Brian Robbins's Reviews > A Preface to Paradise Lost

I enjoy Lewis' work whether it be fiction, essays, religious matters, even some of his poetry, but he is undoubtedly at his best in his professional capacity, writing as a professor on his subject of medieval and renaissance literature.

This study of “Paradise Lost” was a delight to read. He uses his extensive scholarship with a delightful light touch, and teaches a considerable amount about the background, the form and content of the work in a very lucid and helpful style. Where he disagreed with the views of other academics, even where he disagreed fundamentally – for instance with Saurat over the nature of Miltons theology as shown in the poem - this was done graciously, and was a pleasure to read. Often in his religious writings he resorts to the equivelant of a blunderbuss or heavy club in assailing anyone with whom he disagrees. This can be extremely irritating. Here, there was little of that, except maybe when writing about the views of those who upheld a “modernist” approach to poetry.

I still don’t know enough of or about the poem or of other critics of the poem, to be able to compare Lewis’ view with differing views; but it was fascinating just to read someone who was extremely knowledgable and well read on the concept of epic poetry, and who had also probably read all the relevant works of epic poetry. It was equally interesting to read someone who personally enjoyed the genre, but also who wholeheartedly believed in the literal truth of the underlying biblical story on which the poem was based. This sharing of fundamental belief with the author adds a sympathy to Lewis’ insights that makes them fundamentally different from those who don’t share that belief. I don’t necessarily know if that makes them more valuable, but it added a warmth and enthusiasm that was hard to resist, a warmth and enthusiasm that made me want to go back and re-read passages as he referred to them.

Lewis is like Chesterton to a large extent, in that all his writing and judgements rest explicitly on the foundation of his faith, as well as on a foundation of highly conservative, traditional views of culture and society. He therefore could not resist launching into discussion of fundamental values and beliefs, and criticsm of those aspects of the culture of his day that were in conflict with his views. I’m sure that it’s ever possible for an author to avoid doing this. What I do like about Lewis, is that he makes no pretence that it’s possible to avoid doing so, that in some way he’s writing from an objective point of view.