Credo Book Award Winner – Natural Theology

"There are so many books on Lewis that are simply a rehash of existing knowledge; by contrast, this is a work of fresh, detailed, illuminating scholarship. ... Barbeau's use of Lewis's personal annotations in the books in the Marion E. Wade Collection is a revelation and makes this book a permanent and important contribution to the study of Lewis's thought." – Malcolm Guite, Girton College, Cambridge

Three Essays on C. S. Lewis and Romanticism

Many readers have heard C. S. Lewis's logical arguments for the Christian faith. Yet throughout his wide-ranging study and writing, Lewis often began with experience, intuition, and religious feeling rather than dogmatic assertions. The most profound questions of Lewis's own life, argues theologian and literary critic Jeffrey Barbeau, can be seen in his quest to understand the relationship between personal experience and the truth about the world around him.

In a series of three essays, Barbeau explores the influence of nineteenth-century Romanticism on the writings of C. S. Lewis. Barbeau demonstrates Lewis's indebtedness to Romantic notions of imagination and subjectivity, opens new contexts for understanding ideas about memory and personal identity in his autobiographical writings, and explores beliefs about nature and Christian sacraments throughout his writings on Christian faith. This theological and literary investigation reveals Lewis as a profoundly modern thinker and illuminates his ongoing relevance to contemporary debates about theology and culture.

Drawing on extensive reading of the marginalia in the personal library of C. S. Lewis held by the Marion E. Wade Center, Barbeau offers a fresh understanding of the influence of modern theology and Romantic poetry, especially Wordsworth and Coleridge, on many of Lewis's most beloved works. Essays and responses include:

C. S. Lewis and the "Romantic Heresy," with response from professor Sarah Borden,
C. S. Lewis and the Anxiety of Memory, with response from professor Matthew Lundin, and
C. S. Lewis and the Sacramental Imagination, with response from professor Keith L. Johnson.

About the Series

The Hansen Series celebrates the literary and spiritual contributions of seven British authors whose works have captivated readers across generations: Owen Barfield, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. These seven authors were all deeply involved in the friendships and intellectual exchanges that shaped the Inklings, a mid-twentieth-century group of Christian writers and thinkers in Oxford, England. This series invites readers to deepen their engagement with these timeless voices and their enduring influence on literature, faith, and the life of the imagination.

Jeffrey W. Barbeau