THE SURPRISING IMAGINATION OF C.S. LEWIS

THE ORIGINAL INTENTION IN MIND WHEN I REQUESTED THIS BOOK FOR REVIEW WAS TO GLEAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO USE IMAGINATION TO BETTER CONVEY THE TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE.

I WANTED TO SEE HOW C.S. LEWIS LOOKED AT VARIOUS GENRES, AND BE ABLE TO USE IT TO BE A BETTER PREACHER / TEACHER OF THE WORD.

THAT INTENTION . . . DIDN'T QUITE PAN OUT.

BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DUN THE BOOK BECAUSE MY INTENTIONS DIDN'T COME TO FRUITION.  THIS IS STILL A FIRST-CLASS EXPLORATION OF THE WAY THAT C.S. LEWIS "LOOKED AT LIFE" THROUGH THE LENSES OF MANY DIFFERENT GENRES.

THE "SURPRISE" MENTIONED IN THE TITLE IS, THAT C.S. LEWIS WAS ABLE TO BRING HIS IMAGINATION TO BEAR SO PROLIFICALLY TO SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF LITERATURE.  FROM RELIGIOUS WRITING TO LITERARY CRITICISM, FROM FAIRY STORIES TO SCIENCE FICTION, AND OF COURSE HIS EVER POPULAR ALLEGORIES, THE IMAGINATION OF C.S. LEWIS ENABLED HIM TO GRASP THE ESSENCE OF THE GENRE, INFUSE IT WITH HIS IMAGINATION, AND THEN PRODUCE LITERARY WORKS THAT CARRIED HIS OWN "BRAND" UPON IT.

HE MADE IT BETTER.

AND HE WAS EXPLORING AND EXPRESSING HIS CREATIVITY EVEN BEFORE HE BECAME A CHRISTIAN.  ONCE HE HAD MADE THAT CONFESSION, HE MERELY RE-ORIENTED HIS GOD-GIVEN TALENTS IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.

AND THE WORLD HAS BEEN THE BENEFACTOR.

THIS IS A PAPER-BACK BOOK THAT READS LIKE A COLLEGE-LEVEL TEXTBOOK.  PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND.  THERE ARE SO MANY BENEFITS, AND SO MANY BLESSINGS, AWAITING THOSE WHO READ IT . . . BUT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CHEW.

5 STARS FOR A SURPRISING BOOK ON C.S. LEWIS' SURPRISING IMAGINATION!

THE SURPRISING IMAGINATION OF C.S. LEWIS
C.S. Lewis
ISBN:  978-1-4267-9510-7
Abingdon Press
270 pages
$34.99