Gaining a Face: The Romanticism of C.S. Lewis

Contrary to the popular perception that C.S. Lewis was merely a religious writer, there is a good case to be made for Lewis being one of the major British writers of the twentieth century if we look at him as a prime member of a resurgent Romantic movement after the Second World War. Much has been written on Lewis's thoughts on joy, a central aspect of his Romanticism. However, Lewis was at the same time a rationalist, and managed to merge his Rationalism with his Romanticism in a unique and original manner. And his Romanticism likewise was complex and owed much to both George MacDonald and, through the medium of MacDonald's thought, to the Romanticism of William Wordsworth. This study traces the aspects of Lewis's romantic thought as it is drawn from MacDonald, Wordsworth and other influences, and traces how, beyond his fascination with joy, Lewis constructed a consistent romantic vision that allowed for a balance with reason and stood in contradiction to the literary movements of his time.

James Prothero is an independent scholar, novelist, teacher and watercolor painter living in Southern California. He received his BA from Northern Arizona University and his PhD from the University of Wales. His other works include the study Wordsworth and Welsh Romanticism, the textbook The Freshman Writer as Artist, and the novel The Sun is But a Morning Star. Donald T. Williams is R. A. Forrest Scholar and Professor of English at Toccoa Falls College in the hills of Northeast Georgia, and received his PhD from the University of Georgia. An internationally known Inklings scholar, he is the author of eight other books, including Mere Humanity: G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien on the Human Condition. His writings have also appeared in such publications as SEVEN: An Anglo-American Review, Mythlore, The Tolkien Journal, The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Philosophia Christi, Christian Scholar’s Review, and Christianity and Literature.