For some context: I’m a 30 year old, well educated guy whose first language is English. I am an engineer by profession so never read much beyond elementary and high school. I’m a pretty casual reader now. When I was younger I didn’t read much beyond what was required in school (or less, with the help of cliff notes). I never enjoyed “literature” and always hated when my teachers would ask me to find some deeper meaning or hidden theme in the required reading.
Nowadays when I read for fun I like to have a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. When it comes to fiction I mostly read sci-fi or fantasy novels. I was getting worried that all the fiction I was reading was at like an eighth grade level and I wanted to pick up something, I don’t know, more age appropriate I guess. The Screwtape Letters sounded interesting and fun.
First couple chapters were entertaining. I understood what I was reading insofar as I knew this was from a demon’s perspective, talking to his underling who was trying to get his human to turn away from Christianity. Beyond that though, I had no clue what I was reading beyond the most basic level. I obviously comprehended the words on the page and sometimes could gather what was being talked about. But I finished the book realizing that I had no friggin clue most of the time. I guess it was about temptation and the tendencies of human beings that the devil seeks to exploit?
So I guess I’m just worried and wondering if anyone is in the same boat.
by wtfislandfill
9 Comments
How well versed are you in Christian philosophy?
Great book for theologians.
Basic plot: guy is Christian. One demon wants him to do some big super evil sin, then the other demon is like “nah,let’s have him do some way smaller sin” then it describes a sin people do all the time eventually the guy does the right thing and goes to heaven
It sounds like you got the basic gist of the book. I don’t think you need to be particularly well-versed in Christian theology, Lewis is considered fairly accessible. One major hurdle if you haven’t read his writing before is that he writes in academic British of the 1940s. So there is a lot of lingo that is not only unfamiliar to the average American, but also to people who tend to read more contemporary writing. It is something you get used to the more you read from British authors of that era, but it’s certainly a hurdle that has to be overcome.
Ah, The Screwtape Letters – the literary labyrinth of devilish musings! Don’t beat yourself up, my friend. Comprehending Lewis can be like tiptoeing through a minefield of metaphors and philosophical ponderings. It’s like trying to eat spaghetti with a salad fork. But fear not! Even the most erudite minds can find themselves scratching their heads in confusion. Embrace the confusion, my friend.
I haven’t read it in well over 20 years, but here goes.
It’s a series of letters written by a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew who wants to be a successful demon and move up the ranks. The nephew has been assigned to make a certain human lose faith, and therefore his chance at eternal life. The uncle is describing tactics that nephew might use to make this happen. In each letter, it’s clear the nephew is not following his advice and is doing things that are back-firing. In the end, the nephew fails, the human is confirmed in his faith and the nephew’s punishment is… to be eaten by the other demons, uncle included.
The point of the book is that CS Lewis is describing all the ways that a believer can be led astray, so it’s a cautionary tale told from the standpoint of a master deceiver, Screwtape.
I first read this back in about 1980 at the behest of a friend at university. I’m not a believer, but the undergrad school I attended was also an Anglican/Episcopalian Divinity School. The divinity students always had the best-stocked liquor cabinets, so they were popular, and the level of conversation was always very fun and challenging.
Prior to this, I’d only known CS Lewis as the author of the fantasy series that opens with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” I hadn’t noticed the Christian allegory until later — kinda dense of me, I realize. Oh, and his science fiction trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.
I read Mere Christianity as well, but soon ran out of steam for Christian apologia.
Screwtape is kindof a fascinating work to me. It’s fantastically well written, great characterization with an odd format, and by far Lewis’ most inaccessible work.
It’s a very niche work, that requires a lot of theological background to get all the details of. Im many ways it’s closer to a lecture or debate from a seminary school than a work of fiction.
It also, more than the rest of Lewis’ works feels the least contemporary. So many of the details and turns of phrase are so closely tied to the time of publication and the situation of the world during the writing process that they are much harder to connect to.
It’s hard to comment on without a specific example of what you didn’t understand. I read them years ago and don’t remember it being particularly deep philosophy. It’s not aimed at academics but laymen. Perhaps that language is more dated than you’re used to. Lewis was a master of the English language and was writing 60+ years ago.
When I read that book I gathered it’s about the pitfalls of losing your faith. What Screwtape was trying to impart on Wormwood is the way to get a man to lose his faith in God is to convince him to do a bunch of little semi-bad things. Doing this for a long time will eventually get him to commit some big evil and fall from grace. The entire book is using satire to show what a good Christian should look to avoid to stay a good Christian.