Changes

==Education==

==Education==

Lewis was enrolled at Wynyard School in Watford, Hertfordshire, in September 1908, where Warren was already a pupil. Lewis was unhappy at the "brutal"<ref>[http://books.guardian.co.uk/authors/author/0,,-229,00.html The Guardian Unlimited] Biographical notes</ref> school, which in later life he referred to as "Belsen"<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> or "Oldies" after the nickname of the Headmaster, Robert "Oldie" Capron (who was later committed to an asylum for the insane.) Lewis was withdrawn from the school in June 1910, the school closing shortly afterwards due to a lack of pupils. In September 1910, he was enrolled as a boarding student at Campbell College, Belfast, one mile from the family home, and where he remained until November of the same year, when he was withdrawn after developing serious respiratory difficulties.

Lewis was enrolled at Wynyard School in Watford, Hertfordshire, in September 1908, where Warren was already a pupil. Lewis was unhappy at the "brutal"<ref>[http://books.guardian.co.uk/authors/author/0,,-229,00.html The Guardian Unlimited] Biographical notes</ref> school, which in later life he referred to as "Belsen"<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> or "Oldies" after the nickname of the Headmaster, Robert "Oldie" Capron (who was later committed to an asylum for the insane.) Lewis was withdrawn from the school in June 1910, the school closing shortly afterwards due to a lack of pupils. In September 1910, he was enrolled as a boarding student at Campbell College, Belfast, one mile from the family home, and where he remained until November of the same year, when he was withdrawn after developing serious respiratory difficulties.

As a result of his health problems, Lewis was sent in 1911 to Malvern, [[England]], which was widely regarded as a health resort, especially for those with tuberculosis and lung ailments. He was enrolled as a student at Cherbourg House (which he referred to as "Chartres"), a [[Preparatory school|prep]] school near to Malvern College where his brother Warren was by now a student, and here he remained until June 1913. His love of fiction developed further while at school: "''I also developed a great taste for all the fiction I could get about the ancient world: Quo Vadis, Darkness and Dawn, The Gladiators, Ben Hur. Early Christians came into many of these stories, but they were not what I was after. I simply wanted sandals, temples, togas, slaves, emperors, galleys, amphitheaters, the attraction, as I now see, was erotic, and erotic in rather a morbid way.''" <ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

As a result of his health problems, Lewis was sent in 1911 to Malvern, [[England]], which was widely regarded as a health resort, especially for those with tuberculosis and lung ailments. He was enrolled as a student at Cherbourg House (which he referred to as "Chartres"), a [[Preparatory school|prep]] school near to Malvern College where his brother Warren was by now a student, and here he remained until June 1913. His love of fiction developed further while at school: "''I also developed a great taste for all the fiction I could get about the ancient world: Quo Vadis, Darkness and Dawn, The Gladiators, Ben Hur. Early Christians came into many of these stories, but they were not what I was after. I simply wanted sandals, temples, togas, slaves, emperors, galleys, amphitheaters, the attraction, as I now see, was erotic, and erotic in rather a morbid way.''" <ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

It was during this time that he abandoned his childhood Christian faith. The Matron of Cherbourg House was very influential on the young Lewis, contributing enormously to his decision to declare himself an [[atheist]]:  

It was during this time that he abandoned his childhood Christian faith. The Matron of Cherbourg House was very influential on the young Lewis, contributing enormously to his decision to declare himself an [[atheist]]:  

{{QuoteBox|She was floundering in the mazes of Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Spiritualism; the whole Anglo-American Occultist tradition. I had never heard of such things before; never, except in a nightmare or a fairy tale, conceived of spirits other than God and men. I had loved to read of strange sights and other worlds and unknown modes of being, but never with the slightest belief. Without knowing it, I was already desperately anxious to get rid of my religion.  

{{QuoteBox|She was floundering in the mazes of Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Spiritualism; the whole Anglo-American Occultist tradition. I had never heard of such things before; never, except in a nightmare or a fairy tale, conceived of spirits other than God and men. I had loved to read of strange sights and other worlds and unknown modes of being, but never with the slightest belief. Without knowing it, I was already desperately anxious to get rid of my religion.  

You might ask how I combined my directly Atheistical thought with my Occultist fancies. They had only this in common, that both made ''against'' Christianity. And so, little by little I became an apostate, dropping my faith. Dear Miss C. had been the occasion of much good to me as well as of evil. Nor would I deny that in all her 'Higher Thought,' disastrous though its main effect on me was, there were elements of real and disinterested spirituality by which I benefited.<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>}}

You might ask how I combined my directly Atheistical thought with my Occultist fancies. They had only this in common, that both made ''against'' Christianity. And so, little by little I became an apostate, dropping my faith. Dear Miss C. had been the occasion of much good to me as well as of evil. Nor would I deny that in all her 'Higher Thought,' disastrous though its main effect on me was, there were elements of real and disinterested spirituality by which I benefited.<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>}}

His melancholy search for the security and settledness he had taken for granted before his mother's death, the constant moving from school to school (where at each he  

His melancholy search for the security and settledness he had taken for granted before his mother's death, the constant moving from school to school (where at each he  

faced the loneliness of being a non-athletic boy whose [[Aesthetics|aesthetic]] sensibilities were out of step with his peers), combined with the "distant" personality of his father make his adolescent rejection of religion easier to understand. This is qualified by the adult Lewis himself when he later described his young self as being (paradoxically) "''very angry with God for not existing''".<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

faced the loneliness of being a non-athletic boy whose [[Aesthetics|aesthetic]] sensibilities were out of step with his peers), combined with the "distant" personality of his father make his adolescent rejection of religion easier to understand. This is qualified by the adult Lewis himself when he later described his young self as being (paradoxically) "''very angry with God for not existing''".<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

He left Cherbourg House in the summer of 1913 and enrolled at Malvern College (which he called "Wyvern") where he studied until June 1914. In September 1914, Lewis was enrolled for private tuition with W.T. Kirkpatrick, known as the "The Great Knock," in Great Bookham, Surrey, where he remained until April 1917. Kirkpatrick, a former Headmaster of Lurgan College, [[Northern Ireland]], had been both a tutor and legal client of Albert Lewis and had already successfully prepared Warren Lewis for admission to the Army's Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Lewis admired and strove to be like Kirkpatrick all of his adult life, and said of him "''[he was] a man who thought not about you but about what you said.''"<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> It is clear that "Professor Digory Kirk" of the Narnia tales is a tribute to Kirkpatrick.

He left Cherbourg House in the summer of 1913 and enrolled at Malvern College (which he called "Wyvern") where he studied until June 1914. In September 1914, Lewis was enrolled for private tuition with W.T. Kirkpatrick, known as the "The Great Knock," in Great Bookham, Surrey, where he remained until April 1917. Kirkpatrick, a former Headmaster of Lurgan College, [[Northern Ireland]], had been both a tutor and legal client of Albert Lewis and had already successfully prepared Warren Lewis for admission to the Army's Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Lewis admired and strove to be like Kirkpatrick all of his adult life, and said of him "''[he was] a man who thought not about you but about what you said.''"<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> It is clear that "Professor Digory Kirk" of the Narnia tales is a tribute to Kirkpatrick.

In December 1916, Lewis first visited the [[University of Oxford]] to take a scholarship examination and in April 1917 began his study at University College, Oxford. Although interrupted by his service in [[World War I]], Lewis resumed his studies in January 1919 and received a [[Summa cum laude|First]] in Honour Moderations (Greek and Latin Literature) in 1920, a First in Greats (Philosophy and Ancient History) in 1922, and a First in English in 1923.

In December 1916, Lewis first visited the [[University of Oxford]] to take a scholarship examination and in April 1917 began his study at University College, Oxford. Although interrupted by his service in [[World War I]], Lewis resumed his studies in January 1919 and received a [[Summa cum laude|First]] in Honour Moderations (Greek and Latin Literature) in 1920, a First in Greats (Philosophy and Ancient History) in 1922, and a First in English in 1923.

Lewis had joined the Officer Training Corps in September 1913 whilst at Malvern College. Although he had left the corps when he had commenced his study under Kirkpatrick, he rejoined the Malvern Contingent of the Oxford University OTC in March 1917. On April 25, 1917, he applied to join an Officer Cadet Unit, stating a preference to serve in the infantry, preferably with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers or Royal Fusiliers, or with a horse transport unit of the Army Service Corps. Still under the age of 21, the application was counter-signed by his father and character references were taken from Arthur C.&nbsp;Allen (his former Schoolmaster at Malvern) and also from Kirkpatrick. His action was completely voluntary, as although conscription had been in force in Britain since the introduction of the Military Service Act in 1916, it did ''not'' apply to Irish nationals. Five days later the Officer Commanding Oxford University Officers Training Corps completed a recommendation that Lewis attend an Officer Cadet Unit, noting that Lewis was  "''likely to make an useful officer but will not have had sufficient training for admission to an OCU before the end of June''".<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/index.htm The Long, Long Trail] A [[World War I]] website</ref>  

Lewis had joined the Officer Training Corps in September 1913 whilst at Malvern College. Although he had left the corps when he had commenced his study under Kirkpatrick, he rejoined the Malvern Contingent of the Oxford University OTC in March 1917. On April 25, 1917, he applied to join an Officer Cadet Unit, stating a preference to serve in the infantry, preferably with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers or Royal Fusiliers, or with a horse transport unit of the Army Service Corps. Still under the age of 21, the application was counter-signed by his father and character references were taken from Arthur C.&nbsp;Allen (his former Schoolmaster at Malvern) and also from Kirkpatrick. His action was completely voluntary, as although conscription had been in force in Britain since the introduction of the Military Service Act in 1916, it did ''not'' apply to Irish nationals. Five days later the Officer Commanding Oxford University Officers Training Corps completed a recommendation that Lewis attend an Officer Cadet Unit, noting that Lewis was  "''likely to make an useful officer but will not have had sufficient training for admission to an OCU before the end of June''".<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/index.htm The Long, Long Trail] A [[World War I]] website</ref>  

The medical examination then conducted reveals that Lewis was 5 feet 10{{3/4}} inches tall and  weighed 182 pounds, with a chest measurement of 34{{1/2}} inches fully expanded and 32 at rest. His vision was rated "good".<ref>''The Long, Long Trail'' op cit.</ref>

The medical examination then conducted reveals that Lewis was 5 feet 10{{3/4}} inches tall and  weighed 182 pounds, with a chest measurement of 34{{1/2}} inches fully expanded and 32 at rest. His vision was rated "good".<ref name="The Long, Long Trail op cit">''The Long, Long Trail'' op cit.</ref>

On June 1, 1917 Lewis was admitted to No.4 Officer Cadet Battalion, with a minimum service commitment of 4{{1/2}} months. It was during this period that Lewis shared a room and became close friends with another cadet, Edward Courtnay Francis "Paddy" Moore (1898-1918), striking a mutual pact that if either died during the war, the survivor would take care of both their families. In September, he was transferred from the Oxford University OTC to a temporary commission with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Special Reserve of Officers in the Regular Army. He was posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry in South Devon, and a few days later was then posted to join the 1st Battalion of the regiment in [[France]].<ref>''The Long, Long Trail'' op cit.</ref>

On June 1, 1917 Lewis was admitted to No.4 Officer Cadet Battalion, with a minimum service commitment of 4{{1/2}} months. It was during this period that Lewis shared a room and became close friends with another cadet, Edward Courtnay Francis "Paddy" Moore (1898-1918), striking a mutual pact that if either died during the war, the survivor would take care of both their families. In September, he was transferred from the Oxford University OTC to a temporary commission with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Special Reserve of Officers in the Regular Army. He was posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry in South Devon, and a few days later was then posted to join the 1st Battalion of the regiment in [[France]].<ref name="The Long, Long Trail op cit"/>

On November 17, 1917, Lewis arrived in Le Havre, France where he joined his unit. He arrived at the front lines near Monchy-le-Preux on his nineteenth birthday.<ref>McGrath, Alister. ''C. S. Lewis: A Life - Eccentric Genius. Reluctant Prophet''. Page 68. Print. 2013</ref>

On November 17, 1917, Lewis arrived in Le Havre, France where he joined his unit. He arrived at the front lines near Monchy-le-Preux on his nineteenth birthday.<ref>McGrath, Alister. ''C. S. Lewis: A Life - Eccentric Genius. Reluctant Prophet''. Page 68. Print. 2013</ref>

The choice to embrace Christianity was depicted by Lewis as the result of the writings of two religious authors, and discussions with three friends, each of whom Lewis cites as a critical influence upon his conversion. The first of these was the 19th century novelist George MacDonald, whose works, ''Phantastes'' and ''Lillith'', Lewis read at age nineteen and "''baptized his imagination, preparing him for a preternatural world beyond the strictly materialist one he had grown so tired of.''"<ref>'''Edwards, Dr. Bruce L.''', ''C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian'' reproduced at [http://personal.bgsu.edu/~edwards/blade.htm Bowling Green State University, Ohio] (1998)</ref>  

The choice to embrace Christianity was depicted by Lewis as the result of the writings of two religious authors, and discussions with three friends, each of whom Lewis cites as a critical influence upon his conversion. The first of these was the 19th century novelist George MacDonald, whose works, ''Phantastes'' and ''Lillith'', Lewis read at age nineteen and "''baptized his imagination, preparing him for a preternatural world beyond the strictly materialist one he had grown so tired of.''"<ref>'''Edwards, Dr. Bruce L.''', ''C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian'' reproduced at [http://personal.bgsu.edu/~edwards/blade.htm Bowling Green State University, Ohio] (1998)</ref>  

The second author was G. K. Chesterton, whose ''The Everlasting Man'', provided a "Christian theory of history." In ''Surprised by Joy'' Lewis says: "''In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.''"<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

The second author was G. K. Chesterton, whose ''The Everlasting Man'', provided a "Christian theory of history." In ''Surprised by Joy'' Lewis says: "''In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.''"<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

By 1929, Lewis had renounced atheism, and declared himself a [[theist]]: "''You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.''" <ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> His detractors have made much of his apparent loathing of his return to theism, usually quoting his statement "''I came into Christianity kicking and screaming''", but seen in the full context of his writings this was not a loathing of God or Christianity, but a ''self''-loathing of what that would personally mean to him about himself: "''All my acts, desires, and thoughts were to be brought into harmony with universal Spirit. For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me: a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds.''"<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>   

By 1929, Lewis had renounced atheism, and declared himself a [[theist]]: "''You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.''" <ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> His detractors have made much of his apparent loathing of his return to theism, usually quoting his statement "''I came into Christianity kicking and screaming''", but seen in the full context of his writings this was not a loathing of God or Christianity, but a ''self''-loathing of what that would personally mean to him about himself: "''All my acts, desires, and thoughts were to be brought into harmony with universal Spirit. For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me: a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds.''"<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>   

    

    

The three friends who influenced him were his tutor Kirkpatrick, who taught Lewis "''a form of rigorous inquiry that sought objective truth through the relentless probing of an opponent's positions and definitions, a fierce and, in Kirkpatrick's hands, exaggerated version of Socratic dialogue.''"<ref>'''Edwards''', ''C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian'', op cit.</ref>  Owen Barfield, one of his close friends at Oxford, contributed to his acceptance of theism by forcing Lewis through debate to overcome his "''uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.''"<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> Liberated from the notion that the past was invariably wrong and that the present always the barometer of truth, Lewis was able to embrace the possibility that the ancient Christian narrative could have validity even in the twentieth century.<ref>'''Edwards''', ''C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian'', op cit.</ref>  

The three friends who influenced him were his tutor Kirkpatrick, who taught Lewis "''a form of rigorous inquiry that sought objective truth through the relentless probing of an opponent's positions and definitions, a fierce and, in Kirkpatrick's hands, exaggerated version of Socratic dialogue.''"<ref name="ReferenceB">'''Edwards''', ''C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian'', op cit.</ref>  Owen Barfield, one of his close friends at Oxford, contributed to his acceptance of theism by forcing Lewis through debate to overcome his "''uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.''"<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref> Liberated from the notion that the past was invariably wrong and that the present always the barometer of truth, Lewis was able to embrace the possibility that the ancient Christian narrative could have validity even in the twentieth century.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>  

It was Lewis' frequent discussions with [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] that proved the final turning point. Tolkien was himself a devout [[Catholic]], and through their debates Lewis came to understand that while Christianity may itself comprise a mythology of sorts, it was, in fact, "''the true myth, myth become fact''" <ref>'''Lewis,''' ''Surprised by Joy'', op cit.</ref> and the one in which Lewis could put his full confidence, heart, mind, and soul. On the evening of September 19, 1931, he invited Tolkien and Hugo Dyson to dine with him in Magdalen College. The talk continued through the night, in Lewis' rooms and also out in the grounds of the college.<ref>'''Hooper, Walter''', in his preface to the 1979 edition of Lewis' ''God in the Dock'', London: HarperCollins (1979) ISBN 0-8028-0868-9</ref> Lewis recalls in ''Surprised by Joy'' that an outing with his brother the following day saw his final acceptance of Christianity: "''When we set out [by motorcycle to the zoo] I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.''"<ref>'''Lewis,''' ''Surprised by Joy'', op cit.</ref> In a letter to his long time friend Arthur Greeves, dated October 1, 1931, Lewis writes: "''I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ — in Christianity. My long night talk with Dyson and Tolkien had a good deal to do with it.''"

It was Lewis' frequent discussions with [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] that proved the final turning point. Tolkien was himself a devout [[Catholic]], and through their debates Lewis came to understand that while Christianity may itself comprise a mythology of sorts, it was, in fact, "''the true myth, myth become fact''" <ref name="ReferenceC">'''Lewis,''' ''Surprised by Joy'', op cit.</ref> and the one in which Lewis could put his full confidence, heart, mind, and soul. On the evening of September 19, 1931, he invited Tolkien and Hugo Dyson to dine with him in Magdalen College. The talk continued through the night, in Lewis' rooms and also out in the grounds of the college.<ref>'''Hooper, Walter''', in his preface to the 1979 edition of Lewis' ''God in the Dock'', London: HarperCollins (1979) ISBN 0-8028-0868-9</ref> Lewis recalls in ''Surprised by Joy'' that an outing with his brother the following day saw his final acceptance of Christianity: "''When we set out [by motorcycle to the zoo] I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.''"<ref name="ReferenceC"/> In a letter to his long time friend Arthur Greeves, dated October 1, 1931, Lewis writes: "''I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ — in Christianity. My long night talk with Dyson and Tolkien had a good deal to do with it.''"

==Lewis the author==

==Lewis the author==