Chesterton and Lewis

ELT: Volume 34:1, 1991 first meeting in Paris in 1901. In addition, Chesterton published a biographical study of Shaw (1909) that Shaw had tried unsuccessfully to discourage, arguing that the two should spend the time coUaborating on a dramatic production, but probably he was more concerned about what Chesterton might write. It is not necessarily a negative critical commentary on either Coren or Chesterton to note that the liveliest writing in Gilbert is a playful letter that Shaw penned to Chesterton. The second most intriguing chapter, "Marconi and the Jews," attempts to rationalize Chesterton's anti-Semitic statements. They were, Coren argues: 1) the inevitable result of Gilbert's attempt to defend his brother Cecil, and 2) a reflection of the typical anti-Semitic sentiment of the era preceding the rise of Hitler. To advocate the point of view further, Coren contends that Chesterton did speak out and write against the "Hitlerite atrocities" of the 1930s; and, yes, Coren continues (but others might be hesitant to say) some of his best friends were Jews. This argument is a good attempt to justify Chesterton's anti-Semitic remarks and will perhaps satisfy those who are inclined to find more to value in Chesterton than most critics agree actuaUy exists. The same might be said of the whole of Gilbert: The Man Who Was G. K. Chesterton. Ray Stevens Western Maryland College Chesterton and Lewis Michael H. Macdonald and Andrew A. Tadie, eds. The Riddle of Joy: G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1989. xx + 500 pp. $19.95 LN SOME WAYS one cannot find two more unHkely figures to compare than Chesterton and Lewis, the great exponent of the paradox and the author of a fantasy cycle for chUdren. Of course it was on the level of apologist for Christianity that the organizers of a "1987 Conference for the Achievement of G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis" saw the greatest simüarity between the two. The seventeen essays in this collection were drawn from the papers presented at that conference, sponsored by Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University. The collection is divided into five sections: "RiddHng Remembrances from Those Who Knew Them," "SpelHng the Riddle: Literary Assess98 Book Reviews ments," "Living the Riddle: Their Social Thought," "Proclaiming the Riddle: Their Apologetics," and "Pursuing the Riddle of Joy." Of the seventeen essays, only three attempt any kind of synthesis of discussion of both men; eight discuss Chesterton alone; six deal with Lewis alone. Their topics range from the biographical to the critical, both from the perspective of literature and from the perspective of society. As may be imagined, the authors are not equaUy successful in achieving their objectives, but all present something of interest. The most accessible are those deaHng with the personal lives of the two men, although that may be due as much to their anecdotal style as to the content. Among the contributors are Ian Boyd, editor of the Chesterton Review, and Walter Hooper, Lewis's secretary and biographer. Each of them tries to separate the real person from the legend which has come to represent that person in the minds of the reader. In discussing the amount of autobiographical content in Lewis's writing, Hooper appears to be revising some of the statements he made in C. S. Lewis: A Biography (1974) written with Roger Lancelyn Green. Boyd admits there is a kernel of truth behind the legendary Chesterton. In effect, the man was two figures: the public figure of the literary genius and caricature who refused to take sides in any debate and the apologist and spokesman for Christianity. By reconciling these contradictory figures, we may explain Chesterton's development as thinker and writer. To take but three other examples, Thomas T. Howard concludes that while Lewis's Hterary criticism is becoming dated, his lasting contribution to literature is the Narnia series. Even Gibson discusses Perelandra as being central to understanding Lewis's theology. Alzina Stone Dale, author of a recent biography of Chesterton, presents a portrait of him as a true Victorian behind his masquerade. For her, Chesterton's critical statements on Victorian literature remain penetratingly true...