Philosophy and Myth in C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams

FAIN: FT-10780-70

Richard L. Purtill
Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA 98225-5996)

Study of the metaphysical, ethical and aesthetic ideas expressed in the works, fiction and non-fiction, of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams, from the point of view of contemporary philosophy. Special focus on the way in which each created a consistent myth or world view in their fictional works which reflects aesthetic, ethical, and metaphysical ideas expressed in their non-fictional works. The Christian basis of these myths and their surprising popularity in a secular age will also be examined, as well as their choice of "other world" (other planets, pre-history, the occult) locales.