C.S. Lewis Trivia

1. C.S. Lewis was born on 29 November 1898. To which ethnic group within the United Kingdom did he belong?

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: Irish

Lewis was born in Belfast in what we now call "Northern Ireland", but in 1898 Ireland (as a whole) was still part of the United Kingdom and British Empire. Lewis attended school in England from age 9 and taught in two universities there. But some claim that they can detect a hint of an Irish accent in the few actual recordings of Lewis's voice that we possess.

From Quiz C. S. Lewis's Life

Answer: Shadowlands

The other three are titles of some of Lewis's books. The movie also stars Debra Winger as Joy Davidman.

From Quiz Oh My God, The Possibilities Are Endless!

Answer: Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is a part of the Anglican communion. Anglicanism is, interestingly, a mix of Catholicism and Protestantism. It considers itself Catholic because it believes in the Catholic Creeds, traditions (or at least some of their members believe in Catholic traditions), and sacraments, especially the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. Yet, they also consider themselves Protestants because they deny the authority of the Pope, and Anglican churches don't require their members to believe in any doctrines except what they believe the Bible teaches or supports. Apparently, some Anglicans lean more "Catholic", while others are more "Protestant". Like Catholics, Anglicans practice infant baptism. Lewis was baptized and raised in the Church of Ireland.

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: Magdalen

Magdalen College was founded in 1458 and is famous for its impressive tower overlooking the High Street and the River Cherwell, and for having a deer park within the grounds of the College. Lewis had his rooms in the "New Buildings", "new" because they were a later addition built in 1733. On Mayday morning the Choir of the College ascends to the top of the Tower and sings a hymn to the rising sun.

From Quiz Oh My God, The Possibilities Are Endless!

Answer: Jack

Lewis didn't like the name "Clive" and preferred to be called "Jack", which his friends and family usually called him, even when he was older. It seems that the only person who called him "Clive" was his tutor, William Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick became Lewis's tutor when Lewis was 16. When Lewis was a child, he had a dog named Jacksie. When Lewis only four, Jacksie was ran over (killed) by a car. Originally, Lewis wanted to be called "Jacksie", but eventually accepted "Jack" instead. While his dog's death no doubt impacted Lewis, the death of his mother really, really impacted Lewis. His mother died of cancer when he was 10 years old. In one of his autobiographies, "Surprised by Joy", Lewis wrote about how devastated he was after his mother died.

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: Warren

Warren (or "Warnie") was three years older than Lewis and they were very close as boys, exploring the world around them in Northern Ireland and creating imaginary lands in their fantasies. When Warren retired from the Army in 1931, he came to live with Lewis and acted as his secretary for the next thirty or so years. He and Lewis are buried in the same grave in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Headington, Oxford.

From Quiz C. S. Lewis's Life

Answer: Belfast

Ireland had not yet been partitioned into Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

From Quiz Oh My God, The Possibilities Are Endless!

Answer: Anglican

Yes, he returned to Anglicanism, the denomination he was born into. Nonetheless, Christians of all denominations have appreciated his writings and apologetics (arguments for and defenses of the Christian faith). Although he was an Anglican, Lewis didn't consider Anglicanism superior. In "Mere Christianity", he said, "You will not learn from me whether you ought to become an Anglican, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, or a Roman Catholic". It is ironic and fascinating to note that Lewis, who has been so popular among conservative, fundamentalist, and/or Evangelical Christian fans was, in fact, not a fundamentalist himself. While Lewis believed that perhaps much of the Bible was the Word of God, he evidently didn't believe in inerrancy or that all of the Bible is literally or historically true. At the very least, he was open to the possibility that not all of it is true. In addition, even though Lewis didn't agree with everything Roman Catholicism teaches either, he was more accepting of Roman Catholicism than many Evangelicals or fundamentalist Protestants are. In "Reflections of the Psalms", Lewis wrote, "At one point I had to explain how I differed on a certain point from both Catholics and Fundamentalists: I hope I shall not for this forfeit the goodwill or the prayers of either. Nor do I much fear it."

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: T.S. Eliot

All of these men were writers and deeply religious in their own way. But Lewis found the poetry of T.S. Eliot too avant-garde and nontraditional, and even though they were both members of the Church of England, they never got on well together. Ironically it was Eliot who recognized that Lewis was the author of "A Grief Observed", submitted under a pseudonym, and encouraged him to publish this account of his reaction to the death of his wife under his own name.

From Quiz C. S. Lewis's Life

Answer: JRR Tolkien

Ransom is a character in the "Space Trilogy" books. Donne, an Elizabethan poet, is several centuries too old to have met Lewis. Lewis did hold McDonald's writing in high esteem, but never met him (except in his fictional work, "The Great Divorce").

From Quiz C. S. Lewis's Life

Answer: The Inklings

The Koalbitar was the name Tolkien gave to a similar circle of friends who would meet around the fire (close enough to bite the coals -- hence the name). The Inklings included Lewis, Tolkien, Charles Williams, Lewis' brother Warren, Owen Barfield, and Hugo Dyson. Others, including W.H. Auden and Dorothy Sayers, also sometimes attended their meetings, at which their works in progress would be read and criticised.

From Quiz Oh My God, The Possibilities Are Endless!

Answer: David and Douglas

The relationship between Lewis and Davidman is fascinating. She was originally an American and ethnically/culturally Jewish, but she was raised in a secular household. Like Lewis, she was also a writer and an atheist before becoming a Christian. She met Lewis when she visited England. After the two were friends for a while, she evidently had already fallen in love with Lewis, but he initially only saw her as a good friend and a fellow intellectual. In 1956, the two agreed to a civil marriage, but he claimed that it was only to help out his friend, so she could stay in the United Kingdom. Even though they were technically married, they didn't live together. When Davidman was very sick, Lewis realized that he didn't want to live without her; he loved her, so they had an Anglican priest marry them while she was on her hospital bed. The "proper" marriage took place in 1958. Davidman's first husband was apparently abusive to her and committed adultery against her as well.

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: University of St Andrews

The University of St Andrews, founded in 1411, is the oldest university in Scotland and the third-oldest English-speaking university. Lewis was not trained in theology and in fact was poorly regarded by 'professional' theologians. But the University granted him the degree for "capturing the attention of many who will not readily listen to professional theologians".

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: The Magician's Nephew

Although in terms of a chronological sequence "The Magician's Nephew" is the first story in the collection, relating the creation of Narnia, it was in fact the sixth to be published (1955). Some modern collections in fact print this story first in the volume, but it makes better reading to begin with the first story to be published, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (1950).

From Quiz Oh My God, The Possibilities Are Endless!

Answer: Judas Iscariot

Lewis compared Edmund to Judas Iscariot, the infamous disciple who betrayed Christ. He compared them because both were traitors, but this doesn't mean that Edmund represents Judas per se. As Lewis noted, Edmund, unlike Judas, repented and was forgiven. Even though Judas experienced guilt after what he did, he didn't actually confess his sin to God and ask for forgiveness. He simply committed suicide. Unlike Judas, Edmund also didn't kill himself. So, while there are a few similarities between Judas and Edmund, the differences are why Edmund can't be or isn't a true allegory for Judas. The White Witch is similar to Satan.

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: Apuleius

Apuleius was a second-century AD philosopher and creative writer, whose prose romance "Metamorphoses" or "The Golden Ass" contains a central panel telling the story of the god Cupid and a beautiful human maiden named Psyche. Lewis's novel is part historical fiction and part spiritual adventure.

From Quiz C. S. Lewis's Life

Answer: Joy Davidman Gresham

His grieving after her death from cancer is recorded in "A Grief Observed".

From Quiz Oh My God, The Possibilities Are Endless!

Answer: John F. Kennedy

Lewis died in Oxford, England the same day that the United States president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Lewis had been having several health issues, but what ultimately got him was kidney failure. He is buried in the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church in Oxford. Lewis said once that nobody would read any of his writings after he died. He was so wrong!

From Quiz C.S. Lewis: the man who created Narnia

Answer: Aldous Huxley

All of these writers died in 1963, but Aldous Huxley was the only one to pass away on the same day as Lewis and Kennedy. He is best known for his bleak futuristic novel, "Brave New World". The Boston theologian and philosopher, Peter Kreeft, has written an imaginative fantasy, "Between Heaven and Hell", in which Kennedy, Lewis, and Huxley all meet in the anteroom of the next life.

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