Even though their friendship had seen better days when C.S. Lewis died in 1963, his friend J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of his friend's death in a letter to his daughter, "“So far I have felt like an old tree that is losing all its leaves one by one: this feels like an axe-blow near the roots.”
I was raised Presbyterian. C.S. Lewis led me home to the Catholic Church more then any Catholic author ever did. I know I'm not the only former protestant who has had a similar conversation story. If i didn’t know any better, it's almost like JRR tolkien built Lewis to be a "manchurian candidate" for rome in protestant circles.
Come to think of it, Lewis was an early ecumenical bridge for me. The obvious reason is his "mere" Christianity focused on the commonalities. But I always assumed it was also due to his Anglican structure. Now you make me think it could be Tolkien's Catholic influence as well.
I think that the prophetic insights of CS Lewis are unparalleled by any other author. I strongly encourage you to read That Hideous Strength in light of the time in which we live. Stunning, brilliant, insightful, absolutely hilarious, and terrifying all at once.
I watched the whole interview. Loving the Lord of the Rings. I didn't think i would be as captivated by the two of yours interview. Loved it. Im going to rewatch the whole interview again. Thank you!
Don't worry, not everyone has to agree with some of Matt's funny little opinions 😄. No offense to Matt, I like him and he reminds me of myself. He definitely missed out on Space Trilogy.
Admittedly, I'm a bit of a Lewis fanboy, but I'd like to push back a little on the depth discussion, specifically with respect to Dostoyevsky. I would personally argue that Lewis was more like Dostoyevsky than Tolkien was, simply because of unity of purpose. Tolkien wrote stories about interesting people within a fascinating world. The ideas and themes behind these characters and stories are secondary to the world and plot themselves. He wrote a story ABOUT the struggle between good and evil. Lewis and Dostoyevsky went about it the other way around. They had interesting themes and ideas that expressed themselves through the actions of the characters. They as authors actively participated in the battle between good and evil. So while Tolkien's prose was more akin to Dostoyevsky, I'd argue Lewis's work is of more value in the realm of faith and philosophy (very much like Dostoyevsky).
Would love to hear you tackle the ultimate story, the story of Msgr Georges LeMaitre...and truth cannot contradict truth. That might be edifying. Make it into a series itself!
Charles Williams is definitely an underappreciated member of the inklings. I just read War in Heaven which is like a supernatural version of Indiana Jones. Very interesting, I could see someone making a good film adaptation off of it.
For me and my sister, our dad first read us The Hobbit (in a fantastic translation). Then, after the '80s BBC Narnia series, he read us everything that had been translated of those books. In the country store (selling a bit of everything from food to albums to books) I found Lord of the Rings comic books (probably based on the Bakshi animated adaptation of the books). Never managed to get "into" Dostoyevsky, probably due to the unfamiliar names, and that I tried to read them while working night shifts in a psychiatric ward. Kind of ironic that I'd have no problem with names like "Bilbo" and "Aragorn, son of Arathorn" (also called "Strider") and then choke on "Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov"... or whatever his name was.
I don't think I've ever heard any two people give the same account of Lewis and Tolkien's friendship or Lewis' debate with Elizabeth Anscombe. The only thing they all seem to share is that they all say it with a high degree of confidence.
I don't think 'surface' or 'superficial' is the right way to think of Lewis. Tolkien is like the Crown Jewels. Lewis is like a beautiful little bracelet of 7 glittering stones.
@@fragwagon Really? I didn't mean it that way. I owe Lewis so much. He was a major part of my conversion and when I meet him in Heaven I will take my place in the long line to thank him for that.
I love both authors, but I am suddenly reminded of Matt's compatriot Clive James, who wrote of them, "I still haven’t forgiven C. S. Lewis for going on all those long walks with J. R. R. Tolkien and failing to strangle him, thus to save us from hundreds of pages dripping with the wizardly wisdom of Gandalf and from the kind of movie in which Orlando Bloom defiantly flexes his delicate jaw at thousands of computer-generated orcs. In fact it would have been ever better if C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien could have strangled each other, so that we could also have been saved from the Chronicles of Narnia.“
I'm Catholic, you'll never hear anything but admiration from me as Lewis is concerned. His writing is mystically beautiful, at times. Especially his fiction. Love Tolkien too, of course, it's not a zero sum game.
Kinda agree. Whenever the two are brought up Lewis is always treated as the junior partner. I realize he didn’t create the Lord of the Rings but Lewis was just as important. His “Mere Christianity” literally changed my life and was instrumental to current apologetics. But I am the first to admit that being a Lewis fanboy I might just be taking this all out of context.
Even though their friendship had seen better days when C.S. Lewis died in 1963, his friend J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of his friend's death in a letter to his daughter, "“So far I have felt like an old tree that is losing all its leaves one by one: this feels like an axe-blow near the roots.”
Beautiful.
As an aging dude, that's exactly how it feels when you lose your people.
I was raised Presbyterian. C.S. Lewis led me home to the Catholic Church more then any Catholic author ever did. I know I'm not the only former protestant who has had a similar conversation story. If i didn’t know any better, it's almost like JRR tolkien built Lewis to be a "manchurian candidate" for rome in protestant circles.
Welcome home Brother
Ummm. Lewis was Protestant. Didn’t want to be part of Rome
Anglican church
@@rickdockery9620 It's as though you didn't read his comment, and chose to respond all the same
Come to think of it, Lewis was an early ecumenical bridge for me. The obvious reason is his "mere" Christianity focused on the commonalities.
But I always assumed it was also due to his Anglican structure. Now you make me think it could be Tolkien's Catholic influence as well.
I think that the prophetic insights of CS Lewis are unparalleled by any other author. I strongly encourage you to read That Hideous Strength in light of the time in which we live. Stunning, brilliant, insightful, absolutely hilarious, and terrifying all at once.
I agree, although I think George Orwell (in a secular sense) is similar. I often feel like I am living in “1984”.
I watched the whole interview. Loving the Lord of the Rings. I didn't think i would be as captivated by the two of yours interview. Loved it. Im going to rewatch the whole interview again. Thank you!
Good God man, I've never for a second thought of Lewis as an average writer.
I guess I am just an average person. I think CS Lewis is brilliant. I loved the Ransom Trilogy.
Don't worry, not everyone has to agree with some of Matt's funny little opinions 😄. No offense to Matt, I like him and he reminds me of myself. He definitely missed out on Space Trilogy.
I feel like Will Smith with Chris Rock every time Matt talks about Lewis' fiction
Lol I think Matt has some underlying prejudice towards the Protestant Lewis 😂
@@jerusalem4492 I sense that 😄
I can't believe that Matt called books like Out of the Silent Planet, The Hideous Strength and Till We Have Faces "surface level books".
Admittedly, I'm a bit of a Lewis fanboy, but I'd like to push back a little on the depth discussion, specifically with respect to Dostoyevsky. I would personally argue that Lewis was more like Dostoyevsky than Tolkien was, simply because of unity of purpose.
Tolkien wrote stories about interesting people within a fascinating world. The ideas and themes behind these characters and stories are secondary to the world and plot themselves. He wrote a story ABOUT the struggle between good and evil.
Lewis and Dostoyevsky went about it the other way around. They had interesting themes and ideas that expressed themselves through the actions of the characters. They as authors actively participated in the battle between good and evil.
So while Tolkien's prose was more akin to Dostoyevsky, I'd argue Lewis's work is of more value in the realm of faith and philosophy (very much like Dostoyevsky).
Would love to hear you tackle the ultimate story, the story of Msgr Georges LeMaitre...and truth cannot contradict truth. That might be edifying. Make it into a series itself!
Charles Williams is definitely an underappreciated member of the inklings. I just read War in Heaven which is like a supernatural version of Indiana Jones. Very interesting, I could see someone making a good film adaptation off of it.
For me and my sister, our dad first read us The Hobbit (in a fantastic translation). Then, after the '80s BBC Narnia series, he read us everything that had been translated of those books. In the country store (selling a bit of everything from food to albums to books) I found Lord of the Rings comic books (probably based on the Bakshi animated adaptation of the books).
Never managed to get "into" Dostoyevsky, probably due to the unfamiliar names, and that I tried to read them while working night shifts in a psychiatric ward.
Kind of ironic that I'd have no problem with names like "Bilbo" and "Aragorn, son of Arathorn" (also called "Strider") and then choke on "Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov"... or whatever his name was.
I don't think I've ever heard any two people give the same account of Lewis and Tolkien's friendship or Lewis' debate with Elizabeth Anscombe. The only thing they all seem to share is that they all say it with a high degree of confidence.
🤣 very true!
TOLKIEN AND LEWIS!
CHESTERTON AND BELLOC?
I don't think 'surface' or 'superficial' is the right way to think of Lewis. Tolkien is like the Crown Jewels. Lewis is like a beautiful little bracelet of 7 glittering stones.
Still a disservice to Lewis, imo
@@fragwagon Really? I didn't mean it that way. I owe Lewis so much. He was a major part of my conversion and when I meet him in Heaven I will take my place in the long line to thank him for that.
@@caro1ns fair enough!
Matt READ MICHAEL O’BRIEN’S “ISLAND OF THE WORLD!!!”
As a Tolkien fan since highschool, THAT story is on par and absolutely incredible!!!!!
What did Tolkien think of fantasy books that implented real world events put into it
God bless them both.
And Dostoyevsky.
And Hitler
And Chesterton, Newman, Pope Benedict XVI. and all great Scholars in younger Church History.
I recommend reading Jim Butchers novels like The Codex Alera they are steaks for sure!
How good to see people reading simple books like The Hobbit or The Four Loves and not zoned-out on zik twikker..... How good would that be?
There are some great modern Catholic writers you should try and maybe even interview, Matt.
I love both authors, but I am suddenly reminded of Matt's compatriot Clive James, who wrote of them, "I still haven’t forgiven C. S. Lewis for going on all those long walks with J. R. R. Tolkien and failing to strangle him, thus to save us from hundreds of pages dripping with the wizardly wisdom of Gandalf and from the kind of movie in which Orlando Bloom defiantly flexes his delicate jaw at thousands of computer-generated orcs. In fact it would have been ever better if C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien could have strangled each other, so that we could also have been saved from the Chronicles of Narnia.“
I read the Brothers Karamazov. Wasn’t a huge fan.
Every time Catholics get together to talk about Lewis and Tolkien's friendship, it's to beat down on Lewis's work and person.
I'm Catholic, you'll never hear anything but admiration from me as Lewis is concerned. His writing is mystically beautiful, at times. Especially his fiction. Love Tolkien too, of course, it's not a zero sum game.
Kinda agree. Whenever the two are brought up Lewis is always treated as the junior partner. I realize he didn’t create the Lord of the Rings but Lewis was just as important. His “Mere Christianity” literally changed my life and was instrumental to current apologetics. But I am the first to admit that being a Lewis fanboy I might just be taking this all out of context.