09-25-2002, 11:23 PM | #1 |
Padawan
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Clive Staples Lewis
Has anyone here read anything by C. S. Lewis besides the Chronicles of Narnia? That would include the Screwtape Letters/Screwtape Proposes a Toast, Mere Christianity, A Grief Observed, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain.
Did you guys know that The Screwtape Letters is dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien? That's the only other Lewis non-Narnia book that I've read. Awesomeness. It's an incredible book.
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There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!! |
09-25-2002, 11:27 PM | #2 |
Padawan
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Oh wait...this one probably ought to go in General Literature, oughtn't it...could someone move it for me, please?
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There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!! |
09-27-2002, 07:58 PM | #3 |
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Done.
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09-29-2002, 01:15 AM | #4 |
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(aren't those admins amazing! thanks, admins!)
Hey TC, we seem to be following each other around the threads here! I'm kinda pooped after a long day, and after a long-winded explanation on the Tengwar thread on how to get a piece of paper scanned in and down to ONLY 10K!!!, so I'll just say I think I have read just about everything Lewis has written. I have even written to the publishers to get some of his stuff that was not currently available in bookstores! He is an INCREDIBLE author. Wouldn't you have loved to see Lewis and Tolkien together? Anyway, you can ask me about a specific book, or I'll get on early next week and post a review of one of my favs.
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
09-29-2002, 01:19 PM | #5 | |
Lady of Letters
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I've read Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, and the Screwtape Letters/Screwtape Proposes a Toast, I'm currently reading The Problem of Pain, and Miracles and A Grief Observed are on my to-read pile. You might say I'm in the grip of an obsession
I find him such an incredibly lucid and intelligent writer - he helps me understand things so much more. Has anyone read any biographies of him? What did you think? Quote:
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And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
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09-29-2002, 04:18 PM | #6 |
The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain
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everything lewis ever wrote is either on my "already read" list, or my "to read" list. heheheh.
what have I already read besides CoN? -Til We Have Faces -Space Trilogy this summer I found a copy in our campus library of Lewis' _History of Boxen_ it's a collection of stories that he wrote starting when he was eight years old...!
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A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun. |
09-29-2002, 04:32 PM | #7 |
Elven Warrior
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I've just downloaded a copy of his first book!
Spirits in Bondage (a cycle of lyrics) It was published under the pen name Clive Hamilton, all poetry and very good Did he publish anymore poetry books? |
09-29-2002, 04:53 PM | #8 |
the Shrike
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Apart from the narnia chronicles, I've read the first 2 books in the space trilogy - but that was when I was really young, so I don't really remember much from them.
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09-29-2002, 06:24 PM | #9 |
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The only one besides the CoN that I've read is the Screwtape Letters/Screwtape Proposes a Toast, but I totally and completely loved it, and now Mere Christianity and A Case for Christianity are on my To-read list, along with a slew of Tolkien books and the 4 Discworld books that I haven't yet read....
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There are only four questions of value in life: What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: ONLY LOVE. Dance as though nobody's watching. Sing as though nobody's listening. Dream as though you'll live forever. Live as though you'll die tomorrow. EIDRIORCQWSDAKLMEDDCWWTIWOATTOPWFIO and proud! FRODO LIVES!!!!! |
09-30-2002, 04:38 PM | #10 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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sun-star, how do you like Problem of Pain so far? That is definitely in my top-10-of-all-books. It is amazing. I esp. like the intro, where he says he didn't want to write the book because - oh shoot, it's so good I'll have to run and grab the book - here it is:
Quote:
crickhollow - I can't believe I found someone else that has read Till We Have Faces. I first read it 10 years ago and didn't really get it. I have since re-read it several times, and it has really changed my image of God - we tend to keep Him in a box that we can handle, when actually he is SO BEYOND our wildest imagination! What do you think? I love the section at the end when she hears what all of her questions really were, and then realizes all of her questions have been answered.
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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09-30-2002, 04:48 PM | #11 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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More of my humble opinions ..
TC - Mere Christianity is great! I would put Problem of Pain next on your to-read list after Mere Christianity. BoP - I've read the space trilogy. I liked the first one the best, then the second one, but the third one I don't care for very much, it is pretty dark and I don't get much out of it. My favorite part in the first one is where Ransom knows he needs to go to see Oyarsa. He has made that decision, and knows it's right. Then on the journey, when he is assailed by doubts and fears and isn't thinking very well, he hangs onto the fact that he needs to keep going because it is the right thing to do. He doesn't stick with it just to be obstinate; rather, because it is right (and other valid things have not come up to make him reconsider, only things that are difficult and/or scary). That thought helps me to do what I know is right. For example, I am rather shy, and if I go somewhere and see someone alone, even though I am shy and it is very difficult, I know it is the right and loving thing to do to go and talk to them and help them out, so I just make up my mind to do it and then just start walking over and not let myself think about being scared. I can't always do this, sometimes the shyness wins out, but I am getting better. Has anyone else been helped out by CSL's writings? Can you share how?
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
10-01-2002, 01:09 PM | #12 |
Lady of Letters
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I haven't read very much of The Problem of Pain yet, but I do like it, especially the chapter on Divine Goodness. One of the most helpful things I've read by him (I can't remember where) was that "we are surrounded by immortals" - every single person we meet has an immortal soul. It's incredibly obvious but very difficult to remember at times. Also, connected to that, his constant reminders about pride, and how at the moment we think we're being very good and doing everything right, we're still committing the sin of pride. That helps me a lot
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And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool. |
10-01-2002, 06:31 PM | #13 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Quote:
The pride thing - too often true! Occasionally though when I've done something right, esp. after a long struggle, I can have the right kind of feeling that I did well - i.e., kind of feel from God the "well done, good and faithful servant" thing, because I am acknowledging that I did not do well on my own power, but rather with lots of help from Him. God is so patient with our weaknesses, thank goodness. We just need to keep on turning to Him. And He can change us from the inside out, not just surface changes! Hooray!
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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10-02-2002, 12:07 PM | #14 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Any updates, anyone?
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
10-02-2002, 01:32 PM | #15 | |
The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain
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Quote:
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A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun. |
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10-02-2002, 08:29 PM | #16 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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crickhollow - one of the parts that I didn't get in TWHF is when (oh shoot, can't remember their names offhand, and I loaned my book out!!) anyway, near the end when the older sister (was it Orual?) tried to do things, like get fleece from the rams, and couldn't; then Psyche came after and did it with (apparently) divine help and guidance (she took the wool off of the bushes). What do you think that meant? That we can't do things on our own, but "with God, all things are possible"? But it also seemed like Psyche was doing it FOR Orual, like Christ died for OUR sin. What do you think?
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
10-03-2002, 01:27 PM | #17 |
The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain
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it's been about a year since I read it, and my copy is at my parent's house, but here goes...weren't those things Psyche's tasks? and didn't Orual dream that she was doing them? ah! I can't remember! time for another re-read!
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A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun. |
10-03-2002, 04:13 PM | #18 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Let me know if you have any more thoughts about it, 'cause that part always confused me. I remember it the other way around, that they were Orual'stasks, and Psyche came after Orual failed and did them. I'll try to get my copy back, too
What are your thoughts on the space trilogy?
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
10-04-2002, 12:52 PM | #19 |
The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain
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He does the same thing as with the narnia books, only on a more adult scale--he takes the Christian message out of its sterilized "Christian" environment, and tries to make it real to the reader.
My favorite is Perelandra (and, incidentally, that was Lewis' "other" favorite) i love the details that make the planet come alive. The fruit that Ransom eats, etc. Lewis also has an interesting spin on other aspects...the mindless cruelty of Weston (eg. killing the frogs, ripping the feathers off of the birds) he's basically replaying the story of Adam and Eve, and the fall of man (for those who haven't read it) Ransom is sent to stop Eve from giving in to the tempter (basically, Satan in Weston's body) The last two chapters beg to be read over and over because there's so much depth to the conversation between Ransom and the King. Your thoughts?
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A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun. |
10-05-2002, 01:19 PM | #20 | |
Elf Lord
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Sometimes I think C. S. Lewis is my favorite author. He really makes me think about my faith and helps me to see things I wouldn't have thought of on my own. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to read all of his books yet, but I'm trying. So far, I'd say Perelandra is my favorite, the descriptions of such an alien world blew my mind.
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So far I've read-The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters/Screwtape Proposes a Toast, Letters to Malcom Chiefly on Prayer, The Dark Tower, Boxen, and excerpts from Mere Christianity.
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