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.

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.