Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

A Brief Biography of C. S. Lewis ix

Introduction 1

1. The Enigma of Autobiography: Critical Reflections on Surprised by Joy 7

2. The "New Look": Lewis's Philosophical Context at Oxford in the 1920s 31

3. A Gleam of Divine Truth: The Concept of Myth in Lewis's Thought 55

4. The Privileging of Vision: Lewis's Metaphors of Light, Sun, and Sight 83

5. Arrows of Joy: Lewis's Argument from Desire 105

6. Reason, Experience, and Imagination: Lewis's Apologetic Method 129

7. A "Mere Christian": Anglicanism and Lewis's Religious Identity 147

8. Outside the "Inner Ring": Lewis as a Theologian 163

Works by Lewis Cited 185

Index 187

About the Author

Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Theology, Ministry andEducation, and the Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion &Culture at King s College London, having previously beenProfessor of Historical Theology at Oxford University, UK. He isone of the world s leading theologians, and is in constantdemand as a speaker at conferences throughout the world. McGrath isthe author of some of the most widely used theology textbooks,including the bestselling Christian Theology: An Introduction,5th edition (2010, Wiley-Blackwell), and author of booksincluding Mere Theology: Christian Faith and the Discipleship ofthe Mind (2010), and C. S. Lewis: A Life (2013).

Reviews

I have read many of Lewis's works repeatedly over theyears and have read much of the secondary literature on him. TheIntellectual World of C. S. Lewisdoes a good job in placing him inthe intellectual context of his time. (Modern-dayPilgrim, 8 April 2014) McGrath s volume is useful to both Lewis scholarsand lay readers interested in Lewis or the themes with which heengaged. (The Way, 1 April 2014) There are acute and stimulating observations on Surprisedby Joy as autobiography cast in a Christian mould, and itsreliability as a source for historians. There are two particularlyfine chapters showing the long-range influence on Lewis of thetradition of classical, medieval and early modernliterature. (Peter Webster's Blog, 22 January2014) Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-levelundergraduates through researchers/faculty. (Choice, 1 December 2013) Many will also be grateful for these two books by AlisterMcGrath. Both reflect his thorough research, careful weighing ofevidence, wide reading, and clarity of expression... Thebook contains useful studies on different aspects of Lewis as aChristian thinker; and I particularly enjoyed the slightlymischievous chapter in which McGrath argues that Lewis should beseen as a real theologian, not just the amateur onethat he himself claimed to be. (Church Times,22 November 2013) There is more to be said about Lewis as apologist andtheologian but McGrath has written what will long be regarded asthe essential guide. (The Church of EnglandNewspaper, 23 June 2013) McGrath is ingenious and persuasive in searchingLewis s writings for clues to his private life [A]devoted and meticulous biography. (The TimesLiterary Supplement, 21 June 2013) Alister McGrath's biography of C.S. Lewis was anincredible exploration of one of the greatest minds in the historyof Christian thought. I've always enjoyed reading Lewis because ofthe way he explains concepts in a way that is refreshing andinspiring. I found McGrath to have that kind of way with words inhis exploration of Lewis' life. He takes the exploration a stepfurther in a new companion book to the Lewis biography, THEINTELLECTUAL WORLD OF C.S. LEWIS. (Tom FarrReviews, 1 June 2013)