C. S. Lewis's extremely popular works of fiction have been widely
discussed in terms of the ideas and religious themes they express and
defend, but less often in terms of their purely literary qualities.
Ironically, Lewis, himself a noted literary critic, would have objected
to any such one-sided analysis of his works. To concentrate exclusively,
or even primarily, on the content of a work without a consideration of
its form and style was, in his view, a seriously unbalanced method of
criticism. The Longing for a Form corrects this critical imbalance by
supplying a theoretical background and detailed close readings for a
better understanding and appreciation of Lewis's fiction as works of
art. Following three general studies, a section of the book is devoted
to each to Lewis's major efforts in fiction--the Ransom trilogy, the
Chronicles of Narnia, and Till We Have Faces--considering the
distinctive literary features of each group and individual books within
the group. Running through the book is an emphasis on form--as literary
kind and as structure--and a recurrent attention to three themes of
particular importance in Lewis as a writer of fiction: objectivism,
longing, and the literary artist as creator. Individually, the essays
supply fresh insights into the style and meaning of specific works by
Lewis; as a group they illustrate a depth, technical skill, and unity of
thought and theme which have not previously been accorded Lewis as an
artist in fiction. Peter J. Schakel is Professor of English at Hope
College in Holland, MI.
