This
is an analysis of the works of Owen Barfield, CS Lewis, Charles
Williams, and JRR Tolkien, all of whom knew and were influenced by each
other, being the core members of the literary discussion group called
the Inklings. Although the formal religious beliefs of the four varied
considerably - Barfield was an Anthroposophist, Lewis and Williams were
Anglicans, and Tolkien was Catholic - it is Reilly's contention that the
four shared a common, romantic approach to religion. He defines
"romantic religion" as cataphatic theology, the "Affirmative
Way" which affirms what is good in things and regards all things,
therefore, as in some ways reflective of, and thus revelatory of, their
Creator. In this way, Lewis' admiration for the truths to be found in
pagan mythologies, Williams' belief that "theologized" romantic love
(best represented in the love of Dante for Beatrice) is a valid path to
God, and Tolkien's notion of "secondary creation" are all presented as
variations on the theme of the reception - and communication - by the human imagination of
glimmers of divine Truth.
Barfield receives as much space as the other three
combined, which the author attempts to justify on the grounds that
Barfield is the most obscure of the four, and therefore the most in need
of introduction, but seems to be more a result of the author's own
preference for Barfield's theological views. The section on Lewis
centers on his books for adults (especially the Space Trilogy and
Till We Have Faces),
excluding the Narnia books. Since the book was published in 1971,
Tolkien is considered an "obscure scholar" who has had some "recent
success", and receives the least amount of attention.
An intriguing and enlightening study, even if, in my opinion, Reilly puts the least first and the first last.
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