On C.S. Lewis

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.

Following up our discussion of the Preface and first part of Chapter 1, we delve into the nefarious doings of the Fellows of Bracton College and explore Lewis's framing of Beauty and Truth and Goodness as he sets the foundation of this story.

Following up our discussion of the Preface and first part of Chapter 1, we delve into the nefarious doings of the Fellows of Bracton College and explore Lewis's framing of Beauty and Truth and Goodness as he sets the foundation of this story.

After a recap of the main themes of The Abolition of Man, we move on to set the stage for That Hideous Strength, looking at the cosmology of Deep Heaven, the characters who appear in the first chapter of the book, and some themes from The Abolition of Man that begin to emerge even in the first chapter of the last of the Ransom trilogy, including an exploration of Lewis's under-appreciated essay, "The Inner Ring."

After a recap of the main themes of The Abolition of Man, we move on to set the stage for That Hideous Strength, looking at the cosmology of Deep Heaven, the characters who appear in the first chapter of the book, and some themes from The Abolition of Man that begin to emerge even in the first chapter of the last of the Ransom trilogy, including an exploration of Lewis's under-appreciated essay, "The Inner Ring."

After a review of the main themes of each chapter in The Abolition of Man and some comments on its continuing relevance, this episode explores the origins of the Ransom Trilogy and That Hideous Strength, with an overview of the cosmology of Deep Heaven and a summary of Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra.

After a review of the main themes of each chapter in The Abolition of Man and some comments on its continuing relevance, this episode explores the origins of the Ransom Trilogy and That Hideous Strength, with an overview of the cosmology of Deep Heaven and a summary of Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra.

Following a review of Lewis's argument in the first two chapters, this week we delved into the eponymous third chapter, where Lewis expounds how what we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over others with Nature as its instrument. "Human nature will be the last part of Nature to surrender to Man. The battle will indeed be won--but who precisely will have won it? For the power of Man to make himself what he pleases means…the power of some men to make other men what they please.”