Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Tumnus’ Bookshelf, where we review any and all books written by, about, and inspired by CS Lewis, The Land of Narnia, and The Inklings. For this special edition review we will be looking at The Screwtape Letters Handbook: The Easiest Guide to Get The Most of of CS Lewis’ Classic Book by William O’Flaherty
TITLE:The Screwtape Letters Handbook: The Easiest Guide to Get The Most of of CS Lewis’ Classic Book.
AUTHOR: William O’Flaherty
PUBLISHER : Winged Lion Press
ISBN-10 : 1935688588
ISBN-13 : 978-1935688587
Summary:
From William O’Flaherty author, and co-host of the All About Jack Podcast, comes a new comprehensive guidebook through the infernal regions of CS Lewis classic epistolary novel, The Screwtape Letters.
Review:
Admittedly one book any fan of a work appreciates he most it’s a handbook to that universe. From the classic Essential Guides to Characters for the Star Wars Legends universe, Harry Potter character guides, the History of the DC Universe and Marvel Universe A-Z, when stories go on so long with countless entries having a guide book to help you through the work and make sense of some of the missed details while remaining focused on the big picture, is an indispensable literary resource. For fans of Tolkien and Lewis, the fact that there are not only an entire books devoted to the lands of Narnia and Middle-Earth, but for those same fans, books like The Quotable Lewis, Collin Duriz Lord of the Rings Hand Book, or The CS Lewis Handbook, are an indelible part of their library .With those beloved dog eared books of the Inklings in hand, these handbooks and encyclopedias are like a travel guide to help readers look for key features and points of interest in the story.
There’s no shortage of books by CS Lewis that such a book would be appropriate for such as the Space Trilogy or Til We Have Faces. Thus, it may come as a surprise that from William O’Flaherty author of Misquotable C.S. Lewis, and C.S. Lewis Goes to Hell: A Companion and Study Guide to The Screwtape Letters that we would receive such a book for Screwtape Letters. Jack himself admitted that when a child was convalescing in the hospital and was offered one of his books, they chose Screwtape Letters, that it was the one chosen as it was the shortest book he wrote.
But what Screwtape may lack in length, it more than makes up for in depth. The fact that viral memes circulate on Facebook claiming to be from CS Lewis talking about social media and current American politics is evidence to this fact. The letters seem current, relevant and ultimately deal with the human condition. Whether it’s in the height of World War II as it was when Lewis wrote the book, or today, it’s truly timeless work.Thus, finding a book to help understand it clearly, to know what it specifically talks about and who are the key figures is a welcome edition to the catalogue of CS Lewis related books.
O’Flaherty organizes this book into four sections. The first is a careful summary of themes and topics in each letter. Lewis’ book was after all published back during the second world War. Language has changed drastically since then and some of his more classical phrasing may be hard for newer and younger readers to understand. Each summary even features a bullet point beneath the man paragraph summary. I have to hand it to O’Flaherty, that is some serious, careful attention to detail. Screwtape monologues like all great villains, and perhaps like his great literary forebears, Milton’s Lucifer, Dante’s devil, or Goethe’s ( Or Marlow’s) Mephistopheles, he is so proud and arrogant, that he is easily lost in his own puffed-up self-image. If he were to admit for a moment he may be wrong, it would lead him to repentance but it can’t. Thus, for new readers of Screwtape it can be far to easy to get lost in Screwtape’s grandeur and wonder if, like Mark Twain’s Satan in” The Mysterious Stranger” or Letters from Earth if he isn’t right, and this Handbook helps “set the record straight.”
The second part of the book is a careful glossary of the characters throughout the book, divided first into the major character, followed by the minor demons, FR. Spike, the Vicar and “Mother”. Surprisingly “The girl” does not make the cut, but aside from a few brief rants about her, Screwtape doesn’t seem to want to think on her that much.
From here, we are given a concise glossary of key topics in each letter, how they are defined and depicted in the book, and in which letter we can find it. This even includes a list of minor topics! Those interested in reading further will also appetite the final section in the book devoted not only to other books on CS Lewis form Winged Lion Press, but a generous list of recommended books looking at CS Lewis and his life, faith and work.
Having already written two books about CS Lewis and The Screwtape Letters it is only fitting that O’Flaherty chose to write a handbook for the classic epistolary novel. Indeed, with The Screwtape Letters Handbook, fans of CS Lewis now at last have an indispensably guide through the infernal regions, written by an expert tour guide through the work. Grab your favorite copy of The Screwtape Letters, a pen and a notebook, and prepare to dive right into The Handbook. You’ll be glad you did.
Five out of Five Shields
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