Sunday 24 November 2013

The C.S. Lewis Project 2014


The above poster was created by The Moonlight Reader

Another project/challenge for 2014 is The C.S. Lewis Project.  This project was proposed by the wonderful moderators on my Goodreads book group, The Dead Writers Society .

C.S. Lewis is one of my favourite authors.  I began by reading some books from his Narnia Chronicles when I was young and later, as an adult, I read many of his theological books.  Not only is Lewis brilliant, but he is adept at communicating complex ideas and concepts in a way that is easily accessible to your average layperson …….. like me!  While he has definite opinions, which he supports using common sense and reason, he also is very gracious towards the people and groups with whom he disagrees.  The depth and variety of his subjects mean that each read through his books exposes layer upon layer of valuable insights that have just as much relevance today as when he wrote them.

The schedule for The C.S. Lewis Project 2014 will look like this:

Dec 29 - Jan 11: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Jan 12 - 25: Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
Jan 26 - Feb 8: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Feb 9 - 22: The Silver Chair
Feb 23 - Mar 8: The Horse and His Boy
Mar 9 - 22: The Magician's Nephew
Mar 23 - Apr 5: The Last Battle

April: Mere Christianity
May: The Screwtape Letters
June: The Great Divorce
July: Surprised by Joy
August: A Grief Observed

September: Out of the Silent Planet
October: Perelandra
November: That Hideous Strength

December: God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics 

              A Preface to Paradis Lost
              Dante's Similes (Essay)
              A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers (Essay)
              Hamlet: The Prince or the Poem? (Essay)
              On Reading 'The Faerie Queene' (Essay)
              Spenser's Images of Life
              Narnian Suite (Poetry)

Are you interested in participating?  Then come on over to The Dead Writers Society and join us!  We'd be glad to have you!



Update:  2015
I’ve enjoyed this project so much that I’ve decided to continue it indefinitely.  In 2015, I’ll try to read some of the Lewis books I missed in 2014, and then concentrate more on his scholarly work and essays.  Fun!


6 comments:

  1. Thanks, I hope to join the group!

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    1. Hi, Lory! That would be great! We are right in the middle of Surprised by Joy but if you want to go back and read any of the previous books, you can certainly comment in the threads and there will always be someone who will answer.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I've enjoyed all those Lewis books as well. I need to re read some of them. I've finished a couple of biographies about Lewis. The one by George Sayers and the latest by Allistair McGrath.

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    1. It's so nice to meet another Lewis fan!

      I haven't read the Sayers biography but I have it on my Kindle and it's the one I'm leaning towards. I didn't like the McGrath one and didn't finish it. Too much speculation and not enough exploration of what is really known about Lewis. I'd like to read the Hooper/Green biography though.

      He certainly has a number of biographies written about him, doesn't he?

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  3. I read a number of C.S. Lewis books in the few years after I became a Christain but I'd really like to go back & re-read them - A Grief Observed is one I really connected with. I agree with your comment about his ability to communicate with the average layperson. I'm sure if I'd read books on the same subjects by other authors I would have had no idea what they were on about.

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    1. Yes, and not only does he communicate well, he gets you thinking. When I read him, I find it very easy to feel as though you were having a conversation with him.

      I've been so lax with this challenge this year, so it's time to pick up the pace in 2016!

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