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 begins with a close analysis of Till We Have Faces which leads the readers through the plot, clarifying its themes and it discusses structure, symbols and allusions. / The second part of the book surveys Lewis' works, tracing the tension between reason and imagination. In the works of the thirties and forties reason is in the ascendant; from the early fifties on, in works such as the Chronicles of Narnia, there is an increased emphasis on imagination — which culminates in the fine "myth retold," Till We Have Faces. Imagination and reason are reconciled, finally in the works of the early sixties such as A Grief Observed and Letters to Malcolm.