Book description
The remarkable breadth of C. S. Lewis's (1898--1963) work is nearly
as legendary as the fantastical tales he so inventively crafted. A
variety of themes emerge in his literary output, which spans the
genres of nonfiction, fantasy, science fiction, and children's
literature, but much of the scholarship examining his work focuses on
religion or philosophy. Overshadowed are Lewis's views on nature and
his concern for environmental stewardship, which are present in most
of his work. In Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: The Environmental
Vision of C. S. Lewis, authors Matthew Dickerson and David O'Hara
illuminate this important yet overlooked aspect of the author's
visionary work. Dickerson and O'Hara go beyond traditional theological
discussions of Lewis's writing to investigate themes of
sustainability, stewardship of natural resources, and humanity's
relationship to wilderness. The authors examine the environmental and
ecological underpinnings of Lewis's work by exploring his best-known
works of fantasy, including the seven books of the Chronicles of
Narnia and the three novels collectively referred to as the Space
Trilogy. Taken together, these works reveal Lewis's enduring
environmental concerns, and Dickerson and O'Hara offer a new
understanding of his pioneering style of fiction. An avid outdoorsman,
Lewis deftly combined an active imagination with a deep appreciation
for the natural world. Narnia and the Fields of Arbol, the first
book-length work on the subject, explores the marriage of Lewis's
environmental passion with his skill as a novelist and finds the
author's legacy to have as much in common with the agrarian
environmentalism of Wendell Berry as it does with the fantasy of J. R.
R. Tolkien. In an era of increasing concern about deforestation,
climate change, and other environmental issues, Lewis's work remains
as pertinent as ever. The widespread adaption of his work in film
lends credence to the author's staying power as an influential voice
in both fantastical fiction and environmental literature. With Narnia
and the Fields of Arbol, Dickerson and O'Hara have written a timely
work of scholarship that offers a fresh perspective on one of the most
celebrated authors in literary history.
""Shows the horror, environmental and moral, of
separating the human from nature." --Choice" --
Matthew T. Dickerson is professor of environmental studies and
computer science at Middlebury College, author of Ents, Elves, and
Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien,Following
Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings and
The Finnsburg Encounter, and coeditor of From Homer to Harry Potter: A
Handbook on Myth and Fantasy. David O'Hara is assistant professor of
philosophy and instructor in classical Greek at Augustana College in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is coeditor of From Homer to Harry
Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy.
