Cs Lewis Research Paper

432 Words2 Pages

In this paper, I will attempt to identify a primary reason why Lewis is so infatuated with fiction literature and the wonder it can create. The problem that C.S. Lewis addresses later in his book uniquely gives clarity to, what I believe, may be an underlying reason for his apparent love for writing fiction literature. Lewis laments, “Nearly all that I loved I believed to be imaginary; nearly all that I believed to be real I thought grim and meaningless” (Lewis 170). Under a mindset like this, the wonder of fiction literature and the desire to supplant one’s self in a world separate from our own becomes extremely appealing. Based on prior experiences correlating real life with unfortunate events and contrarily correlating imaginative literature with an enhanced alternative to life, it appears …show more content…

He proceeds by explaining that there is no awe or wonder in becoming the rabbit. The child may pretend to be the rabbit for a short period of time, but there is little substance there. On the other hand, Lewis was more inclined to follow the works of the ancient world such as: “Quo Vadis, Darkness and Dawn, The Gladiators, Ben Hur” (35). The fictitious literature of these worlds immerses the reader in a world different from their own, yet still attainable. Real ambition and desire can be imaged in, “The story of the unpromising boy who became captain of the First Eleven” (35). The child is now able to supplant him or herself in this new world where his or her desires and dreams can be ascertained. Lewis understood that these feelings of relation to the story were powerful, yet complex. It appeared that this dichotomy captivated his intellectual and childlike mind and produced in him the desire to see these same feelings realized in future children that would read his fictitious