Out of the Silent Planet . . .

Well, I'll have to put Tolkien on the back burner for a few weeks while my class reads C S Lewis's "Cosmic" Trilogy. We met for the first time tonight, and most of the students haven't read the trilogy before; a couple of them have, which is good because they are noticing new things this read-through. But all of them are noticing themes and ideas in the novel. Our discussion made me realize how important it is to understand that Lewis was a medievalist--and that he uses medieval concepts throughout the trilogy. Then the problem is to figure out if Lewis believed this understanding leads to a better comprehension of "truth." It always makes me re-think our modern conceptions of democracy; how does this fit in to the way the universe really works? I believe in democracy, but I think it limits our perceptions of nobility--and perhaps of reality itself.

I'm going to be watching for Lewis's use of the medieval concept of hierarchy while I read the texts this time. I've noticed it before, but I want to really pay attention to it this time. And of course, in light of my larger project, I'll be noticing the character of Ransom--and maybe others, especially in THS--in relation to the ideas I'm developing related to the physicality of faith. How does Ransom illustrate the physical disciplines of faith? Can these be related to our lives? Is it possible to escape the (merely) cerebral conception of faith we seem to have inherited from our Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment ancestors? What kinds of "discipline" might be useful to 21st century Christians?

It's interesting to me that Divine is declared by Malacandra to be "broken" beyond repair; if he were one of the Malacandrian creatures, he would be "unmade." This leads me to question whether some Earth dwellers are truly beyond hope. Well, I guess I think there are some like this, but do we have the ability to tell who they are? Or do we follow the maxim, "While there's life, there's hope"? And it's also interesting that Weston is recognized as "bent" but still redeemable; what does this teach us about our response to people who promote ideas that are really "unChristian"? How might they be brought to an understanding of the truth? And does Lewis, in light of what happens on Perelandra, really believe these people are capable of redemption? One student asked about why Lewis chose the name "Divine." I'll have to think about this, especially in light of the development of this character in THS.

On the way to class, I saw a crescent moon with Venus underneath; it reminded me that Lewis sometimes remarked that this was Perelandra. I'm amazed at his creativity but am also reminded that this is just a reflection of the creativity of the Creator. What amazing places and stories are "out there" unknown to us?

I love the way Lewis's work leads us to think outside of the box. Out of the Silent Planet gives me new insights into what life might be like if our race had not fallen--and what we have to look forward to in the New Creation--and what we should be working toward in our efforts to redeem culture. It has nothing to do with our own comfort but with striving always for obedience and submission to God's plans for the world--or the cosmos!