Bedeviled
Subtitle: Lewis, Tolkien and the shadow of evil
By: Colin Duriez
Publisher: IVP Books, an imprint of InterVarsity Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 235
ISBN-13: 9780830834174
Subjects: Inklings (Group of writers); Good and evil in literature; Criticism and interpretation; Literature and society; History
Description: The battle between good and evil--in both the seen and unseen worlds--was as clearly at play in the era of C. S. Lewis and his friends in the Oxford literary group, the Inklings, as in our own era. Some of the members of the Inklings carried physical and psychological scars from World War I which led them to deeply consider the problem of evil during the dark era of World War II. Were they alive today, their view of a spiritual conflict behind physical battles would undoubtedly be reinforced. Among the Inklings, Lewis was at the forefront of writing on human pain, suffering, devilry, miracles and the supernatural, with books like The Screwtape Letters and more. It is no surprise, then, that he provides the main focus of this book by expert Inklings writer Colin Duriez. J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy offers another rich resource with much to say to the World War II era and beyond. Other Inklings writings and conversations come into play as well as Duriez explores the writers' considerations of evil and spiritual warfare, particularly focused in the context of wartime. Delving into the interplay between good and evil, these pages enlighten us to the way of goodness and the promise of a far country as we explore the way out of the shadow of evil.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-225) and index.
Table of contents: title: Part 1. Understanding evil during a time of war. C.S. Lewis in wartime : the cosmic battle; title: Devilry and the problem of hell : The Screwtape letters; title: Inklings in wartime : themes of spiritual conflict; title: Images of the dark side : The lord of the rings; title: Right and wrong as a clue to meaning : The problem of pain and Mere Christianity; title: Exploring what is wrong with the world : the cosmic trilogy; title: Part 2. The intersection of good and evil. Progress and regress in the journey of life : The pilgrim's regress; title: The divide between good and bad : Tolkien's "Leaf by Niggle" and Lewis's The great divorce; title: The power of change : the chronicles of Narnia; title: Pain and love : The four loves, Till we have faces and A grief observed; title: Release from hell's snares : Lewis and the road out of the self to gain the self; title: The way of goodness in the far country : Narnia and Middle-earth.