Editing C. S. Lewis (section)

===Novelist===
In addition to his scholarly work, Lewis wrote several popular novels, including the science fiction ''[[Space Trilogy]]'' for adults and the [[Narnia]] fantasies for children. Most deal implicitly with Christian themes such as sin, humanity's [[Fall of Man|fall from grace]], and redemption.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shumaker |first=Wayne |year=1955 |title=The Cosmic Trilogy of C. S. Lewis |journal=The Hudson Review |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=240–254 |doi=10.2307/3847687 |issn=0018-702X |jstor=3847687}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7emDwAAQBAJ&q=%22cs+lewis%22++christian+fiction&pg=PP1 |title=C.S. Lewis and Christian Postmodernism: Word, Image, and Beyond |last=Yuasa |first=Kyoko |date=25 May 2017 |publisher=Lutterworth Press |isbn=978-0-7188-4608-4 |access-date=9 November 2020 |archive-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529102146/https://books.google.com/books?id=F7emDwAAQBAJ&q=%22cs+lewis%22++christian+fiction&pg=PP1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

His first novel after becoming a Christian was ''[[The Pilgrim's Regress]]'' (1933), which depicted his journey to Christianity in the allegorical style of [[John Bunyan]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]''. The book was poorly received by critics at the time,<ref name="Thomas" /> although David [[Martyn Lloyd-Jones]], one of Lewis's contemporaries at Oxford, gave him much-valued encouragement. Asked by Lloyd-Jones when he would write another book, Lewis replied, "When I understand the meaning of prayer."{{sfn|Murray|1990}}{{Rp | needed = yes|date=March 2012}}

The ''[[Space Trilogy]]'' (also called the ''Cosmic Trilogy'' or ''Ransom Trilogy'') dealt with what Lewis saw as the dehumanizing trends in contemporary science fiction. The first book, ''[[Out of the Silent Planet]]'', was apparently written following a conversation with his friend J. R. R. Tolkien about these trends. Lewis agreed to write a "space travel" story and Tolkien a "time travel" one, but Tolkien never completed "[[The Lost Road and Other Writings|The Lost Road]]", linking his [[Middle-earth]] to the modern world. Lewis's main character [[Elwin Ransom]] is based in part on Tolkien, a fact to which Tolkien alludes in his letters.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eLCAgAAQBAJ |title=The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |date=21 February 2014 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-544-36379-3 |page=45 |access-date=5 September 2020 |archive-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529102146/https://books.google.com/books?id=9eLCAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The second novel, ''[[Perelandra]]'', depicts a new [[Garden of Eden]] on the planet Venus, a new [[Adam and Eve]], and a new "serpent figure" to tempt Eve. The story can be seen as an account of what might have happened if the terrestrial Adam had defeated the serpent and avoided the [[Fall of Man]], with Ransom intervening in the novel to "ransom" the new Adam and Eve from the deceptions of the enemy. The third novel, ''[[That Hideous Strength]]'', develops the theme of nihilistic science threatening traditional human values, embodied in Arthurian legend.{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}

Many ideas in the trilogy, particularly opposition to dehumanization as portrayed in the third book, are presented more formally in ''[[The Abolition of Man]]'', based on a series of lectures by Lewis at [[Durham University]] in 1943. Lewis stayed in Durham, where he says he was overwhelmed by the magnificence of [[Durham Cathedral|the cathedral]]. ''That Hideous Strength'' is in fact set in the environs of "Edgestow" university, a small English university like Durham, though Lewis disclaims any other resemblance between the two.{{sfn|Lewis|1945|page=7}}

[[Walter Hooper]], Lewis's literary executor, discovered a fragment of another science-fiction novel apparently written by Lewis called ''[[The Dark Tower (1977 novel)|The Dark Tower]]''. Ransom appears in the story but it is not clear whether the book was intended as part of the same series of novels. The manuscript was eventually published in 1977, though Lewis scholar [[Kathryn Lindskoog]] doubts its authenticity.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-01-vw-30166-story.html |title=Literary Sleuth : Scholar Kathryn Lindskoog of Orange, author of 'Fakes, Frauds and Other Malarkey,' opened a can of worms by claiming a C.S. Lewis hoax |last=Washburn |first=Jim |date=1 September 1993 |access-date=18 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118162322/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-09-01/news/vw-30166_1_lewis-hoax/2 |archive-date=18 January 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Mourne mountains.jpg|thumb|[[Mourne Mountains|The Mountains of Mourne]] inspired Lewis to write ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. About them, Lewis wrote "I have seen landscapes&nbsp;... which, under a particular light, make me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge."<ref name="The great British weekend: The Mourne Mountains">{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-great-british-weekend-the-mourne-mountains-zjb7lpkn9zw |title=The great British weekend The Mourne Mountains |last=Knight |first=Jane |date=12 September 2009 |work=The Times |access-date=28 April 2010 |location=London}}</ref>]]

''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', considered a classic of children's literature, is a series of seven fantasy novels. Written between 1949 and 1954 and illustrated by [[Pauline Baynes]], the series is Lewis's most popular work, having sold over 100 million copies in 41 languages {{Harvard citation|Kelly|2006|pp=}} {{Harvard citation|Guthmann|2005|pp=}}. It has been adapted several times, complete or in part, for radio, television, stage and [[The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)|cinema]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.narniaweb.com/movies/adaptations/ |title=Other Narnia Adaptations |website=NarniaWeb {{!}} Netflix's Narnia Movies |date=26 May 2018 |access-date=3 December 2019 |archive-date=10 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810043802/https://www.narniaweb.com/movies/adaptations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1956, the final novel in the series, ''[[The Last Battle]]'', won the [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eccleshare |first=Julia |date=13 June 2016 |title=Eighty years of children's books: the best Carnegie medal winners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jun/13/carnegie-medal-winners-1936 |access-date=31 October 2024 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The books contain Christian ideas intended to be easily accessible to young readers. In addition to Christian themes, Lewis also borrows characters from [[Greek mythology|Greek]] and [[Roman mythology]], as well as traditional British and Irish fairy tales.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2eo4B--jyqoC&q=roman+mythology+chronicles+of+narnia&pg=PR1 |title=The Magical Worlds of Narnia: The Symbols, Myths, and Fascinating Facts Behind The Chronicles |last=Colbert |first=David |date=2005 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-425-20563-1 |access-date=9 November 2020 |archive-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529102147/https://books.google.com/books?id=2eo4B--jyqoC&q=roman+mythology+chronicles+of+narnia&pg=PR1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Costello|first=Alicia D.|date=2009|url=http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=69|title=Examining Mythology in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis|journal=Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse|volume=1|issue=11}}</ref>

Lewis's last novel, ''[[Till We Have Faces]]'', a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, was published in 1956.<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web |last1=Schakel |first1=Peter |title=Till We Have Faces: A Novel by CS Lewis |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Till-We-Have-Faces |website=Brittannica |access-date=19 March 2022}}</ref> Although Lewis called it "far and away my best book", it was not as well-reviewed as his previous work.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

====Other works====
Lewis wrote several works on [[Heaven]] and [[Hell]]. One of these, ''[[The Great Divorce]]'', is a short novella in which a few residents of Hell take a bus ride to Heaven, where they are met by people who dwell there. The proposition is that they can stay if they choose, in which case they can call the place where they had come from "[[Purgatory]]", instead of "Hell", but many find it not to their taste. The title is a reference to [[William Blake]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell]]'', a concept that Lewis found a "disastrous error". This work deliberately echoes two other more famous works with a similar theme: the ''[[Divine Comedy]]'' of [[Dante Alighieri]], and Bunyan's ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress]]''.

Another short work, ''[[The Screwtape Letters]]'', which he dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien, consists of letters of advice from senior [[demon]] Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood on the best ways to tempt a particular human and secure his [[Damnation#Religious|damnation]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Screwtape-Letters |title=The Screwtape Letters {{!}} novel by Lewis |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=14 November 2019 |archive-date=2 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902190549/https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Screwtape-Letters |url-status=live }}</ref> Lewis's last novel was ''[[Till We Have Faces]]'', which he thought of as his most mature and masterly work of fiction but which was never a popular success. It is a retelling of the myth of [[Cupid and Psyche]] from the unusual perspective of Psyche's sister. It is deeply concerned with religious ideas, but the setting is entirely [[paganism|pagan]], and the connections with specific Christian beliefs are left implicit.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Till-We-Have-Faces |title=Till We Have Faces {{!}} novel by Lewis |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=14 November 2019 |archive-date=2 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902181253/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Till-We-Have-Faces |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before Lewis's conversion to Christianity, he published two books: ''[[Spirits in Bondage]]'', a collection of poems, and ''[[Dymer (poem)|Dymer]]'', a single [[narrative poetry|narrative poem]]. Both were published under the pen name Clive Hamilton. Other narrative poems have since been published posthumously, including ''Launcelot'', ''The Nameless Isle'', and ''[[The Queen of Drum]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Narrative Poems. |last=Lewis |first=C. S. |date=1969 |publisher=Fount Paperbacks |edition=Walter Hooper |location=London}}</ref>

He also wrote ''[[The Four Loves]]'', which rhetorically explains four categories of love: [[philia|friendship]], [[Eros (concept)|eros]], [[storge|affection]], and [[agape|charity]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/fourloves00lewi |title=The Four Loves. |last=Lewis |first=C. S. |date=1960 |publisher=Harcourt |location=New York |isbn=9780156329309 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

In 2009, a partial draft was discovered of ''[[Language and Human Nature]]'', which Lewis had begun co-writing with J. R. R. Tolkien, but which was never completed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2009/07/CSLewis070809.html |title=Beebe discovers unpublished C.S. Lewis manuscript : University News Service : Texas State University |date=8 July 2009 |publisher=Texas State University |access-date=10 March 2010 |archive-date=2 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602064824/http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2009/07/CSLewis070809.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2024 an original poem was discovered in a collection of documents in Special Collections at the [[University of Leeds]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=28 April 2024 |title=CS Lewis poem unearthed in University of Leeds collection |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-68890548 |access-date=2 May 2024 |work=BBC News }}</ref> Its Old English title, "Mód Þrýþe Ne Wæg", is not easily translated into modern English and references the epic poem ''[[Beowulf]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Leeds |first=University of |date=22 April 2024 |title=Uncovering a CS Lewis poem in Special Collections |url=https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news-arts-culture/news/article/5553/uncovering-a-cs-lewis-poem-in-special-collections |access-date=2 May 2024 |website=www.leeds.ac.uk }}</ref> The poem was addressed to professor of English [[E. V. Gordon|Eric Valentine Gordon]] and his wife Dr Ida Gordon.<ref name=":0" /> It was written under the pen name Nat Whilk, meaning "someone" in Old English.<ref name=":0" />