What shaped the mind of this great thinker? Jason Baxter argues that Lewis was deeply formed not only by the words of Scripture and his love of ancient mythology, but also by medieval literature. For this undeniably modern Christian, authors like Dante and Boethius provided a worldview that was relevant to the challenges of the contemporary world. Here, readers will encounter an unknown figure to guide them in their own journey: C. S. Lewis the medievalist.
So — yet another book about C.S. Lewis. I was largely disinterested but heard enough about this one to make me try the sample. That hooked me. Author Jason M. Baxter has a real talent for showing what Lewis found attractive about the medieval mindset and transporting the reader there, even if only for a few minutes before our modern minds yank control again.
I am interested in the medieval mindset anyway and this book does a great job of showing how different it was, and also how logical which is not something the modern reader expects. Baxter is equally masterful at laying out the argument for how imbued Lewis's work is with medieval concepts and acting as a bridge between that time and our own.
One of the things I enjoyed most were Baxter's examples of how medieval authors would appropriate older works and rework them for their own audience. That was considered clever and if the author did a good enough job he was celebrated. The author then shows how C.S. Lewis did essentially the same thing by taking the essence of a tale's underlying themes and characters but using them as a springboard for an original work. What comes to mind is how I always felt The Great Divorce contains unmistakable themes of Dante's Divine Comedy. That didn't overshadow the story or distract me in any way. The book feels wholly original.
I loved this book all the way through and can't recommend it highly enough, especially for those who want their Christian world enriched by more than one way of looking at the Truth.
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