Welcome to TTL C.S. Lewis

Journal Prompt for 22 August 2012

“God was to be obeyed simply because He was God…He had taught me how a thing can be revered not for what it can do to us but for what it is in itself….If you ask why we should obey God, in the last resort the answer is, ‘I am.’”

C.S. Lewis

(Surprised by Joy 200)

A couple of detailsJust housekeeping stuff

• Make sure you read all the items on Edline, particularly my pet peeves, samples, and the syllabus.

• All written work is to be typed with an MLA header. The Purdue OWL site is bookmarked on the Edline homepage for this class.

• Facebook will be an important tool. Please make sure you join the group for this class.

• We will follow roughly the same reading assignments as the T/F class, but class structure will be adjusted.

• BE HERE. Only meeting once a week is hard. Missing a week is deadly.

• Journals are DAILY—yes, even on Sundays and holidays. You can carve out ten minutes to reflect on something. You should be having a few minutes with God daily, so use the journal time there.

About this classImages are Important

C.S. Lewis said, “All my seven Narnian books, and my three science fiction books, began with seeing pictures in my head. At first they were not a story, just pictures.”

(Lewis, “It All Began as a Picture”)

What do cupcakes have to do with Joy?

But what…of Joy? To tell you the truth, the subject has lost nearly all interest for me….I

believe…that the old stab, the old bittersweet, has come to

me as often and as sharply as ever…. But now I know that

the experience…was valuable only as a pointer to something

other and outer….

Cupcakes

CupcakesWhat do cupcakes

have to do with Joy?

Gluten free cupcakes that actually taste good have been hard to find. Finally there are good bakeries and mixes and flours that allow people with intolerances to enjoy these treats without pain.

The first one is a sublime experience. People actually cry with delight and happiness. After a while, however, the cupcake itself is less important. What is truly important is the ability to feel normal. The cupcake is only evidence of what had been lacking.

Lewis’s search for Joy turned out to be a search for something (someONE) else altogether.

But what…of Joy? To tell you the truth, the subject has lost nearly all interest for me….I

believe…that the old stab, the old bittersweet, has come to

me as often and as sharply as ever…. But now I know that

the experience…was valuable only as a pointer to something

other and outer….

Your Turn Now

What did this book teach you?

Out of the

Silent Planet

Trivia and TidbitsWritten in 1938 (Lewis age 40)

Trivia and TidbitsWritten in 1938 (Lewis age 40)Lover of Science Fiction since

childhood

Trivia and TidbitsWritten in 1938 (Lewis age 40)Lover of Science Fiction since

childhoodWrote his first scify story at age 6

Trivia and TidbitsWritten in 1938 (Lewis age 40)Lover of Science Fiction since

childhoodWrote his first scify story at age 6Always fascinated by space (was given

a telescope at age 11)

Trivia and TidbitsWritten in 1938 (Lewis age 40)Lover of Science Fiction since

childhoodWrote his first scify story at age 6Always fascinated by space (was given

a telescope at age 11)Inspired for this book by a story called,

“Voyage to Arcturus” (David Lindsay, 1920)

Trivia and Tidbits Written in 1938 (Lewis age 40) Lover of Science Fiction since childhood Wrote his first scify story at age 6 Always fascinated by space (was given a telescope

at age 11) Inspired for this book by a story called, “Voyage to

Arcturus” (David Lindsay, 1920) Secondary inspiration by Olaf Stapleton (“Last and

First Men” 1930) and J.B.S. Haldane (“Possible Worlds” 1927)

What did Lewis think about life on other planets?

We might…find a race which was, like us, rational but, unlike us, innocent—no wars nor any other wickedness among them; all peace and good fellowship. I don’t think any Christian would

be puzzled to find that they knew no story of an Incarnation or Redemption, and might even

find our story hard to understand or accept if we told it to them. There would have been no redemption in such a world

because it would not have needed redeeming…We should have much to learn from such people and nothing to teach

them. We’d find some reason for exterminating them.

Things to ponder• At this point in his life, Lewis had been a

Christian for less than ten years.• Lewis knew mythology and legend

better than pretty much anyone.• Lewis used the cosmic trilogy to make a

spiritual point.• Lewis was an academic, scholar, and

philosopher.

Homework• Read Out of the Silent Planet through p 77

• Write In these first few pages, Lewis discusses more than a few philosophical issues, including the purpose for love, the avarice of man, the need for order, and a half dozen others. Choose one of Lewis’s ideas and write a 2-3 page essay explaining the philosophy and why it is relevant in current culture.

• Create a digital image that illustrates the philosophical issue you discuss in your essay

• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation using at least three slides that shows your artwork and how it connects to your essay.