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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]]:  

<div style="width: 70%; margin: 0 15% 1em 15%; text-align: left; background-color: #DEE6ED; padding: 0.5em; border: solid 1px #6699CC;">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></div>

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>}}

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  

While it is Lewis' work that is both lasting and inspired, there is an ongoing interest in who Lewis was as a man. Much of his adulthood was defined by simple routine: Lewis lived a quiet, humble, communal and uniquely provincial lifestyle in sharp contrast to the worlds he explored in his books. He often said he was a throwback to an earlier century: he couldn't drive, he rarely wore a watch, and, until late in life, his travels were limited to Ireland, England and his war time service in France. From the age of 18, Oxford was his home.  

While it is Lewis' work that is both lasting and inspired, there is an ongoing interest in who Lewis was as a man. Much of his adulthood was defined by simple routine: Lewis lived a quiet, humble, communal and uniquely provincial lifestyle in sharp contrast to the worlds he explored in his books. He often said he was a throwback to an earlier century: he couldn't drive, he rarely wore a watch, and, until late in life, his travels were limited to Ireland, England and his war time service in France. From the age of 18, Oxford was his home.  

[[Image:Lewis and Davidman.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Lewis and his wife Joy]]

[[Image:Lewis and Davidman.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Lewis and his wife Joy]]

Chris Mitchell, director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College (the world's largest repository of Lewis' scholarly writings and memorabilia), said of him: "''He was a man of habit. I don't think he was the sort of guy who necessarily stood out unless you engaged him. You would never have thought of him as an Oxford don because of the way he dressed. Neat freaks would not have admired Lewis. He could be loud and boisterous but I don't know that his personality could be called eccentric. His life was filled with friends, teaching at the college, reading and his work. And of course, walking. But he didn't take in the cinema. He didn't have a public social life. Especially in American contemporary terms, he was kind of a boring guy, which is ironic because he's anything but that in his writings.''"<ref>quoted in '''Duncan''', ''The Magic Never Ends'', op cit.</ref>  

Chris Mitchell, director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College (the world's largest repository of Lewis' scholarly writings and memorabilia), said of him: {{QuoteBox|He was a man of habit. I don't think he was the sort of guy who necessarily stood out unless you engaged him. You would never have thought of him as an Oxford don because of the way he dressed. Neat freaks would not have admired Lewis. He could be loud and boisterous but I don't know that his personality could be called eccentric. His life was filled with friends, teaching at the college, reading and his work. And of course, walking. But he didn't take in the cinema. He didn't have a public social life. Especially in American contemporary terms, he was kind of a boring guy, which is ironic because he's anything but that in his writings.<ref>quoted in '''Duncan''', ''The Magic Never Ends'', op cit.</ref>}}

Walter Hooper, who acted as a temporary secretary for Lewis, decribed him as: "''So humble and kind, and such a simple man. I can't imagine anyone not feeling comfortable with him... There was nothing daunting about his home or the way he lived. He was one of those fortunate people who didn't really need much to make him happy. If you had put him in a palace, he would have admired it for its beauty, but he didn't need those things...  Lewis' house was so basic. There was even a hole in the floor that you had to be careful the chair didn't fall into. And the food he liked couldn't have been simpler: sausages and mashed potatoes, fish and chips.''"<ref>quoted in '''Duncan''', ''The Magic Never Ends'', op cit.</ref>  

Walter Hooper, who acted as a temporary secretary for Lewis, decribed him as: {{QuoteBox|So humble and kind, and such a simple man. I can't imagine anyone not feeling comfortable with him... There was nothing daunting about his home or the way he lived. He was one of those fortunate people who didn't really need much to make him happy. If you had put him in a palace, he would have admired it for its beauty, but he didn't need those things...  Lewis' house was so basic. There was even a hole in the floor that you had to be careful the chair didn't fall into. And the food he liked couldn't have been simpler: sausages and mashed potatoes, fish and chips.<ref>quoted in '''Duncan''', ''The Magic Never Ends'', op cit.</ref>}}

==Joy Davidman==

==Joy Davidman==