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A Well of Wonder, Volume 1: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Inklings by Clyde S. Kilby
drbobcornwall's review
4.0
Christians can be literalists. I think it's a disease engendered by the Enlightenment. I have nothing against the Enlightenment, but at times the rationalism it engendered has diminished the power of imagination. Fortunately, from time to time, figures have emerged who have broken the barriers and invited us to broaden our hearts and minds to embrace the fruit of our imagination. Among those who have done so is a collection of figures who came to be known as the Inklings. Best known amongst this group of writers and thinkers, most of whom were connected to Oxford University are C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Among those who engaged these figures, both in person and in terms of their writings, was Clyde S. Kilby, the now deceased Professor of English at Wheaton College. This book, "A Well of Wonder" is the first of two volumes of essays written by Kilby over the years. This particular collection focuses on Lewis, Tolkien, and others who were connected in some way with the Inklings, a literary group that met regularly in Oxford (often but not only at one of the pubs in Oxford -- the best known being the Eagle and the Child).
The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with Lewis, the second with Tolkien, and the third with the Inklings and the Wade Collection at Wheaton College. Among those encountered in part three are Dorothy Sayers, Charles Williams, and George McDonald, with McDonald being precursor of the Inklings.
The lengthiest section is focused on the work of Lewis, including his apologetics and his fiction. As one might expect from a collection of essays, many of which had been published earlier, there is much overlap, especially when Kilby discusses the message of the works of each author. What is interesting about Lewis is that he combined a strong commitment to logic, a discipline in which he was trained early in life, with an appreciation for myth. It was the commitment to logic that led to his atheism, but also provided a means toward conversion. Readers of Lewis may be drawn to his apologetics or his fiction. Kilby was attracted to both. As for me, while I enjoyed his apologetics when I was young, it is his work of fantasy ([b:The Chronicles of Narnia|11127|The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)|C.S. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449868701s/11127.jpg|781271] that have stayed with me. Of his one visit with Lewis, Kilby noted the humility he found in the man, along with "an incipient good humor and genuineness that makes a conversation with him a real pleasure" (p. 19).
In section two, we engage with Tolkien. I must admit that I've never gotten into Tolkien. I watched the movies with my son, but I've not read Tolkien. That said, this section is a helpful introduction to Tolkien, including the deep Christian spirituality that underlies it. Whereas Lewis converted to the Church of England, Tolkien was a staunch Roman Catholic. While he resisted the idea that his works were allegory, there is religious foundations to these books, even though he engaged his spirituality making use of mythology. While Kilby only met Lewis on one occasion, he became fast friends with Tolkien, providing support to Tolkien in his effort to bring into a publishable form the [b:The Silmarillion|7332|The Silmarillion (Middle-Earth Universe)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1336502583s/7332.jpg|4733799], a book that was designed to provide a foundation for later stories. But the manuscript was in disarray, and wasn't completed during Tolkien's lifetime, despite Kilby's efforts. Readers of Tolkien will find Kilby's analysis of the theological dimensions helpful. Using the definition of myth developed by Mircea Eliade, he believes that Tolkien's work expemplified the yearning for the Golden Age that is true reality, but has since disappeared. He writes that "Mythic man is concerned with being rather than with mere living" (p. 155-156).
Part three of the book is the briefest section, but it is an important one. In this section titled "The Inklings as Shapers of a New Christian Imagination," we read essays that describe the work of Charles Williams, an older contemporary of Lewis and Tolkien, who became a key figure in the group. His own writings, though less known, were greatly influential on the two giants. He also engages with Dorothy Sayer, a writer of detective novels and theology. There is a chapter on the emerging friendship of Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams, from this friendship came the Inklings, a rather informal group rooted in the relationships of the three men.
In the final chapter we're offered an interview with Kilby published in the Christian literary journal Arkenstone titled "Myth: The Nostalgia for Eternity." In this interview he notes that according to Eliade, myth was "a nostalgia for eternity." He notes that the word myth is used in three ways. In our modern age, it denotes a big lie. Secondly, it is used to describe ancient stories -- Greek, Roman, and Norse myths (all of which are part of the background for Lewis, Tolkien, and others in their circle). The third meaning of the word, is "one that is so deep and endless that you can't even fathom it" (p. 329). At the heart of myth is symbol.
I've not read Kilby before. I've encountered the name, but not the man's writings till now. This volume was sent to my by Paraclete to review, and I'm doing so. Even though I'm not an officianado of these writers (mostly having read Lewis), what I gain from reading it is not only the descriptions of these important British authors of the twentieth century, but a sense of Kilby's evangelicalism. It's a much more thoughtful and broad version that we often encounter today. This is the evangelicalism I often met during my years at Fuller. Kilby influenced evangelical scholars and writers including Mark Noll and Luci Shaw. I appreciate the note in the afterword by Loren Wilkenson, himself a student of Kilby's, that Kilby shared with the authors he invoked a sense of creation being a "source of wonder" (p. 336). Kilby was indeed a Christian scholar, an evangelical in his convictions, but his vision was influenced by a breadth of writers who understood the importance of metaphor and myth to convey deep spiritual insight. It's unfortunate that this vision is often absent, but here is a voice crying out for a broader vision of the Christian mind.
Among those who engaged these figures, both in person and in terms of their writings, was Clyde S. Kilby, the now deceased Professor of English at Wheaton College. This book, "A Well of Wonder" is the first of two volumes of essays written by Kilby over the years. This particular collection focuses on Lewis, Tolkien, and others who were connected in some way with the Inklings, a literary group that met regularly in Oxford (often but not only at one of the pubs in Oxford -- the best known being the Eagle and the Child).
The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with Lewis, the second with Tolkien, and the third with the Inklings and the Wade Collection at Wheaton College. Among those encountered in part three are Dorothy Sayers, Charles Williams, and George McDonald, with McDonald being precursor of the Inklings.
The lengthiest section is focused on the work of Lewis, including his apologetics and his fiction. As one might expect from a collection of essays, many of which had been published earlier, there is much overlap, especially when Kilby discusses the message of the works of each author. What is interesting about Lewis is that he combined a strong commitment to logic, a discipline in which he was trained early in life, with an appreciation for myth. It was the commitment to logic that led to his atheism, but also provided a means toward conversion. Readers of Lewis may be drawn to his apologetics or his fiction. Kilby was attracted to both. As for me, while I enjoyed his apologetics when I was young, it is his work of fantasy ([b:The Chronicles of Narnia|11127|The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)|C.S. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449868701s/11127.jpg|781271] that have stayed with me. Of his one visit with Lewis, Kilby noted the humility he found in the man, along with "an incipient good humor and genuineness that makes a conversation with him a real pleasure" (p. 19).
In section two, we engage with Tolkien. I must admit that I've never gotten into Tolkien. I watched the movies with my son, but I've not read Tolkien. That said, this section is a helpful introduction to Tolkien, including the deep Christian spirituality that underlies it. Whereas Lewis converted to the Church of England, Tolkien was a staunch Roman Catholic. While he resisted the idea that his works were allegory, there is religious foundations to these books, even though he engaged his spirituality making use of mythology. While Kilby only met Lewis on one occasion, he became fast friends with Tolkien, providing support to Tolkien in his effort to bring into a publishable form the [b:The Silmarillion|7332|The Silmarillion (Middle-Earth Universe)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1336502583s/7332.jpg|4733799], a book that was designed to provide a foundation for later stories. But the manuscript was in disarray, and wasn't completed during Tolkien's lifetime, despite Kilby's efforts. Readers of Tolkien will find Kilby's analysis of the theological dimensions helpful. Using the definition of myth developed by Mircea Eliade, he believes that Tolkien's work expemplified the yearning for the Golden Age that is true reality, but has since disappeared. He writes that "Mythic man is concerned with being rather than with mere living" (p. 155-156).
Part three of the book is the briefest section, but it is an important one. In this section titled "The Inklings as Shapers of a New Christian Imagination," we read essays that describe the work of Charles Williams, an older contemporary of Lewis and Tolkien, who became a key figure in the group. His own writings, though less known, were greatly influential on the two giants. He also engages with Dorothy Sayer, a writer of detective novels and theology. There is a chapter on the emerging friendship of Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams, from this friendship came the Inklings, a rather informal group rooted in the relationships of the three men.
In the final chapter we're offered an interview with Kilby published in the Christian literary journal Arkenstone titled "Myth: The Nostalgia for Eternity." In this interview he notes that according to Eliade, myth was "a nostalgia for eternity." He notes that the word myth is used in three ways. In our modern age, it denotes a big lie. Secondly, it is used to describe ancient stories -- Greek, Roman, and Norse myths (all of which are part of the background for Lewis, Tolkien, and others in their circle). The third meaning of the word, is "one that is so deep and endless that you can't even fathom it" (p. 329). At the heart of myth is symbol.
I've not read Kilby before. I've encountered the name, but not the man's writings till now. This volume was sent to my by Paraclete to review, and I'm doing so. Even though I'm not an officianado of these writers (mostly having read Lewis), what I gain from reading it is not only the descriptions of these important British authors of the twentieth century, but a sense of Kilby's evangelicalism. It's a much more thoughtful and broad version that we often encounter today. This is the evangelicalism I often met during my years at Fuller. Kilby influenced evangelical scholars and writers including Mark Noll and Luci Shaw. I appreciate the note in the afterword by Loren Wilkenson, himself a student of Kilby's, that Kilby shared with the authors he invoked a sense of creation being a "source of wonder" (p. 336). Kilby was indeed a Christian scholar, an evangelical in his convictions, but his vision was influenced by a breadth of writers who understood the importance of metaphor and myth to convey deep spiritual insight. It's unfortunate that this vision is often absent, but here is a voice crying out for a broader vision of the Christian mind.
dwlejcjvg's review
4.0
[bc:A Well of Wonder: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and The Inklings|30758126|A Well of Wonder C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and The Inklings|Clyde S. Kilby|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474820029s/30758126.jpg|51308457]
Positives first, then some negatives. This book is very enjoyable for any reader of Lewis and Tolkien and others in their circle. Kilby accurately captures the spirit of their writings and lives and delightfully expands on key points in their thinking. Readers who are new to these authors will grow, and readers who are familiar with them will enjoy revisiting much loved passages.
Negatives: This book isn't that deep. Only in a a couple of chapters does Kilby rise above an intermediate level summary. This isn't actually all that much of a criticism since what is being summarized is pure gold. In the same vein, the book is also very redundant, some chapters seem like they are just shortened versions of the longer ones. At times whole paragraphs are repeated word for word. Also fine, since they are so good, and also since this is a collection of articles and transcripts published at various times. Understandable.
I suppose my harshest criticism is that there is virtually no criticism in this book. At times it borders on hagiography. Take for instance Kilby's ardent defense of Lewis's terrible metaphor of the cube to describe the Trinity (which is repeated 4 or 5 times in the book). Kilby defends Lewis by saying Jesus also readily used metaphors and images drawn from everyday life to illustrate deep spiritual truths. True enough. But the problem with Lewis's metaphor is not that it is a metaphor, but that it is a bad one (and a bad one it truly is). But even this only annoyed me a little, and having recently read "The Fellowship" by the Zaleskis it was even a little refreshing since that book errs in the opposite direction.
Positives first, then some negatives. This book is very enjoyable for any reader of Lewis and Tolkien and others in their circle. Kilby accurately captures the spirit of their writings and lives and delightfully expands on key points in their thinking. Readers who are new to these authors will grow, and readers who are familiar with them will enjoy revisiting much loved passages.
Negatives: This book isn't that deep. Only in a a couple of chapters does Kilby rise above an intermediate level summary. This isn't actually all that much of a criticism since what is being summarized is pure gold. In the same vein, the book is also very redundant, some chapters seem like they are just shortened versions of the longer ones. At times whole paragraphs are repeated word for word. Also fine, since they are so good, and also since this is a collection of articles and transcripts published at various times. Understandable.
I suppose my harshest criticism is that there is virtually no criticism in this book. At times it borders on hagiography. Take for instance Kilby's ardent defense of Lewis's terrible metaphor of the cube to describe the Trinity (which is repeated 4 or 5 times in the book). Kilby defends Lewis by saying Jesus also readily used metaphors and images drawn from everyday life to illustrate deep spiritual truths. True enough. But the problem with Lewis's metaphor is not that it is a metaphor, but that it is a bad one (and a bad one it truly is). But even this only annoyed me a little, and having recently read "The Fellowship" by the Zaleskis it was even a little refreshing since that book errs in the opposite direction.
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