Eager Spring

by Owen Barfield

A young academic is drawn towards activism when she is increasingly troubled by the growing threat of biocides. Through Virginia Brooke, Barfield charts the mental and spiritual journey of a thinking person - and, by extension, of all thinking persons - faced with "the need for action and the obligation to take it". From environmental thriller to Iron Age settlement, domestic estrangement and the alienation of Man from Nature, Barfield's last work of fiction will continue to delight admirers and provoke a fresh generation of thinkers. Owen Barfield is one of the twentieth century's most significant philosophers. He is widely known for his explorations of human consciousness, the history of language, the origins of poetic effect, and cross-disciplinary thought. A member of the Inklings, an Oxford group of scholars, Barfield's thinking informed the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien, among others. Eager Spring is Barfield's 'eco-novella', written when the author was almost 90.

Genres: Ecology

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Arthur Owen Barfield was a British philosopher, author, poet, and critic.

Barfield was born in London. He was educated at Highgate School and Wadham College, Oxford and in 1920 received a first class degree in English language and literature. After finishing his B. Litt., which became his third book Poetic Diction, he was a dedicated poet and author for over ten years. After 1934 his profession was as a solicitor in London, from which he retired in 1959 aged 60. Thereafter he had many guest appointments as Visiting Professor in North America. Barfield published numerous essays, books, and articles. His primary focus was on what he called the "evolution of consciousness," which is an idea which occurs frequently in his writings. He is best known as a founding father of Anthroposophy in the English speaking world.

Barfield has been known as "the first and last Inkling". He had a profound influence on C. S. Lewis, and through his books The Silver Trumpet and Poetic Diction (dedicated to C.S. Lewis), an appreciable effect on J. R. R. Tolkien. Lewis was a good friend of Barfield since 1919, and termed Barfield "the best and wisest of my unofficial teachers". That Barfield did not consider philosophy merely intellectually is illustrated by a well-known interchange that took place between Lewis and Barfield. Lewis one day made the mistake of referring to philosophy as "a subject." "It wasn't a subject to Plato," said Barfield, "It was a way." Lewis refers to Barfield as the "Second Friend" in Surprised by Joy:

But the Second Friend is the man who disagrees with you about everything. He is not so much the alter ego as the antiself. Of course he shares your interests; otherwise he would not become your friend at all. But he has approached them all at a different angle. He has read all the right books but has got the wrong thing out of every one. It is as if he spoke your language but mispronounced it. How can he be so nearly right and yet, invariably, just not right?

Barfield and C. S. Lewis met in 1919 and were close friends for 44 years. Barfield was instrumental in converting Lewis to theism during the early period of their friendship which they affectionately called 'The Great War'. Maud also guided Lewis. As well as being friend and teacher to Lewis, Barfield was his legal adviser and trustee. Lewis dedicated his 1936 book Allegory of Love to Barfield. Lewis wrote his 1949 book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for Lucy Barfield and he dedicated The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to Geoffrey in 1952.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style and concept of the book was interesting, split between a modern (1980s at time of writing) story of a young academic, Vi, becoming involved in activism against poisonous pesticides, and the fairy tale she writes set at the beginning of the destructive "age of iron." There are references to Steiner and the evolution of consciousness, as one would expect from Barfield. I doubt, though, whether Barfield would have written this "eco-novella" today. It feels almost innocent. While he acknowledges in the novel that some of the activists his protagonist encounters were political radicals, he could not have foreseen the scale at which claims of ecological harm would become a political power-grab used to trample individual human rights and even override the value of human beings. The idyllic character at the book's beginning, who has dedicated himself to living simply and planting trees, is an earth-steward in the Christian stream of human nobility and responsibility, as is Vi herself. Perhaps the hope of this book is that such people are needed who both care for the earth and care for people.

[Katelyn Tamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Owen Barfield book. I enjoyed its depth and how timeless it felt with environmental warnings that are still relevant today. Harry Coppard is a character I won’t forget easily and his response to what he sees happening in his world left a deep impression on me. His story is really beautiful. The book is one where reading it again (or even a commentary on it) would help me understand and appreciate it even more.

I also just recently read “That Hideous Strength” and couldn’t help but see similarities. You can tell that Barfield and Lewis were friends. Really interesting to read them so close to one another!

[Thomas Argersinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately interesting book that seemed to be a bit convoluted in narrative. As other reviewers have noted, the clear undercurrent was a deep concern for the ecological environment, a concern I actually share. Perhaps a re-read would improve my rating.

[James Prothero · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting but strange. Owen Barfield was brilliant but not a novelist. Technique would have mad this book profound, instead of told in a hurry with little detail and all plot.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It is a book about ecology as a symbol of other things. This book contains a folk tale. It probably requires more than one reading.