OXFORD TUTORIALS
C.S. LEWIS
ATRIUM
Course Description
This is a full year course of study (two semesters) which will provide an
introduction to and overview of the works of C.S. Lewis, including his most popular works
of fiction and non-fiction. Reading assignments will emphasize enjoyment and
comprehension. The first semester will cover all seven of the Chronicles of Narnia
and The Screwtape Letters. The second semester will include Mere Christianity,
The Great Divorce, The Abolition of Man and The Weight of Glory.
Students are given a schedule (see Course Schedule below) with weekly reading assignments
and study questions. Class sessions will include some lecture, discussion, reading
quizzes, and reading key scenes out loud. Students are given two assignments each
semester in addition to the weekly reading and quizzes (see Course Requirements
below). The instructor will be giving page references from the most recent Harper
& Scribner editions available (see Required Texts below).
Course
Schedule
FIRST SEM.
Week 1 The Magician's
Nephew (Chap. 1-8)
2 The Magician's Nephew (Chap.
9-15)
3 The Lion, the Witch & the
Wardrobe (Chap. 1-9)
4 The Lion, the Witch & the
Wardrobe (Chap. 10-17)
5 The Horse & His Boy (Chap. 1-7)
6 The Horse & His Boy (Chap. 8-15)
7 Prince Caspian (Chap. 1-8)
8 Prince Caspian (Chap. 9-15)
9 Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chap. 1-8)
10 Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chap. 9-16)
11 Silver
Chair (Chap. 1-8)
12 Silver Chair (Chap. 9-16)
13 The
Last Battle (Chap. 1-8)
14 The
Last Battle (Chap. 9-16)
15 The Screwtape Letters (Letters
1-31)
16 Semester
Exam
SECOND SEM.
Week 1 The Great Divorce (Preface; Chap. 1-4)
2 The
Great Divorce (Chap. 5 - 9)
3 The Great Divorce
(Chap.10-14)
4 Mere
Christianity: Book 1, Chaps. 1-5
5 Mere
Christianity: Book 2, Chaps. 1-5
6 Mere
Christianity: Book 3, Chaps. 1-4
7 Mere
Christianity: Book 3, Chaps. 5-7
8 Mere
Christianity: Book 3, Chaps.8-12
9 Mere
Christianity: Book 4, Chaps. 1-4
10 Mere
Christianity: Book 4, Chaps. 5-11
11 The Abolition of Man
(Chap. 1)
12 The Abolition of Man
(Chap. 2)
13 The Abolition of Man
(Chap. 3; Appendix)
14 The Weight of
Glory, Essays 1-3
15 The Weight of Glory,
Essays 4-6
16 The Weight of Glory,
Essays 7-9
Required Textbooks
First semester: Chronicles of
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe; The Horse
& His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Last
Battle (Harper, 2002: Paperback Boxed Set ISBN 0064471195) and the Screwtape Letters (Harper,
2001: ISBN 0060652934).
Second semester: Mere Christianity (Harper, 2001:
ISBN 0060652926), The Abolition of
Man (Harper, 2001: ISBN 0060652942), the Great Divorce (Harper, 2001:
ISBN 0060652950) and the Weight of Glory (Harper,
2001: ISBN 0060653205). These books may be examined and/or
purchased online for a discount of 20-30%. Simply click on the blue title
above for a direct link to Amazon.com.
Course Requirements
Weekly Reading Quizzes
Students are responsible to keep track of the reading and homework schedule which is
posted in each tutorial’s atrium, and to be prepared for a short quiz which will
cover that week’s assignment. The quiz will usually consist of about ten Multiple
Choice questions which the tutor will post on the Chat Screen, one at a time. The quiz
will be given in a "game show" format, with the instructor keeping track of the
students who are first to type in the correct answers. Students are requested to
select the best answer (A, B, C, D) and to send it back to the tutor, via Private Chat.
The tutor keeps track of the results, and will usually announce each week’s top three
winners ("Gold, Silver, Bronze"). The quiz results will not be included in the
student’s final grade. However, the quiz is important the two reasons: 1) to alert
the tutor to each student’s comprehension and progress; and 2) to keep students
motivated and accountable for their weekly reading assignments. In addition, the
competitive "game format" adds a dimension of excitement and camaraderie.
Weekly SAT and AP Quizzes
In addition to the weekly reading quizzes students should also be prepared for a weekly
quiz over each week’s SAT vocabulary and AP literary terms. All literature students
(C. S. Lewis, GBT 1, GBT 2, GBT 3, J. R. R. Tolkien), as well as the Logic and Rhetoric
students, are expected to keep track of the assigned SAT vocabulary and AP literacy (terms
and authors). Students should have received copies of these lists via email from the
tutor. The SAT vocabulary and AP literary terms are also posted on the website in the
AP/SAT Atrium: http://www.oxfordtutorials.com/APSATAtrium.htm
As with the weekly
reading quizzes, the results will not be including in the grades. However, these quizzes
are important for two reasons: 1) to assist students in expanding their vocabularies for
their own enrichment and understanding; 2) to prepare students for the SAT exam (typically
the single most important factor in college admissions).
Major Assignments: First & Second Semester
Most of the tutorials will also include four or five major assignments. The DUE DATES for
these assignments are posted near the top of the homepage of www.oxfordtutorials.com at the following link: http://www.oxfordtutorials.com/OxfordAssignmentSchedule.htm
Here are the assignments:
1. Midterm Exam: This exam will be scheduled in the middle of the first semester.
It will cover the reading during the first half of the semester (comprehension), as well
as material presented by the tutor in class (commentary) and the AP literary terms A-G
(definitions). Students will be expected to be familiar with the themes and literary
devices which are expressed in the reading (examples).
2. Semester Exam: This exam will be scheduled at the end of the first semester. It
will involve the same components as the midterm, but it will include the reading for the
second half of the semester, and all of the AP literary terms (A-Z). Students will be
expected to be familiar with the themes and literary devices which have expressed in the
reading thus far (examples).
3. Book Reviews: This year each of the literature
classes will require two formal book reviews. The books and the due dates
are listed at the top of the Oxford home page under “Assignments & Due Dates:” http://www.oxfordtutorials.com/Oxford%20Assignment%20Schedule.htm
A book review is distinct type of essay. Its purpose is to
introduce an audience to a new or unfamiliar book. Its method is to
combine elements of an expository essay (briefly explaining the setting, main
characters, plot), a persuasive essay (making judgments about the quality and
importance of the book and sharing your reactions to it), and an analytical
essay (evaluating the author’s purpose and success). This assignment
requires students to use the “Five Paragraph Essay” format, in a length of
250-400 words.
The first part of the assignment will require students to
prepare a rough draft of their book review. The rough draft must include
the following elements: 1) a “hook;” 2) a “thesis statement”; 3) an introductory
paragraph; and 4) a list of three main points (for the middle paragraphs).
For an introduction to, explanation for, and examples of a Five Paragraph Essay,
please visit the AP/SAT Atrium:
http://www.oxfordtutorials.com/Five%20Paragraph%20Essay%20Format.htm
4. Final Exam:
Students should also be prepared for a Final Exam during the final week of
class. It is up to the tutor whether to make this exam a “Take-Home” or
“In-Class” format. The “Take-Home” exam will be sent to students the week
before. They will be allowed to pick their own time to do the exam, before the
final class. The “In-Class” format will require students to complete the exam
during the final class session. The exam may include reading comprehension
questions as well as material presented by the tutor in class (commentary) and
the AP literary terms A-G (definitions). Students will be expected to be
familiar with the themes and literary devices which have been expressed in the
reading (examples) for that class.
Guidelines for Writing a Book Review on Fiction:
You have read your book. Your next step will be to organize what you are going to say
about it in your report. Writing the main points in an outline will help you to organize
your thoughts. What will you include in the outline? Start with a description of the book.
The description should include such elements as:
1. The setting--where does the story take place? Is it a real place or an imaginary
one? If the author does not tell you exactly where the story is set, what can you tell
about it from the way it is described?
2. The time period--is the story set in the present day or in an earlier time
period? Perhaps it is even set in the future! Let your reader know.
3. The main character(s)--who is the story mostly about? Give a brief
description. Often, one character can be singled out as the main character, but some books
will have more than one. When there are several main characters, you are free to focus on
one which is of particular interest to you.
4. The plot--what happens to the main character? WARNING! Be careful here. Do
not fall into the boring trap of reporting every single thing that happens in the story.
Pick only the most important events. Here are some hints on how to do that. First, explain
the situation of the main character as the story opens. Next, identify the basic plot
element of the story--is the main character trying to achieve something or overcome a
particular problem? Thirdly, describe a few of the more important things that happen to
the main character as he/she works toward that goal or solution. Finally, you might hint
at the story's conclusion without completely giving away the ending.
5. The conclusion-- The four points above deal with the report aspect of your work. For
the final section of your outline, give your reader a sense of the impression the book
made upon you. Ask yourself what the author was trying to achieve and whether or not he
achieved it with you. What larger idea does the story illustrate? How does it do that? How
did you feel about the author's style of writing, the setting, or the mood of the novel.
You do not have to limit yourself to these areas. Pick something which caught your
attention, and let your reader know your personal response to whatever it was.
Adapted from the Lakewood Public Library Online: Lakewood, Ohio: http://www.lkwdpl.org/
5. Final Exam: Students should also be prepared for a Final Exam during the
final week of class. It is up to the tutor whether to make this exam a
"Take-Home" or "In-Class" format. The "Take-Home" exam will
be sent to students the week before. They will be allowed to pick their own time to do the
exam, before the final class. The "In-Class" format will require students to
complete the exam during the final class session. The exam may include reading
comprehension questions as well as material presented by the tutor in class (commentary)
and the AP literary terms A-G (definitions). Students will be expected to be familiar with
the themes and literary devices which have been expressed in the reading (examples) for
that class.
Introduction to C.S. Lewis
N.J.Lund
Imagine having “Clive” as your first name and
“Staples” as your middle name. C.S.
Lewis didn’t like it any better than you would. His
friends called him “Jack.” He was
born in Belfast, Ireland on Nov. 29, 1898. He
died 65 years later on November 22, 1963—the same day President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated.
As early as six years of age Jack experienced something which
eventually led him to Jesus. He later called
it Sehnsucht, a deep longing for something unknown, an unknown country, an unknown joy. For the next twenty-five years (until he was 31)
Lewis tried to satisfy that deep longing—and failed.
When his mother died of cancer he was only ten. His father sent Jack and his older brother away to
a strict boarding school. Jack was angry at
God and had no interest in prayer after his mother died.
In fact, he said, I found within myself a “deep seated wish that God
didn’t exist,” a wish to be left alone (Nicholi, 46). I had about as much interest in searching for God
as a mouse has in searching for the cut! (Images, 20).
“I had as little wish to be in the church as (an animal) in the
zoo” (Nicholi, 81).
As he grew older, Jack’s atheism increased. When he was fifteen a friend asked him what he
thought about God. Lewis wrote back and
ridiculed his friend for caring about such a silly superstition. “Religion is nothing more than an
invention,” Lewis said. “Primitives
made up religion out of their ignorant fears of thunder and such things (Images, p. 16).
As a student at Oxford University, Lewis quickly distinguished
himself as a brilliant scholar. He won what is
called a “triple first,” the highest honors in three academic fields—in
addition to other honors and prizes. After a
year tutoring at University College, Lewis was elected to a full-time position at Magdalen
College, Oxford, in 1925. Lewis was surprised
to discover that his favorite colleagues at Oxford turned out to be Christians. One of those Christians was J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien not only became one of Jack’s best
friends, but his influence helped Lewis to become a Christian.
There were other influences too, like reading the works of George
MacDonald and G.K. Chesterton. But in a letter
to his friend Arthur Greeves, Lewis wrote that “the immediate human causes of my
conversion” were the friendship and testimony of his Christian colleagues at Oxford,
Hugo Dyson and J.R.R. Tolkien. (Nicholi, 91).
Lewis later said that reading George MacDonald “baptized my
imagination,” and reading G. K. Chesterton helped me to accept “the
Incarnation”—the belief that the God who makes men Himself became a man
(Nicholi, 83,89). But it was in the friendship
of Tolkien which led Lewis to put his trust in Christ.
On a September evening in 1931 Lewis invited Dyson and Tolkien to dinner. After dinner they strolled through the gardens of Oxford,
talking late into the night. Tolkien
didn’t excuse himself until 3:00 in the morning.
12 days later Lewis told his friend: “I have just passed on…to definitely
believing in Christ…My long night talk with Dyson and Tolkien had a good deal to do
with it.” And later Lewis wrote:
“Dyson and Tolkien were the immediate human causes of my conversion” (Nicholi,
91).
Lewis compared his conversion to waking up from a sleep, “a long
sleep” (Nicholi, 92). He became aware
that his blindness to God had been a “willful blindness” (Nicholi, 91). He had resisted God because he wanted to be his own
lord. But he also realized that Jesus was the
deepest Joy for which he had been longing since he was a boy. After his surrender to Christ he experienced a
peace and delight he had never known before. He
told a friend that the skies seemed bluer and the grass seemed greener and he said:
“Everything seems to be beginning again” (Images, 22).
Lewis went on to become the greatest defender of the Christian faith
in the 20th century. In a cover
article in Time magazine in September 8, 1947, Lewis was described as the most influential
spokesperson for the spiritual worldview in the world.
In addition to his distinguished career teaching at Oxford (1924-1954) and Cambridge
(1955-1963), and writing professionally, Lewis also wrote dozens of books and essays,
works both of fiction and non-fiction, presenting and defending a Biblical worldview. His ideas continue to arouse and capture the hearts
and minds of millions. For 25 years the most
popular course at Harvard University has been a course by Dr. Armand Nicholi comparing the atheistic viewpoint of
Sigmund Freud with the Christian worldview of C. S. Lewis.
Lewis believed that we are strangers and aliens in this world and that our
true country is Heaven: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this
world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another
world” (Mere Christianity 3.10).
The Lions of Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is London’s most famous square, sitting in the heart of the city at
the intersection of four famous roads. It was
built from 1829-1841 to commemorate England’s naval victory over Napoleon in 1805
under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson. Four
huge bronze lions were added to the base of Lord Nelson’s column by Edwin Landseer, a
famous artist, in 1868. The faces of the lions
are majestic and grand. C.S. Lewis rooted his
image of Aslan in the Trafalgar lions in this passage from Chapter 2 of The Silver Chair,
“Jill Is Given a Task,” where Jill meets Aslan for the first time: “… just this side of the stream lay the
lion. It lay with its head raised and its two
forepaws out in front of it, like the lions in Trafalgar Square” (p. 19).
Trafalgar Lion Picture Links
on the Internet
http://www.danheller.com/london-trafalgar.html
http://imagesoftheworld.org/london/page0001.html
http://imagesoftheworld.org/london/024_21.JPG
http://home.earthlink.net/~jehdjh/fampics/Jtraf1.jpg
http://www.saveourscreen.com/TNV/Europe/London_Trafalgar/London%20SS1.htm
