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C.S. Lewis, the Psalms, and Penitence
When do you feel closest to God? When you've been about holy business all day and are now praying at your bedside? Or, when everything in your life seems to have imploded, and you look about you helplessly, with nowhere else to turn than your heavenly Father?
In The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis provides a brilliant insight into the nature of our souls.
Man approaches God most nearly when he is in one sense least like God. For what can be more unlike than fullness and need, sovereignty and humility, righteousness and penitence, limitless power and cry for help?
This rings true as I ponder my own spiritual pilgrimage. Tribulation and suffering clear my vision of material distractions in a way that allows me to recognize more vividly my need for God's grace. And, in relying more consciously on his mercy and compassion, I draw closer to my Lord.
It's no accident, in my opinion, that among the Psalms of David most treasured by God's people, are those in which he cries out to the Lord for deliverance and salvation. Verses where David places no trust in his own strength or even in God's previous beneficence. Poetry where this anointed king acknowledges that even the drawing of his next breath depends wholly on the providence of his Creator.
Seven of David's songs are traditionally identified as the Penitential Psalms.* The great Saint Augustine's regard for these Psalms is revealed in the manner in which he spent his final days.
As Augustine lay dying . . . he ordered those psalms of David which are especially penitential to be copied out [for example, "Have mercy on me according to thy steadfast love . . . For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me," Psalm 51], and when he was very weak, he used to lie in bed facing the wall where the sheets of paper were put up, gazing at them and reading, and copiously and continually weeping as he read (Robert Wilken, The First Thousand Years).
Like this ancient saint, C.S. Lewis knew the Psalms – and the English language – intimately. This led to his appointment to a distinguished "Committee to Revise the Psalter" for the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Joint service on this committee facilitated the healing of a previously strained relationship with the poet T.S. Eliot.
Lewis had largely taken on this task in order to discourage revisions, since he thought the Miles Coverdale version that had been in use for four hundred years more than adequate.
His opinion was shared by another member of the committee, T.S. Eliot, whom Lewis finally got to know. (They had met only once, very briefly, in the forties, though they had corresponded for a while about Charles Williams after their mutual friend's death.)
The two men got along very well indeed; bygones could at last be bygones, it seems. (The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis)
One of C.S. Lewis' books is devoted to his thoughts about various themes in the Psalms. One such theme is judgment.
The "just" judge, then, is primarily he who rights a wrong in a civil case. He would, no doubt, also try a criminal case justly, but that is hardly ever what the Psalmists are thinking of. Christians cry to God for mercy instead of justice;' they cried to God for justice instead of injustice. The Divine Judge is the defender, the rescuer. (Reflections on the Psalms)
In the introduction to this work, Lewis explains, "This is not a work of scholarship. I am no Hebraist, no higher critic, no ancient historian, no archaeologist. I write for the unlearned about things in which I am unlearned myself." This, readers, is not false humility. It's the real thing.
One of his most valuable observations comes in the following passage:
What must be said, however, is that the Psalms are poems, and poems intended to be sung: not doctrinal treatises, nor even sermons. Those who talk of reading the Bible "as literature" sometimes mean, I think, reading it without attending to the main thing it is about; like reading Burke with no interest in politics, or reading the Aeneid with no interest in Rome. That seems to me to be nonsense.
But there is a saner sense in which the Bible, since it is after all literature, cannot properly be read except as literature; and the different parts of it as the different sorts of literature they are. Most emphatically the Psalms must be read as poems; as lyrics, with all the licences and all the formalities, the hyperboles, the emotional rather than logical connections, which are proper to lyric poetry.
They must be read as poems if they are to be understood; no less than French must be read as French or English as English. Otherwise we shall miss what is in them and think we see what is not (Reflections on the Psalms).
In C.S. Lewis' monumental study of English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (Excluding Drama), Lewis does not discuss the Psalms per se. He does, however, refer to them as the occasional subjects of Renaissance writers.
The most interesting such discussion involves John Fisher (1469-1535), a Roman Catholic bishop who was executed by Henry VIII. Fisher was a scholar, whose works included Commentary on the Seven Penitential Hymns.⁑
His vernacular works include devotional treatises – a Consolation to his sister and The Ways to Perfect Religion – and sermons, a series on the Penitential Psalms, funeral orations for Henry VII, and for the Countess of Richmond, and the famous sermon against [Martin] Luther in 1521.
Fisher's style is grave and a little diffuse, never comic (though the pulpit then admitted that excellence), mildly rhetorical, and at times really eloquent. . . . His chief weakness is that he is too leisurely he is in no hurry to end a sentence or to let an idea go. . . .
Some of the medieval sweetness and richness still hangs about the prose of Fisher . . . but for our present purpose he matters less as a literary figure than as a convenient representative of the religion in possession at the very beginning of the English Reformation. He was a bishop and died for his faith. In him we ought to find what men like Tyndale were attacking. It was not in all respects what they imagined it to be. The Pelagianism of which they implicitly accused the Roman Church is, like the antinomianism of which the Papists accused them, a figment of controversy.
Some of Fisher's statements seem, at least to a layman, to be very close to Tyndale's own, as when Fisher writes: 'From the eyen of almyghty God whiche may be called his grace shyneth forth a meruaylous bryghtnes lyke as the beme that cometh from the sonne. And that lyght of grace stereth and setteth forthwarde the soules to brynge forth the fruyte of good werkes.' (Sermon on Psalm xxxii)
And again, on Psalm li, 'no creature of himself hath power to do good werkes without the grace and help of God' What Tyndale would have regarded as the cloven hoof appears chiefly when Fisher is talking of penance By penance, on his view, sinners can 'make due satysfacion' so as to be 'clene out of dette' (Sermon on Psalm xxxii), and so 'mstyfyed by the sacrament of penaunce' that 'God can ask no more of them' (ibid). . . .
One merit, very unusual in that age, Fisher can claim he is hardly at all scurrilous. His attack on Luther is not, indeed, masked under those forms of politeness which are usual between theological (though not between political) opponents today. But there is hardly any real abuse, compared with More, or even with Tyndale, Fisher is almost courteous.
Many readers of Mere Inkling already possess a high regard for the Psalms. In light of the affection felt for them by saints (including C.S. Lewis) for millennia, perhaps those who do not yet appreciate them, will reconsider their appraisals.
* They are Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143. The opening of the first expresses a theme common to all: "O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath" (ESV).
Likewise, the beginning of Psalm 130: "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" (ESV).
⁑ You can download John Fisher's Commentary in two volumes at no cost, from Internet Archive (1 and 2).
Renaissance Fashions
Although it does not relate to the topic of this post directly, the following information from the "Medieval Manuscripts Blog" of the British Library is quite interesting. It describes "Girdle Books," which frequently included selections from the Psalms.
In the 16th century, it became fashionable for aristocratic women to wear miniature prayer books bound in elaborate metalwork covers hanging from their girdles (i.e. belts). These girdle books provided them with handy reading material as well as fashionable dress accessories, allowing them to display their literacy and piety to the world.
The images on the page are fascinating. Of special historical interest is one that once belonged to Anne Boleyn (shown above), a gift from her murderous husband.
A particularly luxurious example is a girdle book with covers of gold filigree . . . It contains selected Psalms in English verse, translated and apparently written out by John Croke, one of Henry VIII's clerks in Chancery, with a portrait of Henry VIII at the beginning.
The volume is traditionally thought to have belonged to Anne Boleyn, who is said to have handed it to one of her maids of honour when she was standing on the scaffold before her execution in 1536.
In C.S. Lewis, Christian Life, Christianity, Church History, Classics Worth Revisiting, Great Authors, History, Literature, Martin Luther, Poetry, The Bible, The Medieval Church Anne Boleyn, Antinomianism, Book of Common Prayer, C.S. Lewis, Forgiveness, Girdle Books, Henry VIII, John Fisher, Martin Luther, Pelagianism, Penitence, Psalms, Reformation, T.S. Eliot, Tyndale
Join C.S. Lewis for Lent
If you would like to join C.S. Lewis in one of his Lenten experiences, read on, because I have the perfect suggestion for you.
During Lent, the forty days preceding Easter, many Christians undertake special "disciplines." This practice is different from the familiar exercise of "giving things up" for the season.
These disciplines often include fasting and devoting more time to reading the Scriptures and inspiring Christian literature.
Two of C.S. Lewis' letters mention that he was rereading, as part of his Lenten pilgrimage, two ancient classics that have inspired believers for nearly seventeen centuries.
In 1936, he wrote to Dom Bede Griffiths, a regular correspondent who was a Roman Catholic priest.
I re-read St. Augustine's Confessions during Lent, and found it better than I remember, tho' still it is the explicitly devotional parts that edify me least.
The following year he wrote the following in a letter to his childhood friend, Arthur Greeves.
I have been progressing all this lent through the first volume of a v[ery] nice edition of St Augustine's City of God only to find that the other volume has been so wrongly bound that it begins and ends in the middle of sentences. What a tragedy this would once have been!
Lewis' regard for Augustine lasted throughout his life. In 1961, Lewis responded to a correspondent who asked what books he would recommend to a recent convert. He included Augustine in that list, writing "St. Augustine's Confessions will give you the record of an earlier adult convert, with many v. great devotional passages intermixed."
Saint Augustine was a bishop in Hippo Regius, a city in north Africa. Augustine was a brilliant scholar who desperately sought the truth, and intently studied many religions and philosophies before finding Truth in the person of Jesus Christ.
His life is fascinating, in part because he lived during the turbulent era when Rome itself was sacked by the Vandals, who went on to conquer North Africa.
Augustine was a native African, a member of the Christian Berbers, who along with the Romans in the regions were destined to be overrun by Islamic armies.
Augustine was a prolific writer, and due to their spiritual value, many of his works are readily available today.
If you would like to read one of the volumes mentioned by C.S. Lewis, you can download copies of early translations at Internet Archives. Here are the links, with two biographical studies thrown in for good measure.
The City of God
Lives of the Fathers
Saint Augustine and his Age
If you choose to follow C.S. Lewis' example of reading one of these works for Lent, you will have the added joy of sharing with him a Lenten discipline which he found rewarding.
If you prefer listening to the Confessions, you can download a free Librivox version here.
In Advice to Readers, C.S. Lewis, Christian Life, Great Authors, Islam, Literature, Martyrdom Today, Modern Life, Reading, Roman History, The Ancient Church Augustine, Berbers, C.S. Lewis, Christian Writers, City of God, Confessions, Devotional Literature, Devotions, Lent, Lenten Disciplines, Reading, Saint Augustine
Looking Toward the New Year with the Inklings
If we were to ask C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the rest of the Inklings for insights about a New Year, what wisdom might they share?
Read on. Mere Inkling answers that question with a few select quotations from their writings. We also include comments from several other writers associated, in spirit, with the Oxford Inklings.
While some of the pithiest of the quotations below are well represented at quotation websites, your humble host has secured the less familiar quotations through the diligent search of obscure manuscripts.
J.R.R. Tolkien:
From a holiday letter to a friend.
"There is small chance of this reaching you tomorrow Jan. 1 to wish you a Happy New Year. I hope you have plenty of food in store! It is my birthday on Jan. 3rd, and I look like spending it in the isolation of a house turned igloo; but the companionship of several bottles of what has turned out a most excellent burgundy (since I helped to select it in its infancy) will no doubt mitigate that: Clos de Tart 1949, just at its top. With that hobbit-like note I will close, wishing you and your wife and children all blessings in 1962."
As the world conflict raged on, Tolkien wrote to his son Christopher who was serving in the Royal Air Force. "This empty year is fading into a dull grey mournful darkness: so slow-footed and yet so swift and evanescent. What of the new year and the spring? I wonder."
Christopher Tolkien:
A scholar in his own right, Christopher devoted much of his life to editing his father's published and unpublished works. In The End of the Third Age, he reminds us that sometimes the jobs on which we embark end up being far more involved than we anticipated. "With this book, my account of the writing of The Lord of the Rings is completed. I regret that I did not manage to keep it even within the compass of three fat volumes.
C.S. Lewis:
"What wonderful adventures we shall have, now that we are all in it together."
"You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream."
"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different."
"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and help others to do the same."
"If you live for the next world, you get this one in the deal; but if you live only for this world, you lose them both."
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
"I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."
Charles Williams:
"I think in order to move forward into the future, you need to know where you've been."
"Play and pray; but on the whole do not pray when you are playing and do not play when you are praying."
Owen Barfield:
". . . the poet, while creating anew, is likely to be in a sense restoring something old."
In a short story entitled "The Devastated Area," Barfield, a veteran of WWI, described the way a soldier can view an uncertain future. "Armistice day; the last shot; and the hushed, doubtful little group in the dug-out at 11 o'clock. He is sitting there in uniform, willing for the first time in three years to let his thoughts run on into the future. But they will go back to the past instead . . ."
Adam Fox:
In his history of English hymnody, Fox praises his nation's people and offers timely advice regarding musical accompaniment. "It takes no long argument to prove that Hymn Singing is a national institution in Great Britain. It is so rather in the same way as cricket. . . . The singing is usually accompanied on an organ, or if there is no organ, then on a piano. The harmonium, though sometimes used for the purpose, cannot be recommended, and is falling into disuse."
Jack A.W. Bennett:
In The Humane Medievalist, Bennett praises his friend and fellow Inkling, C.S. Lewis. Coincidentally, this essay was his own inaugural lecture as he assumed the Cambridge chair which had been created for Lewis himself. "C.S. Lewis died a year ago today, and the year has deepened not diminished our sense of loss. Those of us who had the good fortune to call him master must feel as the prentice Hoccleve felt about Chaucer: 'Fain he would me have taught, But I was dull, and learned little or naught.'"
Lord David Cecil:
He begins his biography of Lord Melbourne with a curious sentence suggesting that even we who have lived the most average of lives, may still have great things ahead of us. "William Lamb, second son of the first Viscount Melbourne, had arrived at the age of forty-seven without achieving anything of significance in the world."
Hugo Dyson:
Discussing the Tragedies written by Shakespeare, Dyson reminds us to recognize potential blessings in the coming year's challenges. "Our awareness both of ourselves and of the world at large is intensified by confrontation with an unexpected or serious or painful situation. Our wits and imaginations alike grow more acute under difficulties."
Nevill Coghill:
Referring to Chaucer's portrayal of the Knight, Coghill describes an ongoing goal for those who will to live nobly. "There is a fundamental answer to those who want to think the Knight's moral nature . . . was too good to be true, and so can be no better than a romantic illusion. People who think thus can never have thought about Christianity at all; that we can live up to the moral demands that it makes on us, and that at any moment we may fall into the pit that opens beneath us, does not lessen the love we are taught . . . to have, and to attempt. Christianity plainly tells us to be perfect, impossible as it seems, impossible as it proves; but this does not make that demand less real, or even less realistic . . . Coming to the aid of human imperfection, there is grace."
A Special Bonus for Mere Inkling Readers as the Year Ends
And a few additional thoughts from writers with connections to our favorite Inklings.
George MacDonald:
"A man's real belief is that which he lives by. What a man believes is the thing he does, not the thing he thinks."
A reminder to trust God for his daily provision. "It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. For the needs of today we have corresponding strength given. For the morrow we are told to trust. It is not ours yet. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear."
"Past tears are present strength."
Dorothy Sayers:
"Paradoxical as it may seem, to believe in youth is to look backward; to look forward we must believe in age."
G.K. Chesterton:
"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."
Joy Davidman:
"Being a fool for God was not merely alright but liberating."
"We do not need a world in which there is nothing to be afraid of . . . Nor can we have such a world, for all our strivings; no matter pleasant and safe we make the journey, the end of it is death. What we do need is to remember that we have been redeemed from death and the fear of death, and at a rather high price too."
Douglas Gresham:
"I am beginning to realize that every point in one's life at which one loses everything is far more a beginning than an end, for one has lost merely the past, and one has yet to gain the future, and eternity itself."
And, encouragement for those among us who are writers: "Don't forget, the rejection by a publisher of a book that you've written is not a failure."
One Final Bit of Wisdom for the New Year
The internet offers lots of valuable information, accessible with the click of a key. Unfortunately, a significant amount of it is unsubstantiated, and downright false. This includes the quotations attributed to various people.
Some largescale quotation "aggregators" consider attribution on other unvalidated sites sufficient justification for loading the questionable citations to their own pages. For example, check out the quotations attributed online to Lord David Cecil. Or, better yet, don't.
During my research for this post I discovered many of them – or, at least those most beneficial to reflective minds – actually come from the pen of Richard Cecil (1748-1810), an Anglican priest. Here is a grand example of misattribution, particularly appealing to a pastor such as myself: "It requires as much reflection and wisdom to know what is not to be put into a sermon, as what is."
We'll close now with an apocryphal C.S. Lewis quote. Despite scores of sites attributing the following thought to Lewis, no one can find it anywhere in his work. It is, however, consistent with his wisdom, and leaves us with an optimistic truth as 2021 draws to a close.
"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."
Amen. Lord, grant all those who read these words of wisdom, both now and during years to come, a blessed New Year.
In C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis & the Inklings, Christian Life, Dorothy Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, History, J.R.R. Tolkien, Literature, Middle Earth, Publishing, Writing Adam Fox, Beginnings, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Christopher Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers, Doug Gresham, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, Hugo Dyson, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack A.W. Bennett, Joy Davidman, Literature, Lord David Cecil, Lord Melbourne, Misquotatations, Nevill Coghill, New Year, Owen Barfield, Quotations, Rejection, Writing
Respecting Animals We Kill
Sometimes even a moral sluggard can say something profoundly true. I was recently visiting the uplifting site of a British pet photographer, and came across this wonderful insight:
"Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
As I spent a moment reflecting on the quote, having just enjoyed a morning game with our border collie, it dawned on me these words are not only philosophically true. The more I consider them the stronger the case, it seems to me, can be made for their theological truth.
Turn the statement around. Can someone be considered spiritually awake if they have never possessed a moment of genuine affection for an animal, the pinnacle of God's natural creation? I tend to think not.
Cultural matters certainly influence one's connection with nature. It may be that people surviving on the edge of food sufficiency would view animals primarily as a resource. Yet even then, the best among us still possess a regard for the creatures whose lives we curtail to extend our own.
An outstanding example of this is found in a common practice among North America's first peoples. (First Nations is the common term in Canada). Many of these people would include prayer on behalf of the prey they sought.
In the Cherokee legend "The Little Dear, Awi Usdi," describes how hunters were taught to only take life when necessary, and to "ask pardon when an animal was killed."
Another site explains how "Coast Salish women were forbidden from stepping over deer meat, and the men had to look away when uncovering it. All bones had to be thrown into the water, and the viscera not consumed were buried so the dogs would not eat it."
"Post-Kill Rituals: Matters of the Heart," describes how this "ancient reverence" for hunted animals extended beyond the Americas. It concludes with a valuable thought.
Rituals aren't a bad idea . . . But you show the utmost respect by concentrating on killing the animal quickly. Hunters' conduct toward wildlife and nature should be consistent with their conduct toward other humans.
While Christians will necessarily overlook the religious elements of these various traditions,* those most attuned to the love of God – a Creator who viewed the "living creatures" he had fashioned and proclaimed, "it was good" – will possess at least a glimmer of reverence or affection for wildlife.
Not that Christians can't be avid hunters. The Roman Catholic Church even has a Patron Saint for hunting. St. Hubert, pictured above, was (before his canonization, of course) a worldly nobleman. In the seventh century, Hubert had ignored invitations to attend worship on one of the holiest of days, Good Friday. Yet the Lord met him there, in the forest. His conversion occurred when he saw a vision of a crucifix while hunting. Hubert would later use his skill with a bow to draw crowds for his preaching of the Gospel.
C.S. Lewis & the Hunting of Deer
In an essay entitled "The Seeing Eye," C.S. Lewis turns the analogy of hunting upside down. Using his own life, in which searching for God was the farthest thing from his desires, Lewis describes his conversion in a fascinating manner. It is interesting that while Lewis reveals he wasn't desirous of faith, he was seeking honesty within his own conscience. He was also seeking truth.
I never had the experience of looking for God. It was the other way round; He was the hunter (or so it seemed to me) and I was the deer. He stalked me like a [hunter], took unerring aim, and fired. And I am very thankful that that is how the first (conscious) meeting occurred. It forearms one against subsequent fears that the whole thing was only wish fulfilment. Something one didn't wish for can hardly be that.
But it is significant that this long-evaded encounter happened at a time when I was making a serious effort to obey my conscience. No doubt it was far less serious than I supposed, but it was the most serious I had made for a long time.
So, Who was the Author of the Initial Quote?
I began by saying even moral sluggards can occasionally make a good point. The person who drew the connection between our regard for animals and our souls is Anatole France. Not only was he a serial adulterer, he was a devout atheist. (Not all atheists are adulterers, of course, but rejecting the God of the Bible does make it a lot easier to justify one's immorality.)
Anatole wrote some curious works ridiculing Christianity, and until I was writing this post I had completely forgotten about my 2014 post about his advocacy for Satan.
Returning to Positive Subjects . . . Like Animals
The site that used the great quotation with which we began, is excellent. It is called "Mad about Greys," and is the work of a British photographer.
Liz Coleman does an amazing job capturing the hearts and – dare I say, souls – of the pets she shoots. Even though Surrey is quite a ways for most Mere Inkling readers to visit her studio, I encourage you to visit her website today.
* There were additional Native American beliefs and taboos. For example, "the Pentlatch and Squamish buried or hid all deer bones. The West Sanetch were not permitted to eat deer meat and fish at the same meal."
In Animals, C.S. Lewis, Christian Life, Christianity, Church History, Great Authors, History, Literature, Modern Life, Mythology, Nature, The Medieval Church, Theological Matters American Indians, Britain, C.S. Lewis, Canada, Cherokee, Conversion, Creation, Deer, First Nations, First People, France, Hunting, Mercy, Nature, Pentlatch, Respect, Saint Hubert, Saints, Salish, Sanetch, Squamish
Humorous Examinations
September 21, 2021 — 15 Comments
Could you pass this examination?
Sketch the development of human thought, estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought.
In contrast to the serious tone of the last two posts, today I am offering some edifying entertainment. As a gift to you, I have edited a perennial favorite of internet humorists. I recently came across my copy of this comprehensive knowledge examination, which motivated me to tweak it for Mere Inkling's erudite audience.
You have probably seen versions of this exam in the past. The basic questions have remained surprisingly stable despite its age. I encountered it in the University of Washington campus paper in 1973. One writer claims "the Graduation Exam—Authentic Assessment has been in circulation since at least the 1950's."
The exam certainly makes the rounds, as this Navy veteran described.
The pressures of comprehensive exams were apparent to many, which resulted in one of the few officially sanctioned jokes in Naval Nuclear Power. In one of the official publications of Naval Reactors, someone inserted a sample "final exam" from Nuclear Power School.
In 2012 elements of the examination created confusion in the People's Republic of China. It was included in an article about how Chinese nationals could prepare for an American State Department exam required for positions at the United States embassy in Beijing. According to China's Global Times, "US embassy spokesman Richard Buangan made clear on his Sina microblog Sunday that an alleged 'recruitment test for expatriate employees at the US embassy' is fake."
A June 2008 issue of Foreign Service Journal carried a story, which includes an English version of the [exam stating] the questions are from the US State Department's entrance exam, in a bid to "measure the stability of perspective Foreign Service officers and to weed out the dummies."
The Function of Examinations
Testing and documenting competence is obviously important. This is especially true for people in critical roles, such as prescribing drugs, designing aircraft engines, and manufacturing ice cream.
Of course, not everyone is able to pass every test. Which is precisely how things should be.
C.S. Lewis noted how educators truly familiar with their students readily recognize when it is a waste of time for them to continue repeating an exam they obviously cannot pass. He said an academic "master often knows, when boys and parents do not, that it is really useless to send a boy in for a certain examination again" (The Problem of Pain).
I have met very few people who enjoy being tested. Yet, for many faculty members (C.S. Lewis included), being on the "other side" of exams is not particularly enjoyable either. This delightful passage comes from a 1927 letter to his brother, Warnie.
My period of examining passed over with its usual accompaniment of neuralgia and oaths, relieved by the one excellent boy who defined 'a genie' correctly, yet more than correctly, as 'an eastern spirit inhabiting bottles and buttons and rings.' Pretty good for a boy.
I was also pleased with a youth who, being asked to write a letter to a friend recommending Guy Mannering,* wrote to his brother recommending it and saying 'I think you would be interested in the character of Colonel Mannering, he is so like our father': and then later in a paper on Guy Mannering in which I had set the question 'Would you have liked Colonel Mannering as a father?'—illustrate your answer etc.—began decisively 'I would not have liked Colonel Mannering as a father in the least.'
Well, it's time now to offer you the opportunity to prove your worthiness. If you wish to evidence the breadth and depth of your knowledge, proceed now to the exam. (Astute readers will note I've added a personal twist to a couple of the exam questions.)
Comprehensive Knowledge Exam
HISTORY: Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Africa. Be brief, concise, and specific. Now do the same for the Zoroastrian priesthood. [Bonus credit for including Antarctica in your response.]
MEDICINE: You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze and a bottle of scotch. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You have fifteen minutes. [Option: if you feel the scotch would impair your responses to the remaining questions, you may defer this portion of the exam to the end of the exam.]
PUBLIC SPEAKING: Two thousand riot-crazed anarchists are storming the campus. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin, Greek or Sanskrit. [Pig Latin is allowed.]
BIOLOGY: Postulate the 500 million year progression of a life form based on silicon, ranking its likely preference for form of government Enumerate the pros and cons it would associate with democracy, monarchy, socialism, theocracy, and totalitarianism. [Caution: any references to the Horta of Janus VI will result in disqualification of your answer, since Star Trek is a fictional resource.]
MUSIC: Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and digeridoo. You will find a piano under your seat. The wind instruments, of course, were among the items you were directed to bring with you to the examination.
PSYCHOLOGY: Based on your knowledge of their works, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisias, Hildegard of Bingen, Rābi'a bint Ka'b al-Quzdārī and Simeon the Stylite. Support your evaluation with quotations from each individual's work, citing original sources. It is not necessary to translate.
SOCIOLOGY: Using the pretext of Planet of the Apes, where homo sapiens have been subordinated to various primate species, assess the prospects for achieving mutual toleration and equilibrium before one group is driven to extinction. [Caution: confusion of apes (which lack tails) and monkeys (which lack an appendix) will result in disqualification of your response.]
CHEMISTRY: Transform lead into gold. You will find a beaker, a three hundred count box of matches and five lead sinkers under your seat. Show all work including Feynman diagrams and quantum functions for all steps. [Transformation into silver will provide half credit.]
ENGINEERING: The disassembled parts of a high-powered rifle have been placed on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Swahili. In 10 minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. [Special Consideration: Satisfactorily explain the differences between Fahrenheit and Celsius to the tiger, and it will be replaced by a rabid ferret.]
ECONOMICS: Develop a realistic plan for refinancing global debt, without hypothesizing a benevolent intergalactic alliance with unlimited resources coming to the planet's aid. Trace the possible effects of your plan in the following areas: Cubism, the Donatist controversy, and the 1913 foundation of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Gabon.
POLITICAL SCIENCE: Devise an infallible, seven-step plan to transform the United Nations into an organization that will successfully foster peace and goodwill in all international relationships. [Bonus credit for providing a major role for two of the following nations: Dominica, Liechtenstein, Tuvalu.]
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE: Outline the steps involved in breeding your own super high yield, all weather hybrid strain of wheat. Describe its chemical and physical properties and estimate its impact on world food supplies. Construct a model for dealing with world-wide surpluses. Draft your Nobel Prize acceptance speech.
PHYSICS: Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on astronomy, botany and numismatics. [Bonus Credit: write today's date in metric.]
PHILOSOPHY: Sketch the development of human thought, estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought. Be sure to include an analysis of the influence exerted on philosophy by Diogenes the Cynic.
CREATIVE WRITING: Compose an epic poem based on the events of your own life in which you see and footnote allusions from T.S. Eliot, Titus Lucretius Carus, Miguel de Cervantes, Dante Alighieri, Þorbjörn Hornklofi, Gilgamesh and Stephen King. Critique your poem with a full discussion of its syntax and metrics. [Bonus Credit for writing alternating stanzas between free and rhyming verse.]
EDUCATION: Formulate an examination which accurately measures an individual's comprehensive knowledge base without cultural or linguistic prejudice. Limit the question parameters to what can reasonably be covered during a four hour testing block.
LITERATURE: Discuss in detail at least three major literary figures from each of the following civilizations: the Xia Dynasty, the Akkadian Empire, the Mayan Empire, the Aksumite Empire, the Polynesian Tuʻi Tonga Empire, and nineteenth century United Kingdom. [Caution: failure to include J.R.R. Tolkien and/or C.S. Lewis will result in disqualification of your answer to this question.]
Congratulations on finishing the exam. You are encouraged to use any remaining time to review your answers in light of the fact that grammatical errors and misspellings will significantly impact your final grade.
* You can download a personal copy of Guy Mannering, one of Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels, at Internet Archive.
If you should question the distinctions I noted between apes and monkeys, please know that the facts are genuine. However, for future examinations, you should be aware that not all monkeys have tails.
In C.S. Lewis, Christianity, Education, Great Authors, History, Humor, Interfaith Issues, J.R.R. Tolkien, Latin, Literature, Mythology, Numismatics, Poetry, Roman History, The Ancient Church, Trivia, Writing Akkadian, Aksumite, Albert Schweitzer, Alchemy, Alexander of Aphrodisias, C.S. Lewis, China, Christianity, Comprehensives, Diogenes, Donatism, Education, Embassies, Examinations, Fiction, Gilgamesh, Hildegard, Humor, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Literature, Mayan, Philosophy, Planet of the Apes, Simeon the Stylite, Star Trek, State Department, Tests, Tu'i Tonga, United Nations, Writing, Xia Dynasty, Zoroastrianism
Writing Styles Revisited (What is Yours?)
August 13, 2021 — 23 Comments
If you were to liken your personal writing to that of a famous author, who would you name? Are you similar to Emily Dickinson, or are you an echo of Charles Dickens?
Perhaps your words flow like Shakespeare's or erupt in staccato, like Hemingway's. If you are a member of a writing critique group – which I highly recommend – your friends may have offered their own suggestions about authors you resemble.
It just so happens there are a couple of tools that can offer hints as to the answer to this question. When I looked back at an earlier post on this subject, I was shocked to find I had written it all the way back in 2012. Yes, I know some of you were in grammar school then.
I shared then a site which was relatively new. The "I Write Like" site invites you to submit samples of your writing, which it compares to a range of famous authors. I am curious to try the process today, since the programmer continued to update it until 2016. Perhaps my results will be different than those from 2012.
Programs such as this are frankly quite limited. For those of you interested in the programmer who designed this one, you can check out an interview conducted when it was initially released. In the interview, Dmitry Chestnykh explains how his "algorithm is not a rocket science, and you can find it on every computer today. It's a Bayesian classifier, which is widely used to fight spam on the Internet."
My Own Results
I'm unsure how many authors our Russian friend has included in the comparison files. It does include historical and contemporary authors. I have no idea whether my favorite author, C.S. Lewis, found his way into the database or not. My results do reveal, however, that at least one of his fellow Inklings did make the cut.
Without further conversation, allow me to share the results from my experiment nearly a decade ago.
Make sure you include lengthy selections from your work. Also, testing the program with different genres (assuming you write in different styles) will actually give you new matches. (That is, of course, as it should be.)
I tried a number of times (no, not fishing for results I wanted, but using a variety of types of my writing) and here were the repeated results:
For my blog posts: H.P. Lovecraft or J.R.R. Tolkien
For my more formal essays: J.R.R. Tolkien or Jonathan Swift
These were admirable results with which I have been happy to live. Thus, it is with some trepidation that I revisited the astonishing program today. And the results – For my blog posts: Arthur C. Clarke – For my more formal essays: Ditto.
Very interesting. Aside from the possibility that the program has been contaminated by some spaceborne virus, or intemperate Clarkean fans, I have to assume that Clarke may have been added after my initial venture into the unfathomable world of I Write Like.
In case any of you try out the program, I'd enjoy hearing your results – especially if they are someone other than a science fiction writer who died in 2008.
Another Way to Look at Writing Styles
There are a multitude of different elements involved in assessing a writer's style – that which constitutes your "voice." Vocabulary, sentence length, cadence, tone and a myriad of additional elements meld together in unique ways.
As David Downing's fine article on C.S. Lewis' advice to writers points out, the skilled writer considers how their words "sound."
Lewis also believed that one should always write for the ear as well as for the eye. He recommended that a piece of prose be read aloud, to make sure that its sounds reinforce its sense.
Naturally, when we write for different audiences or purposes our voice can shift accordingly. That is why I fed the program selections from my blogs and my more considered essays. And, if they differ somewhat, you can imagine how distinctive my devotions are from my catechesis, or my fiction from my satire.
Speaking of satire, check out my recent report on Chinese Olympic results and the Uyghur people published last week in the Damascus Dropbear, a site similar to the Babylon Bee from the Land Down Under.
Back now to a second online program for assessing one's writing. It can be found on a curious site called MySocialBrain. There you can participate in a variety of "research projects" that forfeit structured controls for broader access. The scientific benefit is obviously debatable, but the personal insights may well be beneficial.
One study entitled "Who do you write like?" compares the writing you submit with a number of famous authors. (As with "I Write Like," your text is not retained on the system. Likewise, neither site requires that you enter your name or any other identifying information.)
This research project focuses narrowly on one dimension of stylometric study, a field explored in great depth in "Quantitative Patterns of Stylistic Influence in the Evolution of Literature," available online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
MySocialBrain bases its study on a reasonable premise. "Despite the seemingly ineffable qualities of style, great progress has been made in measuring writing quantitatively. This process, known as stylometry, can identify the influence of one writer on another or reveal the author of unattributed work."
You can have your writing compared to that of others at this site.
I used two different samples of my writing (blog, then essay) and came up with fairly similar results. I haven't read much from every one of these authors, but my gut suggests there may be a valid correlation here. And that impression is reinforced by how little correlation my submission had with the writing of Beatrix Potter, R.M. Ballantyne and Baroness Orczy (of whom I had never heard).
If you have a few free minutes, and are curious about what this stylometry tool might conclude about your writing, give it a try.
The cartoon at the top of this column is used with the permission of its talented creator, Jonny Hawkins. He is both talented and prolific. Enjoy a humorous jaunt through his personal website today.
In Advice to Writers, C.S. Lewis, Cartoons with a Message, G.K. Chesterton, Great Authors, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, Writing Arthur C. Clarke, C.S. Lewis, Chesterton, China, Damascus Dropbear, Hemingway, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jonathan Swift, Lovecraft, Satire, Shakespeare, Stylometry, Uyghurs, Voice, Writing, Writing Style
Satirical Scottish Birds
C.S. Lewis has introduced me to many fascinating writers. Authors I never would have learned about without Lewis' reference to them.
Sometimes Lewis praises their work. At other times, being an honest literary critic, he is compelled to provide a less flattering appraisal. He typically offers the latter evaluation with a novel flair.
In my previous post I shared the sad tale of a blackbird tapping at our window. I promised to discuss today some other curious birds. These creatures, in contrast to the forlorn blackbird, arise from the imagination of a Scottish poet named Sir David Lyndsay* of the Mount. He lived around 1490 to 1555.
Lyndsay rose to the ceremonial rank of "The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms," which sounds quite impressive. In that capacity, he compiled 400 Scottish coats of arms, which was quite an achievement. You can download a rare facsimile of that document for your personal library from Internet Archive. The central shield may belong to my wife's ancestors, "Jhonstoun of that ilke."
Sir Lyndsay was a tutor to James V and served in his Court after his ascendancy to Scotland's throne. However, it is for his poetry that David Lyndsay is remembered. Which is precisely why C.S. Lewis included him in the volume he wrote for the Oxford History of English Literature. English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama was published in 1944. While this authoritative volume is certainly not casual reading, it is extremely interesting. Just listen to how Lewis introduces Scottish writers of the "close of the Middle Ages."
Sir David Lyndsay's Legacy
This academic work is the place our favorite Inkling introduced me to "the last major poet of the old Scotch tradition." I was on a quest for something interesting about birds, and I learned of a delightful piece of satire written by this Renaissance "Lion King."
His works are a beautiful example of the 'single talent well employed.' The Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis, which holds an important place among our scanty materials for a history of the allegorical drama in Scotland, will be dealt with in another volume of this series . . . stands apart from the rest of Lyndsay's output by the looseness of the metre and the general popularity of the style, and that it is rich in pathos and low humour.
In his remaining works he everywhere keeps well within the lines marked out for him by his great predecessors, there is no novelty in them . . . But what there is of him is good all through.
I am quite receptive to satire that skewers hypocritical clergy. That's why the "episcopal ghost"⁑ in The Great Divorce is my favorite example of someone who has rejected the Truth.
This is what appealed to me about Lyndsay's satire The Testament and Complaynt of our Soverane Lordis Papyngo.
The Complaynt [an earlier work] records, in a brisk, mocking fashion . . . the marked improvement in social order and general well-being throughout the kingdom, except as regards the "spiritualitie." On the doings of the ecclesiastics he advises [the young king] to keep a watchful eye, and see that they preach with "unfeyneit intentis," use the sacraments as Christ intended and leave such vain traditions as superstitious pilgrimages and praying to images. . . .
In The Testament and Complaynt of our Soverane Lordis Papyngo (parrot) he exposed more particularly the corruptions and worldliness of the spirituality, and this in a more comprehensive and scathing fashion than in his two previous pieces . . . (Cambridge History of English and American Literature).
And here are the ecclesiastical nemeses of the poem, "religious men, of gret devotioun."
Here, also, all is pure satire—much of it of a very clever and trenchant character . . . the wise bird [the king's parrot] with its "holy executors," who appear in the form of a pyot [magpie] (representing a canon regular), a raven (a black monk) and a gled or hawk (a holy friar). The disposition and aims of these ghostly counsellors are sufficiently manifest; and they act entirely in keeping with their reputed character.
The poor parrot would have much preferred to have, at her death-bed, attendants of a less grovelling type of character, such as the nightingale, the jay, the mavis [song thrush], the goldfinch, the lark, etc.; but, since none of them has come, she has to be content with the disreputable birds who have offered her their services.
After a piquant discussion with them on the growth of ecclesiastical sensuality and greed, she thereupon proceeds to dispose of her personality—her "galbarte of grene" to the owl, her eyes to the bat, her beak to the pelican, her music to the cuckoo, her "toung rhetoricall" to the goose and her bones to the phoenix.
Her heart she bequeaths to the king; and she leaves merely her entrails, including her liver and lungs, to her executors who, however, immediately on her death, proceed to devour her whole body, after which the ged flies away with her heart, pursued by the two other birds of prey.
I can picture the assembled clergy in their avian forms offering their pseudo-comfort to the dying parrot. In English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, C.S. Lewis describes the misbegotten flock in the following manner.
[The parrot's] testament is made in the unwelcome presence of certain birds of prey who turn out to be monks and friars of the feathered world. The dying parrot inveighs against their hypocrisy and avarice . . . while they vigorously defend themselves by throwing the blame on the secular clergy.
So far, the satire has been ordinary enough; but we find real satiric invention, and even a strange beauty, when the popinjay, having provided for the poor by leaving her gay coat to the owl, her eyes to the bat, and her voice to the cuckoo, and for herself by committing her spirit to the Quene of Farie, is torn in pieces by her carrion executors the moment the breath is out of her body—hir angell fedderis fleying in the air.
It is not without reason an article in Studies in Scottish Literature opens with this praise:
Lindsay's concern for morality and truthfulness, in an age when political and religious institutions were notoriously corrupt, earned him a considerable reputation in his lifetime. Indeed for later generations of Scottish readers, Lindsay's name became a byword for reliability and truthfulness, at times even rivalling divine Scripture.
You can read the original poem, along with all of Lyndsay's other poetic works, in this 1871 collection.
* Just a caution for those looking for more information about Lyndsay: be aware that his surname is also spelled Lindsay, Lindesay and Lyndesay. Also, he should not be confused with Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, a roughly contemporary author who compiled The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland. (Robert's family name is also spelled with similar variants.)
⁑ Lewis' use of the word "episcopal" here does not refer to a denomination. It suggests a churchly, or more accurately, a high-churchly theologian.
Noble Birds of Aragon, circa AD 1290
In Animals, Books, C.S. Lewis, Christian Life, Christianity, Church History, Great Authors, Literature, Nature, Poetry, The Medieval Church, Theological Matters Birds, C.S. Lewis, Clergy, Coats of Arms, David Lindsay, David Lyndsay, Hypocrisy, James V, Johnston, Johnstone, Nobility, Parrots, Poetry, Raptors, Satire, Scotland, Scottish Literature, Scottish Poetry
An Allied War Crime
May 5, 2021 — 11 Comments
During the Second World War, Germany and Japan (leaders of the Axis) committed many loathsome acts. But at least one Allied country was also guilty of an unnecessary atrocity. Genocide and the mass murder of civilians were only part of the Axis' evil agenda. Germany and Japan also performed horrific medical "experiments" on their innocent captives. No one defends these acts.
The Second World War ended rather abruptly. At the war's conclusion, a new weapon persuaded the Empire of Japan to surrender unconditionally. The Potsdam Declaration which called on the Emperor to yield offered a grim alternative.
We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.
Before the use of the two atomic bombs, plans were well underway for Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan. Massive Allied casualties were anticipated—but due to the nature of warfare, these were dwarfed by the number of Japanese who would have perished.
While few ever praised the total destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nearly all objective minds recognized that the swift conclusion which followed saved far more lives. This opinion is not only the "military" consensus. It is also shared by those Japanese who were being trained, with bamboo poles, to resist the impending invasion of their islands. (I have had personal conversations with several Japanese citizens who were part of this civilian army.)
Operation Ketsugō (決号作戦), called for the nation's entire population to resist the invasion. The Japanese Cabinet "essentially called the entire population to military service, while propagandists began 'The Glorious Death of One Hundred Million' program to whip up enthusiasm for dying for the Emperor" (A War to Be Won).
While the need for the bombing of Nagasaki is debatable, the use of the atomic bomb in ending the war, saved countless lives. Some have called its use a war crime. They are wrong.
That does not mean, however, that the Allied hands were innocent. In the European theater of the war, the British responded to Germany's bombing of their civilian populations with terror bombing of their own. Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris embodied this vile strategy and, as head of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command, he could wage a war of retribution. And, as a leader of the winning army, his criminal behavior would be overlooked.
"Bomber Harris" justified raining fire on civilians because it would abbreviate the war. He said, in my opinion to his lasting shame, "I do not personally regard the whole of the remaining cities of Germany [i.e. all of the citizens abiding in them] as worth the bones of one British Grenadier."
Air Force Magazine has an informative article available online which addresses Harris' strategy. It cites Churchill's acknowledgement that "we hoped to shatter almost every dwelling in almost every German city." Only with the utter destruction of the city of Dresden, did Churchill admit that "the moment has come when the question of bombing of German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed" ("The Allied Rift on Strategic Bombing").
War is a Terrible Thing
Ernest Hemingway was a talented, but deeply troubled, writer. A Boston University article describes his religious outlook in this way: "While raised by devout Christian parents, Hemingway converted to Catholicism at the age of twenty-eight for marriage and proved religiously indifferent throughout his lifetime, despite a preoccupation with biblical themes in many of his works."⁑
Hemingway addressed the subject of this post in a sober, profound and honest manner. "Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." Even people such as myself, advocates of Just War Theory, can agree with this.
War is a crime against humanity itself, an activity that was never part of our Creator's original design. War represents a battle in which even the victor is often left scarred, as one of my fellow chaplains describes in his newly released book, Nailed! Moral Injury: A Response from the Cross of Christ for the Combat Veteran.*
Yet, as horrible as war is, it is sometimes necessary. G.K. Chesterton astutely noted the proper motive for soldiers. They don't seek personal conquest. Nor is the pursuit of personal glory a proper justification. According to Chesterton, "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." In the same light, he wisely described war in the following manner in his Autobiography.
The only defensible war is a war of defence. And a war of defence, by its very definition and nature, is one from which a man comes back battered and bleeding and only boasting that he is not dead.
C.S. Lewis was just such a man. Deeply acquainted with the bloody toll of war, he did not glorify combat. In 1939 he wrote in a letter, "My memories of the last war haunted my dreams for years." Yet, that very same year, Lewis described moments when war was truly unavoidable, saying "if war is ever lawful, then peace is sometimes sinful" ("The Conditions for a Just War").
Chivalry is the Imperfect Response to War
Chivalry may sound like an archaic word and an obsolete concept. It may be the former, but is definitely not the latter. For C.S. Lewis, it was the principle that could reduce the anguish caused by war.
C.S. Lewis recognized the profound cost of war and acknowledged short of Christ's return, it will remain unavoidable. The only way its violence can be tempered is through a principle like chivalry, which naturally arises from the belief that though some wars cannot be avoided, all wars can be restrained by humane guidelines. This notion even inspires the Geneva Conventions.
Mere Inkling has discussed the Inkling concept of chivalry in the past, so I will not repeat that discussion here. Instead, allow me to refer you to an excellent article I recently read on this vital subject, "C.S. Lewis, War, and the Christian Character."
Addressing the familiar canard that C.S. Lewis glorifies war, particularly in the Chronicles of Narnia, Marc LiVecche declares.
For Lewis, the Narnian stories are all about love—not about love despite the battles and wars, but about love that, because it is love, reveals itself in the rescue of the innocent, the defense of justice, and the punishment of evil even, in the last resort, by war and, most crucially, in the character of the warriors who wage those wars.
In a candid manner that could possibly cause the prudish to blush, LiVecche describes how Botticelli's Venus and Mars illustrates the view that in a fallen world, war can be harnessed to serve positive ends. This painting is significant, in that "a facsimile of the Botticelli masterwork hung in Lewis' Oxford rooms in Magdalen College."
In any case, whether through the influence of Venus or the two-aspects of his internal character, Lewis' Mars—and the martial character he influences in others—is about much more than war and violence. For Lewis, the fullness of the martial character is best communicated by the chivalric idea of "the knight—the Christian in arms for the defence of a good cause," which Lewis called "one of the great Christian ideas." This chivalric ideal, in turn, is best understood through those words addressed to the dead Launcelot, the greatest of all the knights, in Malory's Morte D'Arthur: "Thou wert the meekest man that ever ate in hall among ladies; and thou wert the sternest knight to thy mortal foe."
Lewis expounds: "The important thing about this ideal is…the double-demand it makes on human nature. The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost a maidenlike guest in hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man. He is not a compromise or happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth."
LiVecche discusses how Lewis' thought reflects the Christian just war tradition. It is a crucial damper to unbridled war, since "human beings are motivated both by love and kindness as well as selfishness and cruelty [requiring that] the use of force must be viewed with skepticism and deployed within carefully prescribed constraints."
War crimes are criminal precisely because they fall outside the boundaries of what is just and necessary. These offenses should never be ignored or minimized, no matter who commits them . . . be they Nazi bureaucrats, genocidal Japanese commanders, or sophisticated British baronets who serve as military marshals.
* Chaplain Mark Schreiber's book is available from Amazon and its kindle version will be available soon.
In C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis & the Inklings, Christian Life, Church History, Classics Worth Revisiting, G.K. Chesterton, History, Just War, Military History, Modern Life, Narnia, Theological Matters Air Force, Atom Bomb, Bomber Harris, Bombing, Botticelli, C.S. Lewis, Chivalry, Dresden, G.K. Chesterton, Geneva Conventions, Germany, Hemingway, Hiroshima, Japan, Just War, Launcelot, Mars, Moral Injury, Nagasaki, Narnia, Nazi, Red Cross, Venus, War Crimes, World War Two, WWII
Elegies, Eulogies & C.S. Lewis
April 6, 2021 — 21 Comments
For a long time I was puzzled by the difference between the two words, elegy and eulogy. My confusion was not simply due to their obvious visual and aural similarities. My puzzlement was increased by their use in similar contexts (e.g. death). Even worse, they are sometimes (mis)used interchangeably.
If you are confused, let me clarify the matter—the words have significantly different definitions. The fact they are both three syllables and share four letters, is simply coincidence. Both are frequently written, but only eulogies are intended to be delivered as an oration.
A eulogy (ˈyü-lə-jē) is a message of commendation and praise, typically offered in honor of someone who has died. (It originates from the Greek word eulogia which means praise.)
An elegy (ˈe-lə-jē) is a poem, or possibly a song, with a melancholy tone. It can, but does not have to, be about someone who is deceased. (It finds its origin in elegos, the Greek word for a song of mourning.)
Thus, even when both eulogies and elegies are offered in response to the same person's passing, they remain quite distinct from one another. The eulogy focuses on praise, and is positive in tone. The elegy focuses on sorrow and is like a lamentation.
As a young man, C.S. Lewis wrote to his father about the nature of exaggeration often found in eulogies.
I was sorry to see the other day news of our friend Heineman's sudden death. The papers have been so covering him with eulogy since he went that I begin to feel glad I met him, if only for once—Vergilium vidi tantum! ["I have seen the great Virgil!" (Ovid, Tristia)]
In this case however I think the virtues are not wholly of the tombstone nature: a great publisher is really something more than a mere machine for making money: he has opportunities for doing things for the best of motives, and if one looks round most of our English houses, I think he avails himself of them as well as anyone can expect. I always put up a fight for the tribe of publishers here where so many young men with manuscripts have nothing too bad to say of them.
The close companionship of the Inklings meant that they took one another's death quite hard. C.S. Lewis' brother Warren wrote a moving eulogy when Charles Williams passed. In it he said, "the blackout has fallen, and the Inklings can never be the same again."
The talented Christian writer, Dorothy Sayers, shared a dynamic friendship with C.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote a heartfelt eulogy for her when she died in 1957. Her son wrote back thanking him for the warm and uplifting gift.
Lewis was unable to present it in person at the funeral, so his eulogy was read to the congregation by the Lord Bishop of Chichester. It is quite substantial and because Sayers' son preserved a copy, it is now preserved in the essay collection On Stories. It is entitled "A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers," panegyric being another word for publicly rendered praise. At the conclusion of the sensitive tribute, Lewis praises her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. Unfortunately, Sayers died before completing the final section of the work. After complimenting her work on the initial section, the Inferno, he concludes:
. . . when I came to the Purgatorio, a little miracle seemed to be happening. She had risen, just as Dante himself rose in his second part: growing richer, more liquid, more elevated. Then first I began to have great hopes of her Paradiso. Would she go on rising? Was it possible? Dared we hope?
Well. She died instead; went, as one may in all humility hope, to learn more of Heaven than even the Paradiso could tell her. For all she did and was, for delight and instruction, for her militant loyalty as a friend, for courage and honesty, for the richly feminine qualities which showed through a port and manner superficially masculine and even gleefully ogreish—let us thank the Author who invented her.
As a literary historian, C.S. Lewis was extremely familiar with elegies. In an essay, "Donne and Love Poetry in the Seventeenth Century," he critically analyzes that author's elegies. (You can download the complete collection of Donne's poems in two volumes here: 1 — 2.)
In another essay, "Shelley, Dryden, and Mr. Eliot," Lewis praises Shelley's "Witch of Atlas," and moves on to an interesting critique of Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats.
If Shelley had written only such poems he would have shown his genius: his artistry, the discipline and power of obedience which makes genius universal, are better shown elsewhere. Adonais naturally occurs to the mind, for here we see Shelley fruitfully submitting to the conventions of a well-established form.
It has all the traditional features of the elegy—the opening dirge, the processional allegory, and the concluding consolation. There is one bad error of taste. The Muse, lamenting Adonais, is made to lament her own immortality,
I would give All that I am to be as thou now art!
But I am chained to Time, and cannot thence depart! (xxvi)
This is to make a goddess speak like a new-made human widow, and to dash the public solemnity of elegy with the violent passions of a personal lyric. How much more fitting are the words of the Roman poet:
Immortales mortales si foret fas flere
Flerent divae Camenae Naevium poetam.
[Gnaeus Naevius (c. 270-199 BC) was a Roman poet who composed this modest epitaph for his tomb:
If it would be lawful for immortals to weep for mortals,
the divine Muses would weep for the poet Naevius.]
A Special Bonus
For readers who have continued to this point, I have a special treat. It is a satirical elegy written by G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), who was a popular English writer, and staunch defender of Christianity (particularly of the Roman Catholic flavor).
This excellent column describes the influence Chesterton had on the Inklings, especially Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Chesterton often launched his work from current events or twists on common knowledge, creatively manipulating it to provide new insights. He did this very thing with the following, famous elegy.
In 1751, English poet Thomas Gray wrote "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." It grew in fame, and was memorized by many English schoolchildren. It consists of more than thirty stanzas. The link offers the entire poem, but eight lines will suffice to illustrate for our purpose here.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
Yet ev'n these bones from insult to protect,
Some frail memorial still erected nigh,
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture deck'd,
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
Their name, their years, spelt by th' unletter'd muse,
The place of fame and elegy supply:
And many a holy text around she strews,
That teach the rustic moralist to die.
And here we close with Chesterton's brief version, intentionally bearing the same title. It is both somber (in the first two sincere stanzas) and scathing (in the last verse). I am certain citizens of many nations would nod in agreement if this elegy was applied to their own countries.
Elegy in a Country Churchyard
by G.K. Chesterton
The men that worked for England
They have their graves at home:
And birds and bees of England
About the cross can roam.
But they that fought for England,
Following a falling star,
Alas, alas for England
They have their graves afar.
And they that rule in England,
In stately conclave met,
They have no graves as yet.
In Books, C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis & the Inklings, Classics Worth Revisiting, G.K. Chesterton, Great Authors, History, Latin, Literature, Poetry, Reading, Words, Writing C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Dante, Dorothy Sayers, Elegy, Eulogy, G.K. Chesterton, Lamentation, London Literary Club, Muse, Naevius, Ovid, Shelley, Thomas Gray, Virgil
Learning New Words
March 24, 2021 — 26 Comments
When you encounter an unfamiliar word, do you consider that inconvenient, or exciting?
I encountered a new word today. I read a lot, but rarely do I encounter an unfamiliar word.* I share it with you because of its peculiar meaning. You may want to use it sometime. The drawback is that it is a tad antiquated (thus its unfamiliarity). The word is "Panglossian."
My "passing" grade in the study of Classical Greek in 1977 suggested the word might mean multi-lingual, since pan means "all," and glossa means languages or tongues. I was wrong—but for a very odd reason.
Panglossian, you see, doesn't refer to the literal meaning of its root words. It is based on the qualities of a character created by Voltaire for his satirical novella, Candide. Ironically, Voltaire presumably christened his professor of métaphysico-théologo-cosmolonigologie with this nomen⁑ because of its actual meaning.
The adjective Panglossian, however, has a completely distinct definition. Its difference was signaled for me by the capitalization of the first letter. Fans of Voltaire (among whom I do not count myself, or C.S. Lewis, for that matter) may already know its meaning. a definition, trust me, we shall get to momentarily.
First, I want to share C.S. Lewis' observation about Voltaire, a Deist who was a savage critic of Christianity. In his autobiography Lewis includes the philosopher in a list of people he considered allies during his own season of atheism.
All the books were beginning to turn against me. Indeed, I must have been as blind as a bat not to have seen, long before, the ludicrous contradiction between my theory of life and my actual experiences as a reader.
George MacDonald had done more to me than any other writer; of course it was a pity he had that bee in his bonnet about Christianity. He was good in spite of it. Chesterton had more sense than all the other moderns put together; bating, of course, his Christianity. Johnson was one of the few authors whom I felt I could trust utterly; curiously enough, he had the same kink. Spenser and Milton by a strange coincidence had it too.
Even among ancient authors the same paradox was to be found. The most religious (Plato, Aeschylus, Virgil) were clearly those on whom I could really feed.
On the other hand, those writers who did not suffer from religion and with whom in theory my sympathy ought to have been complete—Shaw and Wells and Mill and Gibbon and Voltaire—all seemed a little thin; what as boys we called "tinny." It wasn't that I didn't like them. They were all (especially Gibbon) entertaining; but hardly more. There seemed to be no depth in them. They were too simple. (Surprised by Joy).
Voltaire's religious views aside, in Dr. Pangloss he devised a character energized by an incurable optimism. From that characterization, fifty years after Voltaire's work another writer derived the adjective. If you are like me, knowing a word's etymology—its origin and history—is intrinsically satisfying.
So, as Merriam Webster says: Pan·gloss·ian | pan-ˈglä-sē-ən was first used in 1831 to describe someone or something as being "marked by the view that all is for the best in this best of possible worlds: excessively optimistic."
And, since the minting of new words is an ongoing process, it comes as no surprise panglossian has spawned variations.
According to a word research site, "writers have since made several compounds out of his name, such as Panglossic and Panglossism, but the adjective Panglossian is by far the most common and is frequently found even today."
I encountered the word in an interesting First Things essay entitled "The Gospel According to Dickens." The author describes Dickens' hopeful tone and confidence, but declares "Dickens was not Panglossian, however. He expressed scorn for the society that insults and injures the weak and vulnerable."
While I'm neither panglossic nor inclined in the least to panglossism, I'm glad such people exist. Their naiveté makes this world of ours far more interesting.⁂
* This is true, aside from specific "names" of things like an animal genus (e.g. trochilidae for hummingbirds or urochordate for the beloved sea squirt), or a pharmaceutical (e.g. Unituxin or Tecfidera). The business channel CNBC reports:
"If it seems as if drug names have been getting weirder, it's because, in some cases, they have. . . . drug names use the letter Q three times as often as words in the English language. For Xs, it's 16 times as much. Zs take the cake, at more than 18 times the frequency you'd find them in English words. And Ws? You'll rarely see one in a drug name." And, shockingly, the cost ranges from $75,000 to $250,000 for developing a single drug brand name."
⁑ I studied Latin too, way back in 1969-71. The grades for my Latin scholarship were also "satisfactory."
⁂ No offense intended to any readers of Mere Inkling who count themselves among the excessively optimistic! But, as for me, I've yet to be panglossterized.
In Animals, Books, C.S. Lewis, Classics Worth Revisiting, G.K. Chesterton, Latin, Literature, Reading, Words, Writing Atheism, C.S. Lewis, Candide, Chesterton, Definitions, Dickens, George MacDonald, Gibbon, Greek, Latin, Milton, Optimism, Panglossian, Pharmaceuticals, Plato, Spenser, Virgil, Voltaire, Words


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The previous post needs almost instant up-dating because, with a little support from The Author's Guild of America, Phoenix are thrilled to share the fact that Abrams in New York have just given back the eRights to both Fell and The Telling Pool. It means that Phoenix Ark Press can now also publish, to Kindle and Ipad, a special joint edition of The Sight and Fell, by David Clement-Davies, novels that should sit naturally together, and which were once separated by publishers.
It feels like the end of a terrible road, and although losing someone you love is probably the only thing that really matters in a human life, a tiny victory for one author to get a reputed and powerful publisher to truly respect an author's work again, at some fundamental level. David Clement-Davies now has the say back in his own creations, the expression of years of hard and highly committed work, and this little Phoenix might fly after all.


I got this great MAC satin lipstick in Pink Nouveau in a blog sale and I think I'm in love! MAC Pink Nouveau is a very cool toned blue based pink lipstick in a satin formula. I decided to deepen it up a bit with NYX Edge Pink lip liner, which borders on being fuscia.
I think it looks great with Tarte Dollface blush, which is also a very cool toned pink!
The shadows I'm wearing are MAC Vanilla on the brow bone, Copperplate as my crease transition shade, and Howzat as the lid and outer V shade and smudged along the lower lash line.
So, from time to time, I find myself pining for the Urban Decay Smokey palette. I always talk myself out of it, because I HAVE THOSE COLORS (repeat to self 500 times). I'm a sucker for packaging and I have the other 3 Naked palettes and will probably keep pining, though…even with my psychology degree, I'm a marketer's dream come true! Regardless, here's a smoky look today I put together with some MAC shadows – enjoy!
Eye look was done with Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Bone as a base, then I used MAC Copperplate eyeshadow as a transition shade in the crease and MAC Howzat shadow (LE, but substitute any deep frosty grey you like) in the crease below the transition shade and all over the lid. I used MAC Electra eyeshadow to highlight the center of the lid. I blended Blanc Type on the brow bone as a highlight and used Howzat below the eye with a pencil brush. I then used MAC Nehru on a 266 angled eyeliner brush for a soft smoky eyeliner…no liquid liner today!
You can take this look even smokier with black or grey liner on the waterline, but spring allergies dictate that I'm not doing this today – LOL!
Blush is NYX Ombre Blush in Mauve Me and Lipstick is Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft.
Drugstore Makeup for Pale Skin!
Hallooooo! If you have truly pale skin (and no, I don't mean the drug store's orangey-beige version of "Ivory"), you have probably done countless online searches trying to come up with foundation, concealer, and powder options, both high end and drug store. Drug store options seem to be the most impossible, but after loads of searching, I've found a few options. Actually, my entire face today is drugstore, and I'll post a list of what I'm wearing below!
For reference, in MAC terms, I would be around an N10, shade wise. I usually settle for NW10 since I lean more cool, but honestly I would prefer a perfectly neutral base. Studio Fix Fluid in NW10 works fine for me. Cover FX does have an N10 shade that is fairly perfect for me, but both these lines are pretty pricey and I wanted another option!
What I have on today is Rimmel Match Perfection in 010 Light Porcelain. Unfortunately, if you're in the United Stares, you'll have to order this shade online, as it's only available in the UK. American Match Perfection starts at an ivory shade that is rather dark and super pink! The Light Porcelain is beautifully neutral. This is a sheer to medium buildable foundation with a satin finish. This shade is also available in the UK in a few other formulas such as Lasting Finish, which is a heavier coverage, but sadly breaks me out. I have no issues with this one. I got this on Amazon for around $10 USD.
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Pressed Powder in Translucent 100! This is a wonderful, finely milled pressed powder that mattifies oil and sets foundation like nobodies business. Don't let the white color fool you – this is basically invisible on the skin, at least if you're fair like me! It has a nice sponge and a mirror so it's good on the go. Don't want to shell out for MAC Blot? Don't have to! This product is around $6 at the drug store.
Here's my finished look. You like?
I also have on Wet N Wild's Comfort Zone palette and I used Rimmel's "Tower of Mauve" lipstick on the lips and as a cream blush!
Do you have any drug store favorites?


As I awoke this morning to the view from my balcony at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki, I knew that today was going to be special because I had arrived safely and my first stop after picking up my rental car would be to pick up pink carnations to place on several graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl.
Eva Ann Via and the Daughters of the American Revolution wanted me to place flowers at that grave of noted World War II correspondent, Ernie Pyle. During the battle of Okinawa, Ernie Pyle had been felled by a sniper's bullet and he was laid to rest in Section D, Grave 109 of the Punchbowl National Cemetery.
I was not prepared for what I found at this national monument not only because of the beauty but also because of the stark and solemn way our heroes were remembered whether named or unknown.
This memorial site brought me to tears with its enormity and sheer number of names on the Memorial Walls of the missing soldiers of the Army, Navy, and Marines from World War II.
This entry was posted in Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary and tagged Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl Cemetery, World War II by Stan.Cromlish. Bookmark the permalink.


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