On C.S. Lewis

The true nature of the N.I.C.E. starts to become more apparent in Chapter 5, as even through the cloud of double-speak it becomes evident that propaganda and coercive control are key parts of its mission. We also gain insights into the community of St. Anne's and its leadership.

In Chapter 4, the works of the N.I.C.E. begin to invade the lives of many of the major characters in the story, leaving destruction and even death in their wake. Lewis also shows the dangerous impact of teaching and following a false gospel.

In Chapter 4, the works of the N.I.C.E. begin to invade the lives of many of the major characters in the story, leaving destruction and even death in their wake. Lewis also shows the dangerous impact of teaching and following a false gospel.

The lure of the Inner Ring, the danger of rejecting God's design for you, the perils of redefining language, the propensity of power to devolve into tyranny--all these themes appear in Chapter 3 of That Hideous Strength. In this episode, we unpack what Lewis is saying and how eerily prescient this work is.

The lure of the Inner Ring, the danger of rejecting God's design for you, the perils of redefining language, the propensity of power to devolve into tyranny--all these themes appear in Chapter 3 of That Hideous Strength. In this episode, we unpack what Lewis is saying and how eerily prescient this work is.

At the end of Chapter 2, Mark and Jane Studdock are heading in different directions to very different destinations--Mark in Lord Feverstone's sports car speeding to the N.I.C.E. at Belbury, and Jane on a slow train making its way to St. Anne's-on-the-Hill. In this episode, we look at the symbolism hidden in these journeys and outline the action at the beginning of Chapter 3.

At the end of Chapter 2, Mark and Jane Studdock are heading in different directions to very different destinations--Mark in Lord Feverstone's sports car speeding to the N.I.C.E. at Belbury, and Jane on a slow train making its way to St. Anne's-on-the-Hill. In this episode, we look at the symbolism hidden in these journeys and outline the action at the beginning of Chapter 3.

As we explore Chapter 2 of That Hideous Strength, the theme of the Inner Ring takes center stage as pride and gossip envelop Mark Studdock. Lewis makes strong points about using people and abusing power, corrupting language, envisioning a politico-technological utopia run by the government and science, holding to a dangerous view of Man as merely an animal or cog in a machine, and refusing to be vulnerable in human relationships. All the while, he is setting the stage for revealing what the N.I.C.E. is all about.

As we explore Chapter 2 of That Hideous Strength, the theme of the Inner Ring takes center stage as pride and gossip envelop Mark Studdock. Lewis makes strong points about using people and abusing power, corrupting language, envisioning a politico-technological utopia run by the government and science, holding to a dangerous view of Man as merely an animal or cog in a machine, and refusing to be vulnerable in human relationships. All the while, he is setting the stage for revealing what the N.I.C.E. is all about.

One of the major themes in That Hideous Strength is the confusion of language, recalling the title's allusion to the Tower of Babel. This theme gets its first outing in the Fellows' meeting in college about the sale of Bragdon Wood, which is rife with doublespeak. In this episode, we unpack that passage and look at its startling relevance for today.