4. Though Lewis does not give the exact year that "That Hideous Strength" occur, from evidence with the text and Lewis's own preface you can certainly date the story to a specific era. During which decades is this story set?
From Quiz That Hideous Strength: The Devil's In the Details
Answer:
1940s or 1950s
By internal evidence on the story itself, "That Hideous Strength" takes place, as Lewis says "vaguely after the war", meaning World War II, so either in the late 1940s or the early 1950s. In the opening chapter of the novel, we learn that Canon Jewel, a minor character, was an old man before even the first war, meaning World War I, and though we are not given Canon Jewel's age, he is a very old man. We also know that both Jane and Mark Studdock are both young, and by the 1960s or 1970s they would be to old to have lived through World War II and stay true to the way Lewis characterizes their age. Lewis also states that Mrs. Dimble is from the 19th century. Also, Lewis states that the fellows of Bracton ceased wearing their nice wardrobes for economic reasons brought on during World War II and have not yet started the practice again.