C. S. Lewis Impact On Society

“I’m tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, have a deep voice, and wear glasses for reading,” C.S. Lewis described himself to a young admirer in 1954 (Dorsett). While this self-description possesses accuracy, who is C.S. Lewis really? For many individuals, Lewis will forever remain the creator of the phenomenal world of Narnia, the author of some of the most famous children’s books of the twentieth century. Even to this day, fifty-four years after his death, Lewis remains one of the most influential authors of his age. Alongside his equally prominent friend and colleague J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis is widely recognized as a literary landmark. The worlds of literature and film have both been intensely impacted by these two Oxford authors. Yet without Lewis and the impact he has had on not only Tolkien, but every reader who discovers his works, our society would be

Lewis’s impact on society bears no measure. For Lewis, the only dependable critic of a writer’s value is time, and the only reliable measure is the enjoyment that results from reading that writer’s works. By this measure, the fact that Lewis became ten times as popular with the generation after his death proves his incredible talent and significance. What our next generation will make of him is ultimately up to us. Lewis will most likely remain a controversial figure, and many individuals will twist his words. Yet it is of extreme importance that one remembers where Lewis came from, and the intentions behind his works of art. Most individuals should see that Lewis was simply a gifted writer who found pleasure in literature and writing, and chose to share that gift with the world. For Lewis, the best art “hinted at the deeper structures of reality, helping humanity in its perpetual quest for truth and significance” (McGrath 379). Lewis’s works are unquestionably considered magnificent works of art, inspired by the God who invented art