Academic Bulletin Freshman Tutorials - 2011-12 - 11 FT 11

C. S. Lewis was one of the giants of twentieth century theology. He wrote many books in a variety of genres. He is probably best known for his Chronicles of Narnia series, but he was much more than a writer for children. He was a scholar of medieval literature, a novelist, a theologian, a philosopher, a linguist, and many other things as well. Above all, he was a great writer who tried to make sense of what it means to be a Christian in the modern world. Indeed, judging by book sales, he is one of the most popular writers in the world. Students will read Perelandra, the second novel in his Space Trilogy, over the summer. Perelandra takes place in the distant future but it depicts a new Garden of Eden on the planet Venus as well as a new Adam and Eve and a new serpent figure. It raises the question of whether the fall of humanity into sin had to occur by imagining an Eve who successfully resists her tempter. We will read a range of his books, from arguments about miracles to discussions of love and mediations on sin, heaven, and education. We will also visit the Wade Museum at Wheaton College where many of Lewis’s papers and artifacts are kept.