The Screwtape Letters
by C.S. Lewis

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My Rating : 5/5

Not an easy read .. but nevertheless enjoyed it immensely. Each page is bristling with such raw and genuine emotion - as an imp ScrewTape in higher post guides and chides and approbates his subordinate nephew WormWood while he tries to capture a pious soul for the devil - that I was convinced I was eavesdropping on some real conversation. Also wondered if this very minute there are two such imps working on snooping on me and setting up pitfalls for my own soul to trap it .. ensnare it and keep it that way for eternity!!

Loved the character of Worm wood even though he doesn't utter a word. Loved the lovely chidings his uncle lobs at him. :) ( )

The Screwtape Letters was written by C.S.Lewis in 1942 with WW2 as the backdrop. This is a series of letters (epistolary style literary work) written by Screwtape to his young nephew, Wormwood, advising him on how to secure the soul of 'the patient'. It also contained the sequel, Screwtape Proposes a Toast in which Screwtape addressed the graduating class of tempters. This was published in 1959 and addresses the politics of the post war world. C.S.Lewis uses this satirical format to address the Christian life. Many of the chapters discuss love. Letter 19 addresses God's love for humanity. Letter 26 addresses courtship. I also very much enjoyed the letters on time, reality, music and noise. There is so much in this little book that rereading it many times would not exhaust the nuggets of truth. ( )

While at the event for "A Christmas with C.S. Lewis," I picked this up from part of the performance and on my mother's recommendation. It's a 'wickedly' delightful collection of letters from an older demon to a younger member of his family, giving continual advice on how to achieve his seduction of the soul of a good person to getting off the primrose path. ( )

The Screwtape Letters is a series of diabolical letters on the moral life of an individual. The writer of the letters, Screwtape, is an eminent demon in service of Satan. He is addressing his nephew, Wormwood, a lower level minion responsible for corrupting an individual. It appears to be set in the early stages of World War II, quite possibly 1940 during the London Blitz. Published in 1942, this epistolary novel comments on the nature of sin and temptation.

The version I read also contains Screwtape Proposes a Toast, published in 1962. Set in Hell, Screwtape is toasting a group of minions that will soon be unleashed into the world to wreak havoc on the consciences of individuals. In this short story, Screwtape criticizes society’s trends toward democracy and equality.

This book is a satire from a Christian perspective. It examines human behavior in an “upside down” manner. It is clever and witty. It provides food for thought on the nature of humanity and the inner battles between good and evil.
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A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below". At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old Devil to his nephew, Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man.
The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation, and triumph over it, ever written. ( )