By: C. S. Lewis Publisher: HarperOne Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: HarperOne Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 224 Publication Date: 2001-02 Release Date: February 06, 2001
In this humorous and perceptive exchange between two devils, C. S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good vs. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace. Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better understanding of what it means to live a faithful life.
Amazon.com: Who among us has never wondered if there might not really be a tempter sitting on our shoulders or dogging our steps? C.S. Lewis dispels all doubts. In The Screwtape Letters, one of his bestselling works, we are made privy to the instructional correspondence between a senior demon, Screwtape, and his wannabe diabolical nephew Wormwood. As mentor, Screwtape coaches Wormwood in the finer points, tempting his "patient" away from God.
Each letter is a masterpiece of reverse theology, giving the reader an inside look at the thinking and means of temptation. Tempters, according to Lewis, have two motives: the first is fear of punishment, the second a hunger to consume or dominate other beings. On the other hand, the goal of the Creator is to woo us unto himself or to transform us through his love from "tools into servants and servants into sons." It is the dichotomy between being consumed and subsumed completely into another's identity or being liberated to be utterly ourselves that Lewis explores with his razor-sharp insight and wit.
The most brilliant feature of The Screwtape Letters may be likening hell to a bureaucracy in which "everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment." We all understand bureaucracies, be it the Department of Motor Vehicles, the IRS, or one of our own making. So we each understand the temptations that slowly lure us into hell. If you've never read Lewis, The Screwtape Letters is a great place to start. And if you know Lewis, but haven't read this, you've missed one of his core writings. --Patricia Klein
Amazon.com Audiobook Review: This adaptation of C.S. Lewis's biting satire received a 1999 Grammy nomination for best spoken-word performance, and it's easy to see why--the story fits the format perfectly. It's relatively brief (the unabridged reading takes a mere four hours), and contains only one character--the demon Screwtape, who writes letters to his novice nephew Wormwood, instructing him on how to best tempt his "patient" (a wayward soul on earth) into the bosom of "our Lord below."
Obviously, the book wasn't written with former Monty Python John Cleese in mind, but it's hard to imagine a better Screwtape. Cleese's voice provides the perfect vehicle for Lewis's dry, razor-edged wit. His uncanny comic timing and ability to milk each phrase for maximum effect betray an infectious enthusiasm for the story. It's clear that he's having a great time reading, and it's impossible not to laugh along with him. This inspired pairing of two of the 20th century's greatest wits makes for a meditation on the dark side of spiritual guidance that's as relevant and funny today as it was in Lewis's war-torn England. (Running time: 4 hours, 3 cassettes) --Andrew Neiland
Enlightening read for committed (and thinking) Christians I don't know how well this great book translates to agnostic readers, but for me it was a very enlightening and concrete way to understand what it means to try to be a good man in a world of temptation.
In keeping with the time period, I believe it was Winston Churchill who said "All evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing". In the Screwtape Letters the senior tempter, tells his apprentice, it is just as affective to get a man to stare into a fire until it turns to ash, as to get him to commit some great sin, because either keeps him from doing what he should. I wonder what Mr. Lewis would have thought of digital cable television? I am as guilty as anyone of staring at that box instead of doing good.
So here's the deal.
This is an excellent book for any believer from High School on up, that wants to be good and avoid evil.
But that's just me.
Insights on The Operation of the Realm of Darkness Though seemingly humorous in style, there is an intense sense of sobriety behind every scene that C.S. Lewis depicts to illustrate how the devil operates to tempt us. The background is World War II England. The object that the devil preys on is a young Christian. The circumstances of temptation; all of which are something we can relate to everyday, vary from personal devotional time, personal relationships, romance, and vocation to culture, worldviews and the war itself which the readers would discover to be the means to a happy ending for the young Christian, not a usual one, however. The appendix entitled, "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" deals with a more general strategy that the realm of evil formulates in their quest to ruin mankind by pushing them to the deepest abyss their depravity is capable of, "to harden these choices of the Hell-ward roads into a habit by steady repetition, ... to turn habit into a principle." Another interesting strategy is to wreck havoc in the culture by twisting the meaning of the word "democracy" from a narrow strict sense to a broad one.
The reason why Lewis does an excellent job in giving us the insights on the operation of the realm of the devil is because he understands human beings and culture well, which makes this book deeply personal, worth reading and learning from.
A Classic in Christianity Of all of the fanciful worlds C.S. Lewis has created, this classic dealing with the realities of faith, Church, and the struggle between good and evil takes the prize. Often humorous, too-often right on target, The Screwtape Letters explores the journey of faith from the perspective of two demons. Wormwood, the novice demon, has taken on a new 'client' and receives advice from senior demon Screwtape. Lewis challenges the church's status quo and makes us think about whether we 'Christians' are really 'demons' at heart. Sometimes, it's hard to tell! You'll laugh and then you'll say 'hmmmmm'.
Very interesting way to present some profound truths This is the second time that I have read this book. The first time was as a youth a very long time ago and it had a positive impact on me. I decided to reread it and see what additional insights it would bring into my life. It was clearly worth the few hours of my time it took to read this book. The device Lewis uses is very clever and forces one to look at sin, pride, and mediocrity from a totally different viewpoint. It becomes clear that it's not the big mistakes we make in life that really hurts us; sometimes those are the things that cause us to reevaluate our lives and repent. The things that really hurt us are the pride and the accumulation of little sins. Lewis seem to really be pushing for greatness of soul. Bottom line is this little book made me think about my life. That is what a good book should do.
The book also includes the essay, "Screwtape Proposes a Toast". This was written much later and instead of Screwtape writing letters advising Wormwood, he is at an awards ceremony at the school for tempters proposing a toast to future and past successes. It is basically a vehicle to complain about how the modern education system focuses on mediocrity. It also brings out some very good points to ponder.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. The principles espoused here apply to all people, religious or not.
The Ultimate Cautionary Tale With so many books to read and so little time, I rarely go back to re-read even my favorite works. Years ago, I discovered The Screwtape Letters and was blown away. The other day I found myself skimming through it again, then settling down to dig deeply through this treasure trove of misinformation.
A senior demon, Screwtape, is writing letters to an underling and giving advice in the ways of bringing down mankind one person at a time. He speaks with disturbing clarity, marked insight, and insidious desire. He wants to feast upon the souls of all of us, while serving Our Father Below. In this twisted world, we see life from the side of evil. From this framework, God is the Enemy, and so the reading requires a constant attention to the subtle lies Screwtape is mixing in with his letters.
The insights we discover through this flipped script are unsettling and important. We see the follies of self-righteousness and even unselfishness. We see through the schemes used to divide man and woman, the ploys of twisted pleasure, and the cyclical trap of pride/humility/pride. Every page brings revelation in this ultimate cautionary tale.
I'm a fan of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, Space Trilogy, Mere Christianity, and The Great Divorce, but this title is still one of the most mind-blowing, yet accessible, books I've ever read. And re-read. And, most likely, will read again.
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