Jerry Root

Summary: An annotated edition of C. S. Lewis’s Dymer and three presentations with responses given as part of the Hansen Lectureship series at Wheaton’s Marion E. Wade Center.

Many of us, including me, who are fans of the works of C. S. Lewis have never read Dymer, his book-length narrative poem. There may be several reasons for this. It is poetry, less popular with many than prose. It does not receive the circulation that many of Lewis’s works have. Also, it was written before Lewis’s return to faith. Also, as a work of his youth, most critics thought it wasn’t very good.

This work, a product of the Ken and Jean Hansen Lectureship may help make up for this on several fronts. The lectureship, taking place at Wheaton’s Marion E. Wade Center, which houses works and papers of Lewis, Tolkien, Sayers, and others in their literary circle, features scholarship on the Wade Center authors. Jerry Root is a Lewis scholar and author of several books. The book which includes the lectures by Root followed by responses, also opens with the poem, lightly annotated by David C. Downing, another Lewis scholar. Downing’s annotations are sparing, illuminating rather than distracting from the text. I recommend reading the poem first, followed by the lectures.

The poem was written in rhyme royal, a rhyme scheme used by Chaucer. The scheme is ABABBCC and the lines are in iambic pentameter. It consists of nine cantos, elaborating a narrative that had come to Lewis in his teens–and though written in his twenties, has that feel. A young man in the Perfect City is sitting in class, bored with lectures, gazes out the window, hears a lark, kills his lecturer and flees the city for nature. He wanders naked through a forest, finds a mansion-castle, wanders its halls, makes love with a woman he encounters, not knowing her name or remembering his face but knows that he loves her. After going out in the morning, he is barred from returning by an old crone who drives him away. In his wanderings he survives a narrow scrape with death, encounters a man suffering wounds from a revolt in the city that followed on Dymer’s actions led by a rebel named Bran. Perhaps as penance, he stays with the man until he dies, hears a lark, then a shot and comes upon a magician’s house and learned that the magician shot the lark. Drugged, Dymer dreams of his lover but recognizes these are dreams, awakens, cries for water, jumps through the window and escapes, being mortally wounded in the process. An angel comes, saying there is one more thing he must do–engage the beast laying waste to the land that is the offspring of his night in the castle. He does, he dies and the land springs to life.

Sounds like male adolescent imaginings to me! Yet there is also a journey into increasing insight, the shattering of illusions and a development from self-absorption to self-sacrifice. Sometimes the language seems stilted by the rhyme scheme, and at other times it soars.

All these things are acknowledged in the lectures and responses. Root argues that the big idea in this poem is that “reality is iconoclastic”–that it shatters idols, and that this poem was the place where Lewis first addressed this idea that recurs in Chronicles, Surprised by Joy, and other works all the way to Till We Have Faces. In his first lecture, Root retells the story (far better than my summary above) and traces the development of the idea. The second lecture focuses on the influences upon Lewis in writing the poem, mainly in mythology and the “Christina dream” of Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh. The third lecture then shows how the idea that reality is iconoclastic and many of the images of the early poem recur in deeper and richer form in Lewis’s later works. If Dymer is not a great work, it is certainly one helpful in understanding Lewis’s journey back to faith and the artistic imagination, informed and deepened by his faith, evident in his later works.

One example of how Root connects the imagery of Dymer to later works is noting the use of the mirror. In Dymer, the character sees a naked, wild-eyed man in the mansion-castle, only to realize it is himself he is seeing in a mirror. This occurs in The Great Divorce in the bus ride from hell to heaven, with Eustace Scrubb in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and with Queen Orual in Till We Have Faces. Root notes that these iconoclastic experiences not only reveal the really real, but expose the true self and fuel a quest for meaning, one that would eventually lead Lewis back into the arms of Christian faith.

Both Jeffrey Davis and Mark Lewis remind us of the flaws of the work, and Davis thinks that Lewis’s failure as a poet may have been a good thing, given the later impact of his prose work. Miho Nonaka, though slightly more appreciative of Root’s efforts also finds that Lewis may have been too close to Dymer, despite Lewis’s disavowals, and also critiques the intrusion of the narrator’s voice in his children’s fiction.

Even given these criticisms, really more of Lewis, Jerry Root (and the Hansen Lectureship) have done us a great favor in bringing Dymer to our attention. As I mentioned, I knew of the work but had relegated it to Lewis’s atheist years, seeing it, as it were, the work of a different author. Root helps show us the continuity rather than discontinuity in this work, the idea that reality is iconoclastic that will recur in later works, and the reflection on Lewis’s own development. Root (and Downing) have done a great service to every Inkling in acquainting us with this work!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (altro)

According to Jerry Root and Mark Neal, Lewis wrote in at least seventeen literary genres: apologetics, autobiography, educational philosophy, essays, fairy stories, journal, letters, literary criticism, literary history, lyric poetry, narrative poetry, the novel, religious devotion, satire, science fiction, short story, and translation (03). Is there a thread that runs through these each of these genres? Root & Neal say Imagination. In rel="nofollow" target="_top">The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis, they provide a taxonomy of the various ways Lewis employs imagination (or warns of its misuse).

Lewis's various genres showcase different aspects of hisimagination. "He wrote in a literary form that helped him best set forth a certain body of idea"(4). Root & Neal divide their exploration of Lewis' imagination along generic lines, exploring first his non-fiction (autobiography, religious writing and literary criticism) under the heading of "Imagination and the Literature of the Mind." Part 2, "Imagination and the Literature of the Heart, looks at Lewis's fiction and poetry. Of course the aspect of imagination described in each of Root and Neal's chapters may exist in multiple works of Lewis (and genres) but they chose a principle work which highlights what they wanted to say about Lewis's imagination, and citing other Lewis lit along the way.

Part 1 showcases hoe Lewis employed imagination to orient himself toward reality. His autobiography, Surprised by Joy, reveals a baptized imagination--regenerate and oriented toward the discovery of God (16). Mere Christianity exemplifies Lewis's use of shared imagination: creativity that connects and communicates with his audience (17, 28). The satisfied imagination '"delights in the familiar the simple, the mundane, and the repetitive in a manner that brings our minds back to the eternal source of order and repetition"(31). Letters to Malcom Chiefly on Prayer provide the lens for mundane imagining. Lewis' literary criticism in An Experiment in Criticism and The Discarded Image explore the awakened imagination and the realizing imagination. The awakened imagination is an 'invitation to break out of the dungeon of self' and awaken to new ideas (57). In The Discarded Image Lewis described the medieval cosmology and how their worldview determined their vision, and their interpretation of the past. Lewis exploration helps us evaluate the past and present, and gives us space to question our own assumptions.

In part 2, we see that not all of Lewis's descriptions of the imagination are positive. He begins cheerily enough by describing the penetrating imagination of A Horse and His Boy (which employs metaphor to give us a deeper knowledge of a reality), the material imagination of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and examines the primary imagination in Out of the Silent Planet (our use of the five senses to understand and interpret the world). But imagination can take a dark turn. That Hideous Strength describes Lewis's idea of the generous imagination , "[the] deificaiton of an idea or thing to the point that borders on adoration or vilification. Simply put it seeks to embellish a thing beyond what it deserves. Its effect is to weaken the self and narrow the soul" (121). The Great Divorce explores the transforming imagination through its characters—a projected, overidealized and inflated expectation of the objects of our affection which leads inevitably to disappointment and disenchantment. The Screwtape Letters take us deeper into the realm of projection (and hell) by showcasing a controlled imagination which projects one's self-seeking desires on others (155). Root and Neal end on a happier note, showing how Lewis's poetry provide a lens for the absorbing imagination—a synthesis between old ideas and new consciousness which transcends our own particularity (171). An appendix explores additional use of imagination by C.S. Lewis.

Anyone who has gone through the wardrobe with Lewis, or read his religious writings knows he was a deeply imaginative man with a broad intelligence. Root and Neal do an excellent job of exploring and naming the various ways that Lewis employed imagination. But I don't like the title. Lewis' imagination was comprehensive, far-reaching and full-orbed. But surprising? If you have read Lewis at all, you aren't all that surprised by Lewis's imagination and penetrating insights.

But my misgivings about the title (which may not even be Root's and Neal's fault), shouldn't put you off. An exploration of Lewis's fulsome imagination is worthwhile and Root and Neal summarize ideas and analyze how Lewis employed them. This book will enhance your understanding of Lewis and deepen your appreciation of his writing. Root and Neal make good use of Lewis' scholarship and shows what one mans imaginings reveal. I give this four-and-a-half stars.

Note: I received this book from the publisher through Handlebar Media in exchange for my honest review.… (altro)

"The Soul of C.S. Lewis: A Meditative Journey through Twenty-Six of His Best-Loved Writings" by Wayne Martindale, Jerry Root, and Linda Washington is a beautiful celebration of C.S. Lewis’ genius. The book highlights 26 of Lewis’ works and provides meditative reflections on them.

The book is divided into four spiritual themes of Lewis’ writings. Then 6 or 7 different works of Lewis are used to illustrate each theme. Each chapter covers one of Lewis’ books and gives a brief introduction to it. 10 meditative readings follow that expound upon a quote from that work.

As I have read many of Lewis’ fictional works, I was pleased to find that all the Narnian books are included, as are his three Space Trilogy books. While most of the book is not written by Lewis, the writing reflects his work. The authors also take time to assess Lewis’ legacy and significance and explain why these reflective readings are something Lewis himself would approve of.

The book oozes of Lewis and promises to be an enjoyable read. Students of Lewis will devour this book, and those who appreciate his genius are sure to likewise be enthralled. The beautiful cover of the book and the decorative art throughout add to the overall splendor of this work. It would make a perfect gift this holiday season. I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Tyndale House. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.… (altro)

Root and Guthrie offer a way of looking at life that makes us open to God's presence everywhere. They then apply to evangelism. The result is an entirely different way of thinking about evangelism; it is not about us doing anything to God, but about allowing God to do things to us. It is about going out into the world, finding that God is already there, and engaging with His ongoing activity. Through four sections, each with five chapters, Root and Guthrie explain this world view, explore it's implications, and offer some practical advice on actually doing it.

Suffused with wisdom and humility, The Sacrament of Evangelism was an exhilarating read. It is evident that each section of this book seeks to open the readers eyes to God's presence and strengthen in the readers heart a desire for God. This combination perfectly illustrates what Root and Guthrie are after in using the word 'Sacrament.' Their view of evangelism, and life lived in the presence of God, is something you must think about and will benefit from adopting.

The best section of this book was the third: "The Gospel and Humanity." In it Root and Guthrie take a look at how our desires connect to God, the three desires we all share, and what place our other longings have. These become points at which we can help people see their own desire and need for God. In contrast, I was disappointed in the fourth section of this book. The practical advice seemed to lack the verve and quality of the rest of the book. Perhaps they missed something or, perhaps, this is because it is very difficult to give practical advice in this sort of thing, other than "go out and do it!" which Root and Guthrie begin saying at the beginning of the book and never stop. Either way, The Sacrament of Evangelism is an excellent book.

Conclusion: 4.5 of 5 Stars. Recommended. You should read this. Seriously. We all come to the discipline of evangelism with baggage; usually massive amounts of it. This book will not only help you sort through that, but give you something so much better in return.… (altro)