Narrative Poems
by C. S. Lewis
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A repackaged edition of the revered author's collection of four poems: "Dymer," "Launcelot," "The Nameless Isle," and "The Queen of Drum." C. S. Lewis--the great British writer, scholar, lay theologian, broadcaster, Christian apologist, and author of Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many other beloved classics--was also a talented poet. In this collection of four longer works of verse, Lewis displays his deep love for medieval and show more Renaissance poetry and themes, influences that shaped--and resonate through--his fiction. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Lewis says: Avoid Cheap Editions!
In 1953, when an American lady wrote to C.S. Lewis about acquiring British first editions of _The Screwtape Letters_ and _The Great Divorce_, he advised her against doing so, on the grounds that they were "scrubby little things on rotten paper". (See _Collected Letters_, vol. 3, p. 282.) The package that arrived from Amazon today proves that Lewis's work is still occasionally being published in scrubby little editions: _Narrative Poems_ has gone print-on-demand. Ugh! The cheap-looking copy with muddied text that was sent to me was printed in Lexington, Kentucky (site of Amazon's distribution center) this month.
Even though this is one of only 3 or 4 books by Lewis I haven't read yet, I wouldn't have show more bought it if I had known it would look like this. The only poem in the book that Lewis had published while he was alive is "Dymer", which will be out of copyright before too long. If, like Lewis, you care about quality printing, I suggest you wait to read "Dymer" till then. Don't support Amazon and Harcourt's unholy alliance to foist inferior editions on the reading public. show less
In 1953, when an American lady wrote to C.S. Lewis about acquiring British first editions of _The Screwtape Letters_ and _The Great Divorce_, he advised her against doing so, on the grounds that they were "scrubby little things on rotten paper". (See _Collected Letters_, vol. 3, p. 282.) The package that arrived from Amazon today proves that Lewis's work is still occasionally being published in scrubby little editions: _Narrative Poems_ has gone print-on-demand. Ugh! The cheap-looking copy with muddied text that was sent to me was printed in Lexington, Kentucky (site of Amazon's distribution center) this month.
Even though this is one of only 3 or 4 books by Lewis I haven't read yet, I wouldn't have show more bought it if I had known it would look like this. The only poem in the book that Lewis had published while he was alive is "Dymer", which will be out of copyright before too long. If, like Lewis, you care about quality printing, I suggest you wait to read "Dymer" till then. Don't support Amazon and Harcourt's unholy alliance to foist inferior editions on the reading public. show less
This is an interesting perspective for an Lewis fan. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see all sides of this author. Most people read his stories and/or his Christian prose, but few touch on his academic or poetical works. Much of Lewis thoughts and stories were formed by his love of poetry. It is worth reading his own poetical works to better understand why he thought what he did.
The poetry in Dymer isn't very good, which is funny since it's the one Lewis actually published. More on that here: http://hannahgivens.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/interesting-carictars-dymer-1926/
The other three poems in this collection are actually quite good, and this would be a good resource for a lot of analytical writing, especially "The Queen of Drum" for Lewis and women. More on that here: http://hannahgivens.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/interesting-carictars-narrative-poe...
The other three poems in this collection are actually quite good, and this would be a good resource for a lot of analytical writing, especially "The Queen of Drum" for Lewis and women. More on that here: http://hannahgivens.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/interesting-carictars-narrative-poe...
Enjoyable, but I prefer his prose.
I personally prefer Lewis's later lyrics to these ambitious early narratives, but they meant a lot to him in his youth.
2.5 stars
Dymer; Launcelot; The Nameless Isle; The Queen of Drum.
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Author Information
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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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