Splendour in the Dark: C. S. Lewis's Dymer in His Life and Work

Several years before he converted to Christianity, C. S. Lewis published a narrative poem, Dymer, under the pseudonym Clive Hamilton. Later, of course, Lewis became well known for his beloved imaginative stories, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Till We Have Faces, as well as his ability to defend and articulate the faith in works such as Mere Christianity.

But what about his literary work before his conversion?

In this Hansen Lectureship volume, Jerry Root contends that Lewis's early poem Dymer can not only shed light on the development of Lewis's literary skills but also offer a glimpse of what was to come in his intellectual and spiritual growth--a "splendour in the dark," to borrow one of Lewis's own lines from the poem. Under Root's careful analysis, Dymer becomes a way to understand both Lewis's change of mind as well as the way in which each of us is led on a journey of faith.

This volume also includes the complete text of Dymer with annotations from David C. Downing, co-director of the Marion E. Wade Center.

Based on the annual lecture series hosted at Wheaton College's Marion E. Wade Center, volumes in the Hansen Lectureship Series reflect on the imaginative work and lasting influence of seven British authors: Owen Barfield, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

Jerry Root (PhD, Open University) is professor of evangelism and director of the Evangelism Initiative at Wheaton College. He is the author of C.S. Lewis and a Problem of Evil: An Investigation of a Pervasive Theme, the coauthor of The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis and The Sacrament of Evangelism, and the coeditor of The Quotable Lewis and The Soul of C.S. Lewis.

David C. Downing (PhD, University of California at Los Angeles) is the co-director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College. Downing is the author of four books on C. S. Lewis, as well as a novel, Looking for the King. Downing is also an editor and annotator of the Wade Annotated Pilgrim's Regress and C. S. Lewis's Letters on Faith.