On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature

by C. S. Lewis

Overview

A repackaged edition of the revered author’s collection of essays on writing fiction.

C. S. Lewis—the great British writer, scholar, lay theologian, broadcaster, Christian apologist, and bestselling author of Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many other beloved classics—was a professor of literature at Oxford University, where he was known for his insightful and often witty presentations on the nature of stories. This collection assembles nine essays that encapsulate his ideas about fiction, including "On Stories," "The Death of Words," and "On Three Ways of Writing for Children," as well as eleven pieces that were unpublished during his lifetime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062643605
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/14/2017
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Date of Birth:

November 29, 1898

Date of Death:

November 22, 1963

Place of Birth:

Belfast, Nothern Ireland

Place of Death:

Headington, England

Education:

Oxford University 1917-1923; Elected fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford in 1925

Website:

http://www.cslewisclassics.com

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	On Stories	3
	The Novels of Charles Williams	21
	A Tribute to E. R. Eddison	29
	On Three Ways of Writing for Children	31
	Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said	45
	On Juvenile Tastes	49
	It All Began with a Picture ...	53
	On Science Fiction	55
	A Reply to Professor Haldane	69
	The Hobbit	81
	Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings	83
	A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers	91
	The Mythopoeic Gift of Rider Haggard	97
	George Orwell	101
	The Death of Words	105
	The Parthenon and the Optative	109
	Period Criticism	113
	Different Tastes in Literature	119
	On Criticism	127
	Unreal Estates	143

Editorial Reviews

"Though shorter than Haruki Murakami's South of the Border, West of the Sun, it is a more expansive work, delving into frightening territory....Smoothly translated by James Westerhoven, Okuizumi's prose is full of glassy surfaces that tilt to reach vertigo-inducing depths.-Los Angeles Times
"This eloquent, sorrowful, marvelously translated novel is a meditation on the ravages of war, the persistence of violence on the human soul and incredible bravery."-The Washington Post

From the Publisher