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Spirits In Bondage: A Cycle Of Lyrics
by
C.S. Lewis
Published in 1919 when Lewis was only twenty, these early poems give an insight into the author's youthful agnosticism. The poems are written in various metrical forms, but are unified by a central idea, expressing his conviction that nature was malevolent and beauty the only true spirituality. Preface by Walter Hooper.
Paperback, 132 pages
Published
January 6th 1984
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published 1984)
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Fascinating cycle of poems from 20-year-old, pre-conversion C.S. Lewis. Pessimism and anger weave in and out of the poems. In particular, like Orual in Lewis's later novel Till We Have Faces, Lewis expresses resentment of God:
"The sky above is sickening, the clouds of God's hate cover it,
Body and soul shall suffer beyond all word or thought,
Till the pain and noisy terror that these first years have wrought
Seem but the soft arising and prelude of the storm
...more
"The sky above is sickening, the clouds of God's hate cover it,
Body and soul shall suffer beyond all word or thought,
Till the pain and noisy terror that these first years have wrought
Seem but the soft arising and prelude of the storm
...more
Annabelle Markey
added it
Although the subject matter is different from most of Lewis' books, the writing style is still classic Lewis feel that makes you feel every word was specifically chosen to convey a certain emotion, feeling or meaning. I enjoyed reading these poems and glimpsing some of Lewis' early thoughts. I think this is a great supplement to "Surprised by Joy," which I read over a year ago.
i bought this from logos on telegraphwhen it came out and read it, but don't remember it at all, hence the two star rating
Lewis's first published work is different from his later works, being much more, though not entirely, pessimistic. Written after his return from fighting in the trenches of WWI and before his rediscovery of Christianity, it has quite a few references to mythology and, as expected, to war. His view of nature and God are that they are distant and uncaring, things working against man and making life difficult, which is much different than his more well known views later in life. While there isn'...more
I heard it was written before he became a Christian. That alone should make it an intriguing read.
All of these were extremely interesting.
Several were absolutely amazing.
3.5 stars.
Several were absolutely amazing.
3.5 stars.
meh.
My review of this book should appear in an upcoming little mag. Will announce when it does.
i believe c.s. lewis wrote these collection of poems before he became a christian. brutally honest and still fresh.
An amazing accomplishment for a young man and an interesting glimpse into the soul of the pre-Christian Lewis.
Horrific. Pre-Christian poetry from a 19 year old Lewis. Shattering.
After war recollections
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Clive Staples "Jack" Lewis was an Irish writer and scholar. Lewis is known for his work on medieval literature, Christian apologetics, literary criticism, and fiction. He is best known today in secular culture for his series Chronicles of Narnia.
Lewis taught as a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954, and later was the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissanc...more
More about C.S. Lewis...
Lewis taught as a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954, and later was the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissanc...more
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