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Image and Imagination: Essays and Reviews
This selection from the writings of C. S. Lewis gathers together forty book reviews, never before reprinted, as well as four major essays which have been unavailable for many decades. A fifth essay, "Image and Imagination," is published for the first time. Taken together, the collection presents some of Lewis's finest literary criticism and religious exposition. The essays and reviews substantiate his reputation as an eloquent and authoritative critic across a wide range of literature, and as a keen judge of contemporary scholarship, while his reviews of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings will be of additional interest to scholars and students of fantasy.
391 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2013
47 people are currently reading
658 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Lewis
1,298 books46.7k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 18, 2022
I really don't understand the logic of Hooper in the forming of this book, but ok. The essays which are actually a criticism of books of different authors seems quite useless if I haven't read the book Lewis is criticising. What I found out is that Lewis always says something good about the book even if he doesn't agree with it. It always ends on the positive note and I find it a sign if gentleness. Criticism of Bloom is just that Bloom is not clear in his writing, while the said Bloom attacks Lewis in book about Lewis that he is editing with saying that Lewis was insufferable person with even worse writing. So, seeing from the writing of both about each other, just imagine on who's side I'm on.
First big part of this book are Lewis's essays on writing and I truly loved and enjoyed some of them.
First big part of this book are Lewis's essays on writing and I truly loved and enjoyed some of them.
April 20, 2014
I continue to be staggered by the breadth and depth of Lewis' understanding of the world.
October 19, 2019
The more astute reader of CS Lewis knows he was a professor first, a lay theologian second. Where then to find him in his element but in book reviews about literature? The book is more exciting than that sentences makes it out to be. The reviews and observations are quite instructive. They run the gamut between English pedagogy, his Inkling friends, medieval studies, and English literature in general.
Lewis indirectly gives us a pattern for doing good book reviews.
Broadest survey of the author’s scope
Hints at agreement (or disagreement), to be developed later.
Addresses possible inaccuracies.
Analyzes the main theme.
The Idea of an English School
Main idea: are the origins of English literature to be found in the classics? Lewis, rather, suggests they are found in Old French literature.
Our English Syllabus
We educate to produce “the good man.” For Aristotle and Milton, this meant the man of “good feeling” and “good taste.”
On Tolkien: These books are “like lightning from a clear sky.” “Nothing quite like it was ever done before.” “The names alone are a feast;” they can be Hobbit-like or kingly.
Tolkien and the Dethronement of Power: The Two Towers. Tolkien rejects relativism and holds to absolutes. Of course. Not all of the characters are strictly black and white. Boromir was an obvious example. Even “Heroic Rohan and imperial Gondor are partly diseased.”
On Charles Williams:
Review: Talesin through Logres
* The Fall: to know good and evil is, among other things, to know all unrealized possibilities, including evil ones. The danger here is that man’s knowledge is partly by experience, so to know some of these unrealized possibilities seems to imply an experience of them.
Some of the essays towards the end get quite technical concerning Middle English poetry. I will leave them to the specialist.
Lewis indirectly gives us a pattern for doing good book reviews.
Broadest survey of the author’s scope
Hints at agreement (or disagreement), to be developed later.
Addresses possible inaccuracies.
Analyzes the main theme.
The Idea of an English School
Main idea: are the origins of English literature to be found in the classics? Lewis, rather, suggests they are found in Old French literature.
Our English Syllabus
We educate to produce “the good man.” For Aristotle and Milton, this meant the man of “good feeling” and “good taste.”
On Tolkien: These books are “like lightning from a clear sky.” “Nothing quite like it was ever done before.” “The names alone are a feast;” they can be Hobbit-like or kingly.
Tolkien and the Dethronement of Power: The Two Towers. Tolkien rejects relativism and holds to absolutes. Of course. Not all of the characters are strictly black and white. Boromir was an obvious example. Even “Heroic Rohan and imperial Gondor are partly diseased.”
On Charles Williams:
Review: Talesin through Logres
* The Fall: to know good and evil is, among other things, to know all unrealized possibilities, including evil ones. The danger here is that man’s knowledge is partly by experience, so to know some of these unrealized possibilities seems to imply an experience of them.
Some of the essays towards the end get quite technical concerning Middle English poetry. I will leave them to the specialist.
November 23, 2018
A fun collection of Lewis's book reviews. My favorites (and the easiest to understand, since I'd read the originals) were his critiques of works by Tolkien and Charles Williams. But even where I hadn't read the book in question and frequently had no idea what he was talking about, I appreciated learning from his style--his keen honesty (never willing to call anything great that isn't) and his disarming grace and courtesy even when tearing something to bits.
December 8, 2019
A collection of his work, often occasional.
It gives some interesting glances. A review of The Hobbit that has to start with discussing the genre, which was not a genre in that time, and other works of the Inklings. Discussions of literature in the context of critical works that he reviewed, which does produce an interesting slant -- from collections of Christian poetry to Arthuriana to H. Rider Haggard.
It gives some interesting glances. A review of The Hobbit that has to start with discussing the genre, which was not a genre in that time, and other works of the Inklings. Discussions of literature in the context of critical works that he reviewed, which does produce an interesting slant -- from collections of Christian poetry to Arthuriana to H. Rider Haggard.
May 10, 2018
This is a collection of 53 text consisting of mostly reviews, but also essays and other kinds of writings. It is a rather odd collection and show some of the width of what kept C. S. Lewis ticking, but at the same time a collection may not keep the common reader all that interested.
Because most of the texts are written for an audience, they are approachable for most and read pretty well - with some exemptions for those texts that are written for the more professional and narrow audience.
For me, there were something to get from a lot of the reviews. For instance, the review of Dorothy Sayers “Mind of the Maker” was a highlight, since I’ve read it and enjoyed it as did Lewis. Other high points is Lewis reviews of the works of Tolkien; who would not find those interesting?
Many other of the texts are giving, but the collection is a reminder that not all texts belong together - so in the end this is a miscellaneous curiosity for those that want to dive deeper into Lewis mind.
Because most of the texts are written for an audience, they are approachable for most and read pretty well - with some exemptions for those texts that are written for the more professional and narrow audience.
For me, there were something to get from a lot of the reviews. For instance, the review of Dorothy Sayers “Mind of the Maker” was a highlight, since I’ve read it and enjoyed it as did Lewis. Other high points is Lewis reviews of the works of Tolkien; who would not find those interesting?
Many other of the texts are giving, but the collection is a reminder that not all texts belong together - so in the end this is a miscellaneous curiosity for those that want to dive deeper into Lewis mind.
April 8, 2017
Really loved the first two essays concerning the nature of education. My to-read list grew as his book reviews went. I also loved seeing him lampoon Harold Bloom.
October 28, 2017
Honestly, for real Lewis fans only. Many of these are reviews of books (Lewis' reviews, not reviews of his books) that only make sense if you know the book, while others are essays on topics that appealed to him and probably won't be of interest to the general reader.
Having said that, if you, like me, are a Lewis fan, this is a great addition to your bookshelf. His voice ad his writing are as clear as ever and sorely missed.
Having said that, if you, like me, are a Lewis fan, this is a great addition to your bookshelf. His voice ad his writing are as clear as ever and sorely missed.
April 5, 2014
It is nice to read Lewis on what is his main expertise: English literature. But as mine expertise is not in that field, I was not quite able to value all of his essays and reviews as it should be.
December 8, 2016
One would benefit more if they were familiar with all the works the essays are on. I did very much enjoy the essays on Malory and the Holy Grail and Aruthurian legends.
March 27, 2020
When I started reading this collection of Lewis's book reviews and literary criticism, I thought, "Oh, dear. This is way above my education level." However, even though parts of the book focus on his areas of expertise and assume a level of knowledge about ancient and medieval literature that most readers will not share, I still found the book engaging as a whole. I appreciated getting a glimpse into my favorite author's academic interests, and enjoyed the book reviews on more general and accessible topics, ranging from Christian nonfiction, books about society and history, poetic works, and others' literary criticism. Even though I have read very few of the books that Lewis reviewed, he provides engaging perspectives on a variety of topics.
I loved his reviews of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings even more than I had anticipated, and his heartfelt, vulnerable tribute to his late friend Charles Williams was my favorite part of the book. He reflected on the life, personality, and works of his friend with specificity and vividness, and also shared deep thoughts about the joys of friendship and the nature of death.
One of my favorite quotes from this collection was in the essay about Charles Williams. Lewis writes about his friend's life advice, "He also said that when young people came to us with their troubles and discontents, the worst thing we could do was to tell them that they were not so unhappy as they thought. Our reply ought rather to begin, 'But of course...' For young people usually are unhappy, and the plain truth is often the greatest relief we can give them. The world is painful in any case: but it is quite unbearable if everyone gives us the idea that we are meant to be liking it. Half the trouble is over when that monstrous demand is withdrawn."
Another quote that I found especially insightful was in one of the few reviews about a contemporary novel:
"The lack of detailed character-study is not a fault at all. An adventure story neither needs nor admits it. Even in real life, adventures tend to obliterate fine shades. Hardship and danger strip us down to the bare bones moral essentials. The distinction between shirker and helper, brave and cowardly, trusty and treacherous, overrides everything else. 'Character' in the novelist's sense is a flower that expands fully when people are safe, fed, dry, and warmed. That adventure stories remind us of this is one of their merits."
I enjoyed this book very much, and I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it. I appreciated Lewis's insight and thoughtful reflections on a variety of topics, and he provides an excellent model for writing book reviews, since he is clear, charitable, assesses the author's intent in addition to his own expectations, and provides succinct and persuasive criticism without judging an author's motives or neglecting to praise their knowledge and effectiveness in some area. Even though I would only encourage someone to read this collection if they are deeply invested in Lewis's work, I highly recommend it to those who are.
I loved his reviews of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings even more than I had anticipated, and his heartfelt, vulnerable tribute to his late friend Charles Williams was my favorite part of the book. He reflected on the life, personality, and works of his friend with specificity and vividness, and also shared deep thoughts about the joys of friendship and the nature of death.
One of my favorite quotes from this collection was in the essay about Charles Williams. Lewis writes about his friend's life advice, "He also said that when young people came to us with their troubles and discontents, the worst thing we could do was to tell them that they were not so unhappy as they thought. Our reply ought rather to begin, 'But of course...' For young people usually are unhappy, and the plain truth is often the greatest relief we can give them. The world is painful in any case: but it is quite unbearable if everyone gives us the idea that we are meant to be liking it. Half the trouble is over when that monstrous demand is withdrawn."
Another quote that I found especially insightful was in one of the few reviews about a contemporary novel:
"The lack of detailed character-study is not a fault at all. An adventure story neither needs nor admits it. Even in real life, adventures tend to obliterate fine shades. Hardship and danger strip us down to the bare bones moral essentials. The distinction between shirker and helper, brave and cowardly, trusty and treacherous, overrides everything else. 'Character' in the novelist's sense is a flower that expands fully when people are safe, fed, dry, and warmed. That adventure stories remind us of this is one of their merits."
I enjoyed this book very much, and I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it. I appreciated Lewis's insight and thoughtful reflections on a variety of topics, and he provides an excellent model for writing book reviews, since he is clear, charitable, assesses the author's intent in addition to his own expectations, and provides succinct and persuasive criticism without judging an author's motives or neglecting to praise their knowledge and effectiveness in some area. Even though I would only encourage someone to read this collection if they are deeply invested in Lewis's work, I highly recommend it to those who are.
April 14, 2025
Everything with CS Lewis seems to have been a full-dress occasion. Even his socialising seems by all accounts to have been a heavy affair, and it's difficult to imagine the youthful Lewis doing anything as frivolous as playing a game of football, or tiddly winks, or even doing the crossword. With Orwell, for example, there is always a certain suggestion of humour that lightens his writing without at all impairing the quality or essential seriousness of his ideas. You feel that Lewis on the other hand, if he were asked to review the Eurovision Song Contest, would bring the same heavy critical artillery to bear as if it were Aquinas or Plato. His refusal ever to unbend is tiring.
(In the Screwfix Letters, Lewis commented that the lack of a sense of humour was 'almost the only lack at which Englishmen feel shame'. Perhaps we should remember, in this context, that he himself was not actually an Englishman - and yet, someone who knew him in his school days described him as riotously amusing! He must have changed a lot by the time he started writing the works that are still known today.)
So you have an unrelentingly serious reviewer, but what of the books? It is surely some comment on the vanity of human endeavour that the vast majority of them have dropped utterly into oblivion (although they do, nevertheless, offer him the pretext to talk about a lot of interesting things). And it is curious that, of the work of his own Inkling colleagues, he seems unable to distinguish the permanence and universality of Tolkien from his mere personal approval of Charles Williams, a man who would have been entirely forgotten if he had not known the other two.
(In the Screwfix Letters, Lewis commented that the lack of a sense of humour was 'almost the only lack at which Englishmen feel shame'. Perhaps we should remember, in this context, that he himself was not actually an Englishman - and yet, someone who knew him in his school days described him as riotously amusing! He must have changed a lot by the time he started writing the works that are still known today.)
So you have an unrelentingly serious reviewer, but what of the books? It is surely some comment on the vanity of human endeavour that the vast majority of them have dropped utterly into oblivion (although they do, nevertheless, offer him the pretext to talk about a lot of interesting things). And it is curious that, of the work of his own Inkling colleagues, he seems unable to distinguish the permanence and universality of Tolkien from his mere personal approval of Charles Williams, a man who would have been entirely forgotten if he had not known the other two.
March 12, 2018
This is the most recent collection of Lewis’s work and overwhelmingly the least interesting. It consists in the main of two kinds of essays: those that Lewis himself chose not to publish, and little workaday book reviews that he did, though momentarily in literary and theological periodicals of the day. The unpublished works are not his best; personally I find the reasoning of the title essay, “Image and Imagination” very suspect and the method of argument—a rather one-sided dialogue—amusing but opaque. The published reviews are pleasant enough, but belong very much to their time, and rarely have the depth of thought one expects absolutely anywhere else in Lewis (even his letters).
April 24, 2019
A book of book reviews. Loved reading Lewis on the Arthurian legends. He was preparing to write on the Matter of Britain prior to his death. How I wish he had lived to do so...
September 13, 2021
Skimmed.
Can I have the Harold Bloom essay framed?
Can I have the Harold Bloom essay framed?
March 29, 2024
C.S. Lewis on the issues of literature and culture is better (in my student opinion) than his fiction. I really appreciate how he thinks about writing.
April 5, 2014
This most recent offering of Lewis writings is not for everyone and it isn't for no one. In between it will find a readership among Lewisphiles but few others. It is a collection of reprints of mostly book reviews with a couple of original unpublished essays thrown in to make it more marketable. It is broken up into six sections dealing with English Lit generally followed by more specialized readings in classical, medieval and middle English lit. There are also interesting sections on writings of the Inklings and Christian themes. Some of it went over my head not having read "The Romance of the Rose," Malory or Lucretius, but I did learn much in a second-hand way. What I like about reading Lewis in his writings about literature is I get more insight into the way his mind worked, what was important to him and how he engaged in disagreement (always a gentleman). The best find was the reality that Lewis slightly overlapped with Harold Bloom and found him as undecipherable as I have. Bottom line: not for a general audience. Read the Chronicles of Narnia again.
February 7, 2014
With the exception of a previously unpublished essay, this is just a collection of book reviews Lewis wrote that were printed in a variety of places over the years. Reading reviews of non-contemporary books that one knows little to nothing about is pretty dull. I definitely enjoyed Lewis' discussion of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but otherwise his book is only for the most intense and academic of Lewis scholars and historians.
(A digital copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley for purposes of review.)
(A digital copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley for purposes of review.)
February 28, 2016
Sorta licking the bottom of the Lewis bowl here.
Image and Imagination is definitely worth the price of admission, but also a difficult and challenging essay that restates some very understated things about literature that I hadn't really thought about. (How much do we imagine? Are images all that make an experience?)
Some really fun reviews. My favorite was the one on Mallory. You can tell he loves it. Of course, most readers will want to read his essays on Lord of the Rings. Brilliantly done, even on re-reads.
Image and Imagination is definitely worth the price of admission, but also a difficult and challenging essay that restates some very understated things about literature that I hadn't really thought about. (How much do we imagine? Are images all that make an experience?)
Some really fun reviews. My favorite was the one on Mallory. You can tell he loves it. Of course, most readers will want to read his essays on Lord of the Rings. Brilliantly done, even on re-reads.
January 9, 2015
A collection of book reviews along with a few literary essays, Image and Imagination certainly isn't essential Lewis, but it is rewarding, if demanding, Lewis. This is Lewis on his home ground, in his day job, writing as a literary critic and literary historian. Not really for the faint of heart, or those without a working knowledge of the English literary canon and criticism; but if you enjoy reading the books Lewis himself read, and don't mind the (mental) exercise, it's well worth the time and money.
December 15, 2014
Interesting stuff, especially the essays on Charles Williams, which in conjunction with the friendship section of The Four Loves makes a really powerful statement about the anemic quality of most of our relationships. Lewis's hardheaded approach to what criticism ought to be is illuminating by contrast, as well.
There's a bunch of technical stuff in here I was tempted to skip, however, so proceed with caution.
There's a bunch of technical stuff in here I was tempted to skip, however, so proceed with caution.
November 18, 2013
This is the most in depth look at the character and mind of C. S. Lewis I have ever encountered. Over 50 book reviews, not a lot considering a lifetime of being an academic. But the immaculate detail of most reviews leaves one spellbound.
July 22, 2014
This is the critical Lewis, Lewis the reviewer. Mostly of biographical interest and interest to those who see him as a counter-culture critic and anti-Modernist in the mid 20th century. Wish I'd had access to the title essay while I was writing my recent study on Lewis' Romanticism.
January 1, 2014
If you enjoy Lewis and literary criticism, this is a book for you. I loved it. His reviews of Lord of the Rings are worth the price of the book (and more).
January 22, 2014
A bit of a mix of reviews and articles.
February 8, 2015
much of this is for die hard Lewis fans, but some interesting reading nonetheless.
April 19, 2017
Lewis never disappoints. The majority of the reviews
in this volume were way over may head because of their academic nature,
but the writing is lucid, to the point, and (a descriptor of prose that has
fallen out of use) masculine.
The reviews of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are a joy to read
as a fan of Tolkien, and the piece on Rider Haggard was enlightening as well.
in this volume were way over may head because of their academic nature,
but the writing is lucid, to the point, and (a descriptor of prose that has
fallen out of use) masculine.
The reviews of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are a joy to read
as a fan of Tolkien, and the piece on Rider Haggard was enlightening as well.
Read
April 30, 2018Makes it clear enough that if there was one of his characters who summed up how Lewis was, well, it was inarguably Eustace Scrubb. Picked up two nice words, here, tho, "esemplastic" and "rhematophobia".
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews