Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis: A Study of Till We Have Faces

The first study of C. S. Lewis to offer a detailed examination of Till We Have Faces, Peter J. Schakel’s book is also the first to explore the tension between reason and imagination that significantly shaped Lewis’ thinking and writing. Schakel leads the reader through the plot of Till We Have Faces, clarifying its themes, structure, symbols, and allusions. He then surveys the rest of Lewis’ works, tracing the tension between reason and imagination. In the works of the 1930s and 40s, reason is in the ascendant. From the early 50s onward, there is an increased emphasis on imagination—as exemplified in the Chronicles of Narnia. This trajectory culminates in the “myth retold” that is Till We Have Faces. Imagination and reason are reconciled, finally, in works of the early 60s, such as A Grief Observed and Letters to Malcolm.