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| C. S. Lewis Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | C. S. Lewis Society |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Literary society |
| Headquarters | Various locations |
| Region served | International |
C. S. Lewis Society The C. S. Lewis Society is an association dedicated to the study and appreciation of the life, writings, and influence of Clive Staples Lewis. Founded in the 20th century, the society brings together scholars, writers, clergy, educators, and enthusiasts to explore Lewis's fiction, theology, and apologetics through meetings, publications, and public events. Its activities often intersect with institutions, archives, and cultural organizations connected to Lewisian studies.
The society emerged amid renewed interest in Lewis following publications and events linked to J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, The Inklings, Dorothy Sayers, and George Sayer. Early formations were influenced by institutions such as Magdalen College, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Balliol College, Oxford, and Pembroke College, Oxford. Key moments included gatherings inspired by anniversaries of works like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Problem of Pain, and conferences at venues including King's College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. Prominent figures connected to the society's early development included scholars associated with Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, editors from Houghton Mifflin, curators from Bodleian Libraries, and biographers writing in the tradition of Walter Hooper, Alastair Fowler, Humphrey Carpenter, and Alec Vidler.
The society's stated aims typically involve promoting study of Lewis's corpus including works published by HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, and HarperOne, encouraging scholarship in venues like The Journal of Theological Studies, The Oxford Illustrated History of English Literature, and supporting public engagement through partnerships with BBC Radio 4, NPR, The Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and The New Yorker. Activities include seminars referencing thinkers such as G. K. Chesterton, Thomas Aquinas, John Milton, William Shakespeare, and Augustine of Hippo; symposia comparing Lewis with authors like C. S. Forester, Evelyn Waugh, Aldous Huxley, George MacDonald, and H. G. Wells; and collaborative projects with museums and trusts such as The Lewis Close Trust, The Kilns, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and The British Library.
Membership typically comprises academics from King's College, Cambridge, clergy from Canterbury Cathedral, educators from Eton College, librarians from Bodleian Libraries, and independent scholars associated with The Inklings Society (Oxford), Society for Orthodox Christian Studies, and denominational bodies like Church of England institutions. Governance structures often mirror those of learned societies such as The Royal Society, The British Academy, and The Modern Language Association, with elected officers, advisory boards featuring affiliates of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, and committees coordinating conferences at venues including Westminster Abbey and Trinity College, Cambridge. Membership tiers can include categories for postgraduate researchers from King's College London, emeritus professors from University of Chicago, and international fellows from Notre Dame.
The society sponsors journals, monograph series, and lecture series. Publications frequently appear in collaboration with presses such as Eerdmans Publishing, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Oxford University Press, and Cambridge University Press, and include essays engaging with works like Surprised by Joy, Till We Have Faces, The Great Divorce, and Letters to Malcolm. Regular events include annual conferences, lecture series featuring speakers associated with The Tolkien Society, roundtables with editors from HarperCollins Children's Books, public readings at institutions like The Hay Festival, and panels at academic meetings such as International Congress on Medieval Studies, Society for Contemporary Theology, and American Academy of Religion. The society has hosted commemorative events marking anniversaries of Lewis's birth and death, and partnered with film festivals screening adaptations produced by studios such as Walden Media.
Chapters exist across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe and Asia. Notable centers of activity include groups affiliated with University of St Andrews, Trinity Western University, Regent College (Vancouver), Australian College of Theology, and cultural centers connected to Dublin Castle and Edinburgh International Book Festival. Collaborations often involve regional literary societies like The Samuel Johnson Society, historical societies such as The Dickens Fellowship, and ecumenical networks including World Council of Churches affiliates. International conferences have convened participants from Princeton Theological Seminary, McGill University, University of Toronto, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, and University of Auckland.
The society has contributed to scholarship on Lewis alongside contributions from biographers, critics, and institutions including Walter Hooper, Humphrey Carpenter, Alister McGrath, Jennifer T. Kosminski, A. N. Wilson, and Michael Ward. Its influence is visible in curricula at seminaries and universities such as Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, Duke Divinity School, and in popular culture through adaptations involving BBC Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, Fox Film Corporation, and academic discourse in journals like Modern Language Quarterly and Theological Studies. The society's legacy includes archival collaborations with repositories such as Bodleian Libraries, The British Library, and Marquette University Archives and ongoing dialogues with literary estates, foundations, and arts organizations including The Lewis Close Trust and theatrical companies staging works at Royal Shakespeare Company venues.
Category:Literary societies Category:C. S. Lewis