Battling Words: an Alternative Reading of C.S. Lewis' Til We Have Faces

Date of Graduation

Spring 2005

Degree

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

Committee Chair

William Burling

Abstract

C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces was the deliberate culmination of a lifelong project. Despite this deliberation, the novel has proven consistently problematic for critics because of its multi-faceted symbolism and profusion of themes. Lewis was publicly absorbed with mythology, so many critics have attempts to apply either Lewis’ own ideas about mythology or a Jungian approach to the work. These readings, while useful, frequently subordinate valid alternative readings. Through a combination of reader-response criticism and deconstruction, this thesis argues that Lewis intentionally subverted the expectorations of evangelical fan base by establishing the internal tension of certain binaries and then suggesting their inability to be resolved.

Keywords

C.S. Lewis, mythology, deconstruction, reader-response, criticism

Subject Categories

English Language and Literature

Copyright

© Robert A. Griffith

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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