The Tolkien Reader is Our Book for February 9th

"The Tolkien Reader" will be our book for February 9th at our monthly meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the Harrisonburg Barnes and Noble.  Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble website or check out the Harrisonburg Barnes and Noble for a copy.  They took our book list for the year this evening and said they'd be getting some in.


The Tolkien Reader
This is a fun book.  It opens with a short essay by Peter Beagle on "Tolkien's Magic Ring" giving background on the "one ring to rule them all."  Then it contains the following material by Tolkien:

• The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son
• Tree and Leaf
• On Fairy-Stories
• Leaf by Niggle
• Farmer Giles of Ham, and 
• The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

If you have time certainly read the whole book.  If you are pressed for time you should read Tree and Leaf for sure.  Our meeting will be led by Jeff.

A special thanks to Jane who struggled to control our usual out of control boisterousness.  Melissa came up with a new title for herself as did Elizabeth, but I have thankfully forgotten what they were.  We should probably give more thought to special honorifics perhaps in the heraldry mold complete with coats of arms and blazons.  What fun!

Lewis Agonistes Questions! Meeting January 12th

Don't forget that we'll be meeting this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Harrisonburg Barnes and Noble.  Our discussion topic for the evening is "Lewis Agonistes" by Louis Markos.  Jane will be our discussion leader.  The questions for the evening are listed below:

Lewis Agonistes by Louis Markos

Does Markos’ literary device of the character “Lewis Agonistes” work?
Chapter 1 - The Education of Lewis Agonistes
1.) The first chapter is largely biographical, is there anything here that changed your view or gave a new insight?
*2. How do Lewis's rational and imaginative sides both contribute toward the effectiveness of his apologetic works?

Chapter 2 - Wrestling with Science
*3 Which view ("top to bottom" or "bottom to top") do you find most persuasive? Why?
*4 What is C. S. Lewis's "argument by desire"?
*5 What does C. S. Lewis call the Tao?
*6 What reasons does C. S. Lewis give for religion not evolving?

Chapter 3 - Wrestling with the New Age
*7 According to Markos, what does the New Ager seek?
*8 What does Markos mean by the statement on page 72 that "Christianity is not the only truth, but it is the only complete truth"? Do you agree/disagree?
*9 Using the example of Emeth from The Last Battle (see pgs. 88-89), distinguish between universal salvation and the notion that those who earnestly seek will find. Here are some related scripture passages to consider: Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 13:24-30; Luke 16:19-31; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7-8; Hebrews 11:6

Chapter 4 - Wrestling with Evil & Suffering
*10 Markos makes the observation at the top of page 91 that "our modern Western world, which has seen a decrease in human suffering unparalleled in human history, seems less able to deal with pain and more quick either to blame God ... or to deny his existence altogether." Do you agree with the above statement? If so, do you have any theories why this might be the case?
*11. What two misunderstandings about our nature and relationship to God are at the root of our inability to deal with the problem of pain?
*12. For Adam and Eve it was the forbidden fruit, for the Lady in Perelandra it was sleeping on the fixed land. What is really at the heart of these seeming arbitrary commands?

Chapter 5 - Wrestling with the Arts
*13. What is the role or function of language? What can be lost if words lose their meaning?
*14. To what does Markos attribute Christians' reluctance to defend poetry from the attacks of postmodernism? Do you agree/disagree?
*15. How does the Incarnation refute Gorgias' (and deconstructionism's) three propositions?
*16. On page 131 Markos states, "when Christians gravitate toward a scientific reading of Scripture or betray a deep suspicion of the arts, . . they are embodying an ethos that is more Islamic than Christian." What do you think of this statement?

Chapter 6 - Wrestling with Heaven and Hell
*17. How did the Enlightenment ethos of equality affect the traditionally biblical notions of heaven and hell?
*18. Why is idolizing a "good thing" (such as mother love or patriotism) more likely to pull someone away from God than idolizing a "bad thing"? How can love become a demon?
*19. Markos defines love as "the movement out of narcissism" (p. 160). Do you argee with this, If so, how did/does God demonstrate his love per this definition?
*20. Distinguish between the views of heaven as mercenary wish fulfillment and heaven as the consummation of desire.
*21. What do you consider to be the greatest gift C. S. Lewis gave to our generation?

*Questions taken from CSL BOOK CLUB

Permission is given to make up to 30 copies of a study guide for noncommercial use with a small group, Sunday school class or educational class.

The Reading Schedule for 2012

C.S. Lewis Society of Harrisonburg Meets at the Harrisonburg Barnes and Noble the second Thursday of each month from about 7:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. See Schedule for 2012 below.

---

2012 Schedule

January 12: "Lewis Agonistes" by Louis Markos
February 9: "The Tolkien Reader" by J.R.R. Tolkien

March 8: "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis

April 12: "Perelandra" by C.S. Lewis

May 10: "That Hideous Strength" by C.S. Lewis
June 14: "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis
July 12: "Descent into Hell" by Charles Williams

August 9: "George MacDonald: An Anthology" edited by C.S. Lewis

September 13: A Father Brown Story by G.K. Chesterton to be announced
October 11: "The Last Battle" by C.S. Lewis

November 8: "The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy" edited by Gregory Bassham and Jerry L. Walls

December 13: PARTY and Plotting the New Year

January 10, 2013: "Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley" by Peter Kreeft

Party December 8th "Lewis Agonistes" Postponed Until January

The regular December meeting of the C.S. Lewis Society of Harrisonburg would be on December 8th but the Barnes and Noble is having a Book Fair which always makes for a terrible meeting so at the November meeting we made two decisions: 1) We postponed Jane's leadership of "Lewis Agonistes" by Louis Markos to the January meeting on Thursday January 12th ..., and 2) declared a party at the Schneider's for the December 8th meeting.
PARTY AT THE SCHNEIDER'S 7:00 p.m. to 9ish or so on Thursday December 8th
Bring a Snack or Dessert to share.  If you want to drink something adult
BYOB ... I might offer a taste of Plum Wine for the adventurous.
Otherwise it's going to be water or lemonade.
ACTIVITY: Boisterous conversation and discussion of what we'll be reading and doing in 2012 beyond January.
PLEASE RSVP to schneirj@comcast.net or (540) 434-8284
For those who have not been here before, the location is:
77 Middlebrook St.
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

It's a green house with a big 77 on it that is the 4th on the left.
Middlebrook St.  is the last street off Central Ave. before you hit Pleasant Hill ... if that doesn't make sense Mapquest can find it.

November 10th is G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday

For next time we'll be talking about what to do next year.  If you want to make suggestions just  Click Here to Take a Survey
Here's the link for the Lewis Non-Fiction Survey Click here for Non-Fiction
I only have two copies of G.K. Chesterton's work The Man Who Was Thursday lying around the house.  One is Martin Gardner's Annotated Thursday and the other is in one of the volumes of the collected works of G.K. Chesterton published by Ignatius Press which I keep hoping to read through when I find several thousand hours of spare time.  G. K. Chesterton wrote that much, and everything he wrote is great.

C. S. Lewis was profoundly influenced by Chesterton and gives him the very highest praise in Surprised by Joy when he says "Chesterton had more sense than all the other moderns put together ..." and later he says in the same work:

Then I read Chesterton's The Everlasting Man and for the first time saw the whole Christian outline of history set out in a form that seemed to me to make sense.  You will remember that I already thought Chesterton the most sensible man alive "apart from his Christianity."  Now, I veritably believe, I thought — I didn't of course say; words would have revealed the nonsense — that Christianity itself was very sensible "apart from its Christianity."

The Man Who Was Thursday is original as only Chesterton can be.  It is at once a mystery story and a story about infinitely more.  Join us at the Harrisonburg Barnes and Noble on 7:30 p.m. on Thursday November 10th when Christabel will introduce us to Chesterton, a hero of C.S. Lewis's and a master of the craft of writing.  CHECK IT OUT at Barnes and Noble.  See you in November!

Questions: (discussion questions for the November 10th meeting)

1. The subtitle to this work is “A Nightmare.”  Chesterton indicated that this subtitle was largely overlooked, yet was a profession of what the book is or was intended to be (see attachment).  Do you find this illuminating?  Do you agree with Chesterton’s characterization?

2. Names are often important clues, especially in allegorical stories.  How do you think the characters’ names add to or reveal things about the characters?  For example, Rosamund could be seen as Rosa Mundi, a title meaning “Rose of the world” and used to refer to Christ.

3. Gabriel Syme, the ostensible protagonist, expressly defends order against chaos and represents governmental authority.  Yet, while these concepts are often associated with conformity, the ending seems to celebrate individuality.  Is individuality a threat to order?  Is Sunday a threat to governmental authority?

4. Is there an antagonist in this story?  Is there a representation of evil?  Is Lucian Gregory bad?  Incorrect?  A threat?

5. What is the purpose of the love interest set up with Rosamund?  This is a well-plotted book; it is safe to assume Chesterton had a reason to include it.

6. Every major character in this work initially hides who or what he truly is, and is eventually revealed.  Why is that?  What does it contribute to the overall story?  Does it matter if the revelation is voluntary or involuntary?

7. Each of the secret policemen has a particular perspective; for instance, Dr. Bull adheres firmly to scientific reasoning when approaching the world.  Some readers have called these perspectives aspects of the divine.  Other readers have called them ways to know or find the divine.  Why do you think Chesterton chose these perspectives and what do they add to the story?  Are there better choices? 

8. This book was published in 1908.  Anarchy was, arguably, the terrorism of that time, at least in the public perception.  Replace the word “anarchist” with “terrorist” in this work.  Does this change how you read the story? 

9. This work portrays faith as an active quality and its possessors as men of action, rather than portraying them as men who endure faithfully and wait for divine intervention.  In fact, the six conspirators seem to be chosen and exalted by reason of being men of faith and action.  Is this an exhortation?  Is there a moral imperative to act on one’s faith? 

10. What does the pursuit of Sunday and the delayed revelation of his true nature add that immediate revelation and explication would not?  Why is this important?

 

October 13th is Lewis's The Discarded Image

C.S. Lewis wrote many books in many genres. The Discarded Image was his last book and one of his finest. It was derived from his many lectures on Medieval and Renaissance Literature which he taught at Oxford and Cambridge his entire scholarly life. (Click on the image to go to Barnes and Noble's on-line store.)

Our host for the October meeting will be Dr. Iain Maclean, a graduate of the Universities of Cape Town, Rhodes, South Africa, Princeton and Harvard. Dr. Maclean is Associate Professor of Western Religious Thought at James Madison University.

The meetings are on the second Thursday of each month at the Barnes and Noble in Harrisonburg. The meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and some members enjoy a coffee and pastry at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks and early birds often stop for dinner at Panera's shortly after six o'clock before walking across the parking lot to the Barnes and Noble.

The schedule for the rest of the year will be two books that are not by Lewis but by influences on Lewis, November 10th The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton, and about Lewis, December 8th, Lewis Agonistes by Louis Markos, subtitled: How C.S. Lewis can train us to wrestle with the modern and postmodern world. At these meetings we'll be considering the schedule for next year.

C.S. Lewis Retreat October 27-30 at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas

SEE HERE Come to beautiful Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas, to hear plenary speaker Dr. Bruce L. Edwards as he joins other Lewisians in celebrating the 80th anniversary of Lewis’s conversion to Christianity in September 1931.