Wesley A. Kort

Co-opting Lewis?

Even though I'd read many books on C.S. Lewis before reading this one, the author was able to highlight several themes in Lewis's writings that I hadn't really noticed before. It did seem to me, however, that he took an unnecessarily large amount of space to make his points, and no one will confuse Kort's writing with Lewis's own vibrant prose. (I think this book must have set a record for most occurrences of the word "militate".) This is not the first time that I've read a socio-cultural analysis that has seemed to drain much of the life, energy, and interest out of its subject.

Kort seems very sympathetic to Lewis; he is less sympathetic with typical Lewis fans (although he is unfailingly polite in expressing that lack of sympathy). Kort makes sure to use the shibboleths of political correctness--"racism", "sexism", and "homophobia"--without taking the time to define their meaning or to justify their use.

The book's concluding chapter is the most interesting and the most controversial. Kort seems to think that the most important way to continue the Lewis legacy is not to appreciate and propagate Lewis's ideas but to do the work in our day and society that would be analogous to the work Lewis did in his day and society. So, what would be analogous? Kort writes that "[o]ne advantage that our own time and place give us over Lewis is that we will not be tempted, as perhaps he was, by nostalgia for a Christian culture", and he proposes the celebration of diversity as a major thrust of a proper modern Lewisian project. Kort's description of a C.S. Lewis for our times, makes me less interested in awaiting his appearance and more interested in reading the writings of the old one.… (altro)