Through the Open Door: A New Look at C.S. Lewis

178 Pages·1984·9.031 MB·English

by  Dabney Adams Hart

THROUGH THE
OPEN DOOR

Through
THE
Open Door
A NEW LOOK AT
c.
S. LEWIS
DABNEY ADAMS HART
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA PRESS
Copyright© 1984
The UniversityofAlabamaPress
Tuscaloosa,Alabama35487-0380
Allrightsreserved
Manufacturedinthe UnitedStates ofAmerica
00
Thepaperonwhichthisbookisprintedmeets the minimum
requirements ofAmericanNationalStandardforInformation
Science-Permanence ofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,
ANSI Z39.48-1984.
LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-PublicationData
Hart,DabneyAdams,1926
Throughthe opendoor.
Bibliography:p.
Includesindex.
1.Lewis,C.S.(Clive Staples),1898-1963-Criticismand
interpretation.I.Title
PR6023.E926Z673 1984 828'.91209 83-6520
ISBN0-8173-0187-9
ISBN978-0-8173-0187-3 (cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN978-0-8173-5636-1 (pbk.:alk.paper)
ISBN978-0-8173-8508-8 (electronic)
Permission to quote copyrighted material is gratefully acknowledged as
follows:
Excerptsfrom The FourLoves byC. S. Lewis,© 1960by HelenJoy Lewis.
Reprinted by permission ofHarcourt BraceJovanovich, Inc., Curtis Brown,
Ltd., and William Collins, Sons & Company PLC.
ExcerptsfromSurprisedby]oy:TheShapeofMyEarlyLifebyC.S.Lewis,©
1955 byC. S. Lewis. Reprinted by permissionofHarcourt BraceJovanovich,
Inc., Curtis Brown, Ltd., and William Collins, Sons & Company PLC.
Excerpts from Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis, © 1956 by C. S. Lewis.
Reprinted by permission ofHarcourt BraceJovanovich, Inc., Curtis Brown,
Ltd., and William Collins, Sons & Company PLC.
ExcerptsfromLettersofC.S. LewiseditedbyW. H. Lewis,© 1966byW. H.
Lewis and Executors of C. S. Lewis. Reprinted by permission of Harcourt
BraceJovanovich, Inc., and Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Excerpts from Perelandra by C. S. Lewis, © 1944 by Clive Staples Lewis,
renewed 1972 by Alfred Cecil Harwood and Arthur Owen Barfield. Re
printedwith permissionofMacmillan PublishingCompanyand i'he Bodley
Head, Ltd.
Excerptsfrom ThatHideous StrengthbyC. S. Lewis,© 1945,1946byClive
Staples Lewis, renewed 1973, 1974 by Alfred Cecil Harwood and Arthur
Owen Barfield. Reprinted by permission ofMacmillan PublishingCompany
and The Bodley Head, Ltd.
Excerptsfrom TheLion, theWitch andtheWardrobe byC. S. Lewis,© 1950
by the Trustees ofthe Estate ofC. S. Lewis, renewed 1978by Arthur Owen
Barfield. Reprinted by permission of Macmillan Publishing Company and
William Collins, Sons &Company PLC.
Excerpts from The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis, © 1956 by C. S. Lewis.
Reprintedby permissionof·MacmillanPublishingCompanyandTheBodley
Head, Ltd.
ExcerptsfromEnglishLiteratureinthe SixteenthCentury, ExcludingDrama
byC. S. Lewis,© 1954byOxford UniversityPress. Reprintedby permission.
ExcerptsfromA PrefacetoParadiseLostbyC.S. Lewis,© 1942byOxford
University Press. Reprinted by permission.
Excerpts from The Allegory ofLove by C. S. Lewis, © 1938 by Oxford
University Press. Reprinted by permission.
Excerpts from The DiscardedImage by C. S. Lewis,© 1964by Cambridge
University Press. Reprinted by permission.
Excerpts from Studies in Words by C. S. Lewis, © 1960 by Cambridge
University Press. Reprinted by permission.
Excerpts from An Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis, © 1961 by
Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission.

CONTENTS
Preface / ix
I. Face to Face with C. S. Lewis / 1
II. Myth: The Master Key / 12
III. The Power of Language / 30
IV. The Real Renaissance / 48
V. The Teacher's Role / 74
VI. The Pedagogical Style / 97
VII. The Prophetic Theme / 121
Notes / 149
Selected Bibliography / 159
Index / 162

PREFACE
The splendid irony ofC. S. Lewis's reputation and influ
ence is that this conservative Christian medievalist
encouraged radical reassessments in all his writing. One
of his favorite images was the open door: the oppor
tunityfor new perspectives, new views, free movementof
the mind and spirit. The purpose ofthis book is to show
how this theme unifies and dominates Lewis's varied
works.
Though the key to my interpretation was given me by
Lewis himselfwhen we metin 1956, I did nottry the lock
until recentyears. I have beeninspired to share myideas
by the response ofnumerous audiences who have asked
me to talk and teach about Lewis. In addition to these
people ofall ages and types, many individuals have been
helpful in opening doors. My colleague Hugh Keenan,
who suggested that I submit a paper on Lewis for a
conference, got me started; my department chairman,
Paul Blount, who allowed me released time, enabled me
to finish. The encouragement of Clyde S. Kilby, now
retired as curator of the Marion E. Wade Collection at
Wheaton College, gave me confidence; and the friend
ship of Caroline Rakestraw, now retired as director of
the EpiscopalRadioTVFoundation, sustained mydeter
mination to get the book written.
Elizabeth McWhorter, Mary Anderson, and Georgia
Christopher read the manuscript in various drafts and
made excellent suggestions. Although I have done most
of the typing myself, Brenda Coker's help at a crucial
stage was invaluable.
My indebtedness and appreciation go back to much
earlier stages. I would never have been able to write this
book without research in London, under the benevolent
ix