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bkoser's review against another edition
5.0
Chapter 1: The Medieval Situation
Medieval Europeans were not superstitious, romantic savages. They were scholarly organizers who based their knowledge on books, predominantly Greek and Latin classics. The romantic strain they received from barbarian ballads of knights slaying dragons to save princesses; it was important and valuable, but not central to their thought. The central work of art and organization was their cosmological model.
Chapter 2: Reservations
The medieval model as it existed in the mind of artists is not the same as the history of medieval science, in the same way that Freud affected 20th century literature more than Einstein. The model was in tension with Christianity. Medievals held the model loosely; Galileo caused trouble not by agreeing with Copernicus but by insisting he was right.
Chapters 3 and 4 are a survey of notable writers and works, demonstrating the development and affect of the model. Lewis thought the highest of Plotinus, then Boethius, whose "Consolation of Philosophy" he calls one of the most popular and influential Latin books of all time. "To acquire a taste for it is almost to become naturalised in the Middle Ages."
Chapter 5 outlines the elements and the spheres (heavenly bodies).
Chapter 6 lists the "longlivers": elves, fairies, nymphs, etc.
Chapter 7 is mostly the Earth, beasts, and souls.
Chapter 8 examines the influence of the model on art. The medievals' worst fault was tedium: everything had a place and meaning in their cosmos, so they felt everything was interesting. Their greatest virtue was the ease of their poetry; it feels not at all straining or self-conscious.
The Epilogue might be the best chapter. Lewis grants that the medieval model was flawed in that it is not true. However, neither is our modern model. You may have "trusted the science" in Newton's day, only to be proved wrong by Einstein. Since Lewis's death, quantum theory has apparently contradicted Einstein.
Any model of the universe is a map: it describes reality, but it is not itself reality. A model can never represent reality completely, just as a map is a shadow of a place.
The popular conception is that Darwin produced biological evolution theory by his observations. But the dominant thought had switched from devolution to evolution before Darwin; the revolutionaries and romantics demanded a developing world, for which the scientists then found evidence. Another example of philosophy driving science: In the 19th century, most astronomers did not believe in alien life. With the advent of space travel and science fiction, by the mid-20th century most astronomers believed in the inevitability of aliens.
Lewis ends by calling not for a return to the medieval model, but a return to the medieval humility.
Medieval Europeans were not superstitious, romantic savages. They were scholarly organizers who based their knowledge on books, predominantly Greek and Latin classics. The romantic strain they received from barbarian ballads of knights slaying dragons to save princesses; it was important and valuable, but not central to their thought. The central work of art and organization was their cosmological model.
Chapter 2: Reservations
The medieval model as it existed in the mind of artists is not the same as the history of medieval science, in the same way that Freud affected 20th century literature more than Einstein. The model was in tension with Christianity. Medievals held the model loosely; Galileo caused trouble not by agreeing with Copernicus but by insisting he was right.
Chapters 3 and 4 are a survey of notable writers and works, demonstrating the development and affect of the model. Lewis thought the highest of Plotinus, then Boethius, whose "Consolation of Philosophy" he calls one of the most popular and influential Latin books of all time. "To acquire a taste for it is almost to become naturalised in the Middle Ages."
Chapter 5 outlines the elements and the spheres (heavenly bodies).
Chapter 6 lists the "longlivers": elves, fairies, nymphs, etc.
Chapter 7 is mostly the Earth, beasts, and souls.
Chapter 8 examines the influence of the model on art. The medievals' worst fault was tedium: everything had a place and meaning in their cosmos, so they felt everything was interesting. Their greatest virtue was the ease of their poetry; it feels not at all straining or self-conscious.
The Epilogue might be the best chapter. Lewis grants that the medieval model was flawed in that it is not true. However, neither is our modern model. You may have "trusted the science" in Newton's day, only to be proved wrong by Einstein. Since Lewis's death, quantum theory has apparently contradicted Einstein.
Any model of the universe is a map: it describes reality, but it is not itself reality. A model can never represent reality completely, just as a map is a shadow of a place.
The popular conception is that Darwin produced biological evolution theory by his observations. But the dominant thought had switched from devolution to evolution before Darwin; the revolutionaries and romantics demanded a developing world, for which the scientists then found evidence. Another example of philosophy driving science: In the 19th century, most astronomers did not believe in alien life. With the advent of space travel and science fiction, by the mid-20th century most astronomers believed in the inevitability of aliens.
Lewis ends by calling not for a return to the medieval model, but a return to the medieval humility.
jeriwho's review
5.0
An amazing book for anybody who wants to understand how people in the medieval church thought and how they viewed the universe. As a Christian and as a student of horary astrology, I found this book to be tremendously valuable. Skip the first section unless you are a graduate student in ancient literature. But the second section is of priceless value if you want to understand the way Western thought developed over the centuries.
bookishlybeauty's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
caliesha's review against another edition
5.0
The 'space' of modern astronomy may arouse terror, or bewilderment or vague reverie; the spheres of the old present us with an object in which the mind can rest, overwhelming in its greatness but satisfying in its harmony. That is the sense in which our universe is romantic, and theirs was classical.
A brilliant and comprehensive dive into the literary psyche of the Middle Ages. Lewis presents a model of the medieval universe that neatly synthesizes the epistemology and foundational ontology that characterizes the rhetoric and belief of this period.
A brilliant and comprehensive dive into the literary psyche of the Middle Ages. Lewis presents a model of the medieval universe that neatly synthesizes the epistemology and foundational ontology that characterizes the rhetoric and belief of this period.
kermittothebit's review
5.0
Exactly what it claims to be. It is an academic work that thoroughly describes the way medieval people viewed the world and their place in it. It is incredibly helpful to provide a context for more specific academic studies of the medieval period. This is a work of its time, and has some flaws (there are commentaries on the book that hash these out). This is also an academic work that reads like a conversation, and creating such a thing is a talent not all (or even most) academics possess. In other words, this was an engaging read that kept me moving through the book at a fast pace, while still feeling like I understood what was going on. Would be an excellent piece to use in an introductory medieval literature class.
davehershey's review against another edition
3.0
I am taking two things away from this book:
1. I am done with CS Lewis! Of course, I mean that in a good way. I love Lewis but after reading nearly all of his books, I think I've reached the end of his catalog. There's a reason this one is little known; it does not possess much popular appeal. Other than reading his Letters one day and rereading his works, I think this is the end.
2. This book demonstrates Lewis' brilliance as an academic. I heard someone say once they thought Lewis is overrated. This book shows that had Lewis wanted to be a world-class medieval scholar (though perhaps he was anyway) he could have been. Of all the Lewis books I've read, this one seems the most academic. It is a far cry from his popular-level reflections on faith and life. Here we see Lewis the academic at his best.
Honestly, it probably deserves more than 3 stars. I give it only 3 simply in comparison to his other books which I consistently give 4 or 5. If Lewis was only a medieval historian and this was his only work I may have given it a 4. Though, if Lewis was that then I probably would never have read it. Placing it in the context of the rest of his work, I give it a 3. That said, if you're really into medieval Christianity and literature and theology or philosophy then definitely check this one out!
1. I am done with CS Lewis! Of course, I mean that in a good way. I love Lewis but after reading nearly all of his books, I think I've reached the end of his catalog. There's a reason this one is little known; it does not possess much popular appeal. Other than reading his Letters one day and rereading his works, I think this is the end.
2. This book demonstrates Lewis' brilliance as an academic. I heard someone say once they thought Lewis is overrated. This book shows that had Lewis wanted to be a world-class medieval scholar (though perhaps he was anyway) he could have been. Of all the Lewis books I've read, this one seems the most academic. It is a far cry from his popular-level reflections on faith and life. Here we see Lewis the academic at his best.
Honestly, it probably deserves more than 3 stars. I give it only 3 simply in comparison to his other books which I consistently give 4 or 5. If Lewis was only a medieval historian and this was his only work I may have given it a 4. Though, if Lewis was that then I probably would never have read it. Placing it in the context of the rest of his work, I give it a 3. That said, if you're really into medieval Christianity and literature and theology or philosophy then definitely check this one out!
vanjr's review
2.0
The title suggests an introduction to a period of literature, but this is more like introduction to graduate level medieval and renaissance lit. On a positive note i do feel motivated to fill in my gaps.