Category: CSL Minute

How Hooper Got Started (CSLM-43)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

There’s no denying that Walter Hooper has made the greatest contribution to the study of C.S. Lewis, but do you know how he got started?

If you had to name only one person closely associated with C.S. Lewis’ work it has to be Walter Hooper. Just about every book published after Lewis’ death that is a collection of his writings has been edited by Hooper. Interestingly, Hooper, who was born in the U.S., only began corresponding with Lewis less than ten years before he died and met him only during the summer of 1963 before his death.

Who Drew Narnia (CSLM-42)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

Who illustrated The Chronicles of Narnia and how was the person selected?

If you love the stories about Narnia, you probably also greatly admire the illustrations found in the books. Pauline Baynes is the only one who drew them and we have J.R.R. Tolkien to thank in part for them. It was after Lewis saw the pictures she created for Farmer Giles, one of Tolkien’s books, that Lewis picked her.

Contest/Giveaway Annotated Screwtape Letters

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

DEADLINE IS THURSDAY!
Get a chance to WIN a copy of The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition that was just released late last year. It contains interesting background information to enhance your enjoyment of the classic book by C.S. Lewis. Paul McCusker (from Focus on the Family) did the annotations and he was careful to provide information and not interpretation. Details about HOW to win are below. If you want to learn more about the book itself, checkout a podcast interview I just posted (go here).

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO ENTER is simply leave a comment below telling me what you think about The Screwtape Letters book. So, I’m looking for just your opinion of the original book itself.

Again, DEADLINE to enter is Thursday, February 13th at 6pm Eastern.
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Follow link to ENTER

The Shoddy Lands (CSLM-41)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

Lewis is known for various fictional works, especially his stories of Narnia. But I bet you didn’t know he also wrote about “The Shoddy Lands.”

During Lewis’ lifetime only two of his short stories were published. One of them, “The Shoddy Lands” was in a issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is also reprinted in Of Other Worlds.

Quotes NOT By Lewis: A Preliminary Examination

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Not Quite Lewis, Special Feature

Not long ago I was talking to Abraham Lincoln and he told me, “The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot confirm their validity.” My reply to him was that I thought C.S. Lewis had actually made that statement! Of course, I’m making this up; I’ve never spoken to Lincoln and I don’t believe Lewis ever said it. However, there are many quotations floating around online that are attributed to Lewis that he actually never wrote.

Back in March, 2013 I posted in a couple Facebook groups that I was trying to collect quotations that were credited as being by Lewis that were suspect. Even though there was a decent response to my request, I began to be involved in other projects that took up my time. The issue came back to the forefront of my mind when a friend saw one of the more common quotes misattributed to Lewis shared on Facebook by a famous author.

Mouse of Courage (CSLM-40)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

If you voted on the most courageous in Narnia, this character would be the big cheese!

If you found a Narnian dictionary I think you would likely discover a picture of Reepicheep under the definition of courage. What this mouse lacks in stature he more than makes up for with his bravery. Reepicheep is quick to seek adventure and is well known (almost too well known) for defending his honor.

No Expert on Prayer (CSLM-39)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

What do you do when you strongly believe in prayer but you are all too aware that it’s still somewhat of a mystery to you? Write about it to a friend that doesn’t exist, of course!

Less than a year before he died, C.S. Lewis wrote Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. It was published just a few months after he died. While Lewis had written many letters to others during his life that touched on the subject of prayer, he never really felt he understood it enough to claim to be an authority.

Summary of JACK & TOLLERS (The New C.S. Lewis Movie)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

This page features a summary of facts or frequently asked questions about the forthcoming movie about the friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien entitled JACK & TOLLERS. While all answers are believed to be accurate as of the date posted above, please note that this is an UNOFFICIAL page and not meant to suggest it is endorsed by those who are actually producing the movie.

Presently the best place to get official information is from the Facebook page of Third Dart Studios. You can also hear interviews I did with those involved in the production from Dec. 9, 2013 (with Darren Jacobs, a screenwriter and Chris Dodge, the Executive Producer) and Dec. 17, 2013 (with Darren again and Dr. Louis Markos, the other screenwriter).

Outside Wishing In (CSLM-38)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

Feel like your job is humdrum and wish you could be part of the movers and shakers? Mark Studdock did and regretted it.

As That Hideous Strength opens Mark Studdock is a newly married man with dreams of making it big in the academic world, if only he was a part of the “in” crowd who made the decisions. Just like Lewis’ description in his essay “The Inner Ring,” Mark is willing to compromise himself to gain membership into a group that has very questionable practices.

Charles Williams (CSLM-37)

William OFlaherty CSL Minute, Special Feature

This Inklings member had a very profound impact on C.S. Lewis, even though he died less than ten years after they became friends.

As noted in a previous post Lewis often met with a group of friends where they frequently discussed their writings. After reading Charles Williams’ The Place of the Lion Lewis developed a friendship with him. Williams was working at the Oxford University Press at the time.