Book Reviews

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Colin Bernreuter
9/15/13
Dr. Menuge
PHIL 333
C.S. LEWIS
Coming from the German translation of “sehnsucht”, Lewis described it as an “inconsolable longing from within the heart for what we know not.” (Lewis, Surprised by Joy, 1956) It is not a particularly happy emotion; it is hardly an emotion at all. The joy that Lewis experiences is not the result of any of his actions or those of others. It is a direct glimpse of the transcendent.
Of the four causes of laughter Lewis describes, Joy is the only one that God in his wisdom withholds from his children at some moments, and in his mercy pours out on them at others. Fun, the joke proper, and flippancy can be planned and produced by any person. But joy can be received only from the One whose presence is absolute joy. He further describes it as “That unnameable something, desire for which pierces us like a rapier at the smell of bonfire, the sound of wild ducks flying overhead, the title of The Well at the World's End, the opening lines of "Kubla Khan", the morning cobwebs in late summer, or the noise of falling waves.” (Lewis, The Pilgrim’s Regress, 1933)
Lewis had these longings in his youth, but had slowly lost them throughout his adolescence. During his stay at Cherbourg, there was a split between his rational, materialistic self and his continued feelings of joy. It was becoming less of an experience and more of an emotion, one that he doesn’t trust and can’t control. Lewis attempted to domesticate the call of the divine, insisting that God could be controlled by our own will. As a result, he tried to force the effect of Joy. He became involved in all sorts of debauchery and sinful living, just to incite the pleasure portion of Joy. Only later did he realize that Joy is not all about pleasure. He failed to realize that the objective nature of Joy came from the object of God. Lewis instead focused on the subjective nature of Joy while making that the object itself. He states: “The surest means of disarming an anger or a lust was to turn your attention from the girl or the insult and start examining the passion itself. The surest way of spoiling a pleasure was to start examining your satisfaction.” (Lewis, SBJ)
This misunderstanding of Joy mirrors Lewis’ misunderstanding of Christianity at the time. He was an absolute cynic of the Gospels and the objective truth of which they spoke. His mind was in a state of faithless atrophy. He distrusted everything about Scripture citing that it had no historical basis.
In the same way as his misunderstanding, so too was his understanding. Once he began to realize the validity of the Scriptures, along with the holiness he felt, then he also began to understand the true meaning of Joy.

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