in bed, and he went there. At four I took in his tea and found him drowsy but comfortable. Our few words then were the last: at five-thirty I heard a crash and ran in, to find him lying unconscious at the foot of his bed. He ceased to breathe some three or four minutes later.”

From: Letters of C.S. Lewis – Edited, with a Memoir by W.H. Lewis (1966)

“On the one hand Death is the triumph of Satan, the punishment of the Fall

Anniversary Reflections #1

William OFlaherty All About Jack

Many are reflecting on the fact that November 22, 2013 is the 50th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’s death. The follow interview features three people I’ve had as a guest previously sharing their thoughts on several questions I asked them related to aspects of Lewis’s works they’ve enjoyed and how his material has impacted their life. These guests are Dr. Joseph Pearce, Dr. Joel Heck and Kevin Belmonte.
Click “Read More” to listen to this podcast

Fact / Quote / Quiz: November 22nd

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

C.S. Lewis died on this date (11/22) in 1963, the same day as JFK and Aldous Huxley.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

The general rule which we have now pretty well established among them is that in all experiences which can make them happier or better only the physical facts are “Real” while the spiritual elements are “subjective.”

The Screwtape Letters – XXX
(First published in The Guardian on 11/21/1941)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

What is the title to the follow-up essay to The Screwtape Letters?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

RETROSPECTIVE: November 21st – 30th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect

Interestingly it was on Lewis’s fifty-sixth birthday (in 1954) that he gave what hard-core enthusiasts of his works often consider one of his best talks to a non-religious audience. “De Descriptione Temporum” are not words you hear every day, but they were fitting as a title for his inaugural lecture as Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English Literature at Cambridge University. The translation for this Latin title is “a description of the times.” The Internet Archive has a copy of the complete text. Later it was recorded (4/1/1955) as a radio broadcast for the BBC where the title was “The Great Divide” and aired on April 6, 1955. You can get a copy of this recording, along with other audio featuring his voice from Episcopal Marketplace.

As you might imagine, there are differences between the radio version and the actual address. If you have both you will want to listen to it and follow along the printed version to see Lewis’s ability to adapt a text to different audiences.

Fact / Quote / Quiz: November 21st

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

The Screwtape Letters – XXX was released today (11/21) in 1941 in The Guardian. It was the next to last one.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

[A Warning to Wormwood]: “You will soon find that the justice of Hell is purely realistic, and concerned only with results. Bring us back food, or be food yourself.”

The Screwtape Letters – XXX
(First published in The Guardian on 11/21/1941)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

What essay was published this month in what year (and what was the title) that talked about some of how Lewis came to write the Narnia stories?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

Fact / Quote / Quiz: November 20th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

Image and Imagination, the NEW book by Lewis is now available! Amazon gives 11/14 as the release date for UK and 11/18 for the US.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“What we do when we imagine, then, is to suppose (with or without the support of explicit images) a reshuffling of universals taken from the actual world.”

Image and Imagination
(First published in Image and Imagination in November, 2013)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

(Name the source of this Lewis quote): “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.”
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

Roundup of Recent C.S. Lewis News and Articles

William OFlaherty CSL Minute

As you may have heard Friday is the 50 anniversary of C.S. Lewis death and he will be honored with a memorial service at Poets’ Corner. It’s no surprise that more than a few new articles about Lewis has been posted online. Some are audio and may be only available for a short time. The following is my attempt to provide a quick reference to material I was aware of at the time. If you notice something I didn’t include and think I should then feel free to include it by leaving a comment with a link to it.

How Lewis Lit the Way to Better Apologetics – This is the cover story from Christianity Today by Dr. Michael Ward that is current free to read by non-subscribers.
Remembering C. S. Lewis: No Mere Christian – the first of a short series of BreakPoint articles on Lewis; this one by Eric Metaxas.

Fact / Quote / Quiz: November 19th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“The Turn of the Tide” is a Lewis poem that was published on 11/1/1948 in Punch (Almanac). Revised version is in Poems.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“I saw how stories of this kind [fairy stories] could steal past a certain inhabitant which had paralysed much of my own religion in childhood.”

Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said
(First published in The New York Times Book Review on 11/18/1956)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

Earlier this month Lewis gave the final talk to what series in what year (and what was the talk?)
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

Transcript of Douglas Gresham Interview (Sept. 2013)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute

The following is a transcript of the interview I did with Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis. It was recorded on 9/24/2013 during his visit to Asbury University.

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O’FLAHERTY: While this is the 50th anniversary of Lewis’s death and his legacy has lasted this long, looking ahead, not to the present here but ahead, what do you think will be the most remembered about Jack 50 or maybe 100 years from now if you don’t mind speculating.

GRESHAM: I don’t think it’s going to change very much you know. I think Christianity worldwide is at an all-time ebb at the moment and I think it’s starting to gather pace to come back with huge force again, Jack is going to

Fact / Quote / Quiz: November 18th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said” was first published today (11/18) in 1956 in The New York Times Book Review.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“A book worth reading only in childhood is not worth reading even then.”

Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said
(First published in The New York Times Book Review on 11/18/1956)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

Who is the other animal that helps Shift in The Last Battle and what does he do?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)