C. S. Lewis on Joy
by C. S. Lewis
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This beautifully illustrated selection draws together some of his reflections on joy and shows the qualities of intelligence, honesty, and humility which made him such a respected teacher.Tags
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This book contains sampling from various works by author C.S. Lewis. The thread purportedly tying them together is joy, but few feel like real happiness and some of them seem like more a stretch than others. It's mostly simple pleasures, but then also weirdly ends with a musing about Psyche's beauty because ... sure.
That being said, I am clearly not the target audience for this book. Even with its theme of joy, it is really more about the Christian religion than anything else. In fact, at one point, Lewis is quoted as saying, "It is hard on God really. To how few of us He dare send happiness because He knows we will forget Him if He gave us any sort of nice things for the moment." So, you know, joy.
If you were looking for a book about show more strong emotions and happiness in the world around you that you could gift to a friend or beloved family member, this is not that unless they are particularly religious.
The book does contain a very brief biography of C.S. Lewis and some family photographs. It also contains reproductions of many famous works arts, such as those done by Jan Brueghel and Gustave Dore. Indeed, the whole production of the book presents as a very beautiful work. The textual content just may not be for everyone. show less
That being said, I am clearly not the target audience for this book. Even with its theme of joy, it is really more about the Christian religion than anything else. In fact, at one point, Lewis is quoted as saying, "It is hard on God really. To how few of us He dare send happiness because He knows we will forget Him if He gave us any sort of nice things for the moment." So, you know, joy.
If you were looking for a book about show more strong emotions and happiness in the world around you that you could gift to a friend or beloved family member, this is not that unless they are particularly religious.
The book does contain a very brief biography of C.S. Lewis and some family photographs. It also contains reproductions of many famous works arts, such as those done by Jan Brueghel and Gustave Dore. Indeed, the whole production of the book presents as a very beautiful work. The textual content just may not be for everyone. show less
C. S. Lewis on Joy by C. S. Lewis. Epiphany library section 8 N: Life Skills, Love and Encouragement. This lovely short book is a collection of very short writings by the famed British professor and author of The Chronicles of Narnia. You may not know that besides writing the Chronicles he also was a midlife convert to Christianity, and became an eminent Christian writer whose books are for lay people like you and me.
In his larger book, Surprised by Joy, Lewis wrote about what joy means to him. This book has short sections of that book as well as several others including Mere Christianity.
Lewis caught himself sometimes having fleeting mental and spiritual glimpses of what I would call eternal bliss – a feeling that for him felt show more like something centuries old, which he called joy. Deeper than happiness or pleasure, it was a sudden, intense feeling of delight, sometimes felt during walks outdoors, upon hearing a particular piece of music, seeing a delightful little creation. He says once you experience that joy, that bliss, you will want it again. While we can conjure up happiness or pleasure, we cannot conjure joy or bliss, but can only keep a lookout for it.
This book is illustrated with delightful paintings that express the theme of joy or bliss, ranging in style from medieval revival to magic realism. Most I’d never seen before. Whoever selected the paintings did a lovely job. They are delightful, and printed on a small scale, they take on a miniature, jewel-like feeling. Very nice book that helps us relish those moments when we feel a deep, fleeting joy. show less
In his larger book, Surprised by Joy, Lewis wrote about what joy means to him. This book has short sections of that book as well as several others including Mere Christianity.
Lewis caught himself sometimes having fleeting mental and spiritual glimpses of what I would call eternal bliss – a feeling that for him felt show more like something centuries old, which he called joy. Deeper than happiness or pleasure, it was a sudden, intense feeling of delight, sometimes felt during walks outdoors, upon hearing a particular piece of music, seeing a delightful little creation. He says once you experience that joy, that bliss, you will want it again. While we can conjure up happiness or pleasure, we cannot conjure joy or bliss, but can only keep a lookout for it.
This book is illustrated with delightful paintings that express the theme of joy or bliss, ranging in style from medieval revival to magic realism. Most I’d never seen before. Whoever selected the paintings did a lovely job. They are delightful, and printed on a small scale, they take on a miniature, jewel-like feeling. Very nice book that helps us relish those moments when we feel a deep, fleeting joy. show less
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C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, "Jack" to his intimates, was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. His mother died when he was 10 years old and his lawyer father allowed Lewis and his brother Warren extensive freedom. The pair were extremely close and they took full advantage of this freedom, learning on their own and frequently enjoying show more games of make-believe. These early activities led to Lewis's lifelong attraction to fantasy and mythology, often reflected in his writing. He enjoyed writing about, and reading, literature of the past, publishing such works as the award-winning The Allegory of Love (1936), about the period of history known as the Middle Ages. Although at one time Lewis considered himself an atheist, he soon became fascinated with religion. He is probably best known for his books for young adults, such as his Chronicles of Narnia series. This fantasy series, as well as such works as The Screwtape Letters (a collection of letters written by the devil), is typical of the author's interest in mixing religion and mythology, evident in both his fictional works and nonfiction articles. Lewis served with the Somerset Light Infantry in World War I; for nearly 30 years he served as Fellow and tutor of Magdalen College at Oxford University. Later, he became Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University. C.S. Lewis married late in life, in 1957, and his wife, writer Joy Davidman, died of cancer in 1960. He remained at Cambridge until his death on November 22, 1963. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Something of God which the Seraphim can never quite understand flows into us from the blue of the sky, the taste of honey, the delicious embrace of water whether cold or hot, and even from sleep itself.
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