Reviews

Women and C.S. Lewis: What His Life and Literature Reveal for Today's Culture by Christin Ditchfield

swalls95's review

2.0

I am marking this book as “Read”, however, I’ve only read about 60% of the essays.
I came across this book in a local independent bookshop, I bought it because the title of the book intrigued me. So, it came home with me and has been sat on my to be read shelf for about 2 years.
I came across it again whilst trying to find something to read.
This book is made up of short essays written by different scholars who specialise in Christianity (or more specifically are C.S.Lewis scholars). Some of the essays were interesting and I read them in full - underlining frivolously. Some I just read the title and the first paragraph; went ‘No Thanks, Next’. This might be because I don’t have strong religious beliefs or I’ve only read some of C.S.Lewis work or just some of the essays are hit and miss with me personally.

withtheclassics's review against another edition

5.0

Was C.S. Lewis sexist? Some people, including some well known authors, say yes. This book, with chapters by dozens of Lewis scholars, proves the answer to be a resounding no. The various essays examine Lewis' relationships with the women in his life, including his mother, his wife, Joy Davidman, and female friends, including Dorothy Sayers. It also takes a close look at his female characters and shows that, with analysis set firmly within Lewis' Christian beliefs and the culture of his time, they were actually quite progressive. The one major flaw this book has is that all of the chapters are much too short.

This book, because it provides such and excellent overview of Lewis's life and works, will be valuable to anyone who is interested in the author, not merely the question of his views on women, and I highly recommend it.