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The Screwtape Letters
Resumen
A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below." At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C. S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging and humorous account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.
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A bundle of incomplete, disordered letters fall into your lap in the candle light. Each letter's subject centers on a patient that needs tending by its invisible guide. The letters urge the recipient to work fast, avoid the Enemy, and labor to bring his patient to a glorious feast Below. The letters describe strategy for Man's destruction. The letters are written in scrawled, inky handwriting. The letters are signed "your affectionate uncle Screwtape."This collection of fictional letters from one demonic spirit to the other is a fascinating concept contrived by the great CS Lewis himself. Each letter is carefully composed in an oily, inky-black tone belonging to a well-experienced Devil named Screwtape as he instructs his nephew in training on how to condemn a human soul. Although laced with scholarly, sometimes difficult words with deep concepts and long rabbit trails, the Screwtape Letters were surprisingly enjoyable.I find the term "patient" that Screwtape and Wormwood speak of an intriguing concept. A patient, as if the human was sick and needed treatment. This one word alone creates an unsettling atmosphere to the reader. Something's just creepy when you introduce diabolical, mad scientists and doctors, Screwtape and Wormwood being no different.The Letters are almost like a Biblical devotion of what NOT to do. Time after time I would read Screwtape's advice and be forced to think: "Wow, I never thought of that as a sin before. I never thought that could be a stumbling block. I never thought that Satan could use that against me." Granted, CS Lewis's story is complete fiction, but the concepts and ideas remain true. Screwtape's deep philosophies on pride, for one, is an enlightening concept. There was so much Wormwood could do if he could simply get his unnamed patient to be prideful.My critiques are few. The readers enjoying this story must take in account that not everything Screwtape says lines up with the Biblical facts of Salvation, God, Hell, or souls. Lewis disclaims this fact in the Letter's preface: "Readers are advised to remember that the devil is a liar. Not everything that Screwtape says should be assumed to be true even from his own angle." In the book, Screwtape seems to believe that Salvation can be lost--rather, it can be renounced, and with it, the soul's eternal security. He makes mention of this often in the book, and this, plus Lewis's comment about Susan in the Last Battle, I assume he believes you can "give back" your Salvation. According to Jesus in John 10:29, "No man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."Another Biblical inaccuracy takes place near the end of the correspondence. Screwtape mentions a Feast where the demons devour lost human souls they've dragged to Hell. In the terms he describes it, it appears that these souls are consumed, totally, by the demons who currently reside in Hell (quite comfortably, it would seem). In the Bible, Jesus mentions that "the worm dieth not," the "worm" being mankind's soul. So unless the devoured soul continues to be conscious in the demons' bodies, in fiery agony for eternity, this picture Lewis has described can't be considered accurate. Also, Satan is implied to be living in Hell with his demons, all of them unbound and free to do evil. The only demons in Hell, currently, are the ones that have been bound there specifically by God and His angels. The others are free on earth, in no torment...yet. In Lewis's work, it appears as if Hell were a "base" of the demons. Their Heaven. It doesn't sound like a place of torment for them.Bear in mind with these inaccuracies that Lewis does mention in his preface that not all of which you read, even coming from Screwtape, is true. Screwtape gets much of his information from Satan, who is a liar.I find it interesting, and almost sad, that the demons can't comprehend Love. Multiple times Screwtape is baffled over why God would love His creation so much. Why one measly soul is so important to Him. Screwtape vents that it must be some secret He and His creatures are keeping from them. It can't possibly be as simple as He says it is.All in all, I really enjoyed this book, heavy as it may be.Things to Watch Out For:Romance: Demons speak of sex, the way it was intended, and then the way they can twist it to their own means. They use sexual temptation to trip up the patient, but they didn't use descriptions that were too uncomfortable. Demons don't care about going into detail. They don't have the same desires as Man.Language: Talk of damnation, "Hell forbid," "By Hell."Violence: talk of the blitz and bombings during the War, detailed descriptions of human soul consumption and the likeDrugs: mention of smoking and drinking by the patient or other humans that Screwtape talks ofNudity: NAOther: Some slight Biblical inaccuracies such as losing Salvation, Hell, and eternal suffering of souls
A "what not to do" guide for Christians. Gotta love it.
A am slightly embarrassed to admit I did not finish this book. I read it before essays and what I like to call 'intellectual fiction' were interesting to me, so I never finished it. I plan on getting back to it... but if you don't like to read essays, it will most likely bore you.
Fun, easy to read, and classic Lewis. Helps give great insight into the devil that sits on your right shoulder whispering bad things for you to do.
A striking approach to literature about the devil, sin and evil in the world. The Screwtape Letters is a satirical Christian apologetics novel written in epistolary style by C. S. Lewis, first published in book form in February 1942. The story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior "tempter" named Wormwood, so as to advise him on methods of securing the damnation of a British man, known only as "the Patient". C.S. Lewis provides a series of lessons in the importance of taking a deliberate role in living out Christian faith by portraying a typical human life, with all its temptations and failings, as seen from devils' viewpoints. Screwtape holds an administrative post in the bureaucracy ("Lowerarchy") of Hell, and acts as a mentor to Wormwood, the inexperienced tempter. In the body of the thirty-one letters which make up the book, Screwtape gives Wormwood detailed advice on various methods of undermining faith and promoting sin in the Patient, interspersed with observations on human nature and Christian doctrine. While it resonates I did not find it compelling, merely entertaining at its best moments.
I like the idea of the book (ie. the point of view it's written from). I've read 'Lord Foulgrin's letters' which is probably inspired by this book. I found foulgrin easier to read than screwtape which I believe has to do with the times they were written in and also the writers themselves of course! CS Lewis has such an amazing minds and it sends my brains wacko! While I believe I'm quite intelligent in some areas- philosophy (or something along that line) is really not my cup of tea. He stressed that God loves people whilst people are really not worthy of it. That's what I mostly got from it & also going to church & going through the 'motions' of being 'Christian' doesn't mean that you're a Christian. Complacency is a threat & we have to surrender our will each day to God to fight this 'war'.
A series of correspondence from the lowerarchy in Hell, where a high-ranking bureaucrat provides advice to his rookie nephew. Lewis argues that it is not the "big" sins that get us in trouble, but the compilation of little ones.
A though-provoking book if ever there was one. CS Lewis's books are always interesting to me, because although they're written from a Christian point of view (er, 'although' because I'm agnostic, not because Christian implies bad or anything!), Lewis was a relatively late convert and so tends to write from a viewpoint that I can relate to. Books on religion written by those people who were brought up in that religion tend to seem a little... not biased, exactly... but like they assume you already know what they're talking about, if that makes sense? Plus it also means that a lot of his things are true from the point of view of any religion, or even from an ethical/moral viewpoint with no religious connections at all. Well, in my opinion, anyway.And the humourous style of this book just makes his points all the clearer. Screwtape's insistence that it is impossible that love does not require some ulterior motive... well, that gave me a lot of things to think about, anyway.If you like thinking about religion and morality and so on, as I seem to spend a lot of time doing these days, I recommend this, as well as The Problem Of Pain (by the same author) as good for that purpose :)
"The Screwtape Letters" was interesting, challenging, clever, and funny.Each short chapter is a letter written by devil/demon Screwtape, sent to his nephew, Wormwood, regarding the latter's work. The nephew has a human he is supposed to protect from becoming a Christian, but doesn't do a good job of it despite his uncle's advice and suggestions.I wasn't sure about this book at first: it sat on my shelves for probably ten years, unread. As I read each chapter, I began to see how well the author described humans and their nature, and used that knowledge to create an amusing little book about how people think, react, and justify themselves. It doesn't whitewash how those who consider themselves Christians don't always act in a Christian manner, either.The additional material at the end, "Screwtape Proposes a Toast", was marvelous. C.S. Lewis just nails human nature as it truly exists.This book is recommended for all, religious or non-religious.
Brilliant satire on the human condition
I really liked this book overall, but I would have liked it even more if it weren't for Lewis's doctrinal differences. The major difference is that Lewis apparently believed people could lose their salvation. This belief drives the plot of the book. (The devils are trying to get the Christians to lose their salvation.)
The Screwtape Letters primarily covers Lewis' theology of virtue. The dark, wry humor in Screwtape's letters to his nephew Wormwood works well as a framing device for what is largely a series of essays on temptation and virtue. There's no real plot as such and Wormwood's target is never more than a cipher, as Screwtape would hardly have cared, but doing otherwise - perhaps with letters from Wormwood as well - would have been a different book. This one works remarkably well, funny and thoughtful.It is flawed, though; Lewis dismisses some things too carelessly when they conflict with his own thoughts. A bit more ambiguity from Screwtape would have suited the work, particularly when he treads outside of the central conceits of the book. Screwtape Proposes a Toast, included at the end of the book, suffers from this particularly; showing a broader aim rather than the temptation of a single person, it veers into the political. Screwtape's musings work more effectively in other matters, though they remain entertaining to the end.
Written from the POV of a devil tempting a Christian. Very witty and funny, even if you're not a Christian, but sometimes you need some Christian background to be able to understand what he's talking about.
A subtle and profound exploration of the nature and causes of sins, reflecting a lifetime of thinking about the subject by a powerful intellect. Interesting even to this atheist.
I've put this on my shelf to re-read in print. Not all books can be thoughtfully processed while driving. It was not dense, but the style, a one-sided correspondence, brooked no distraction. I don't believe in the devil, and the depiction of the bureaucracy devoted to his service was comical. The insight into man's behavior and faith, and how they might be manipulated, and are in fact constantly manipulated by the forces of good and evil, was cogent to the point of discomfort at times. Will be looking for a copy at a book sale.
"Junior tempter" Wormwood receives excellent instruction in the art and science of ensnaring an unsuspecting human soul in this epistolary theological classic. Wormwood's human "patient", a young British man living through the dark days of World War II, is a new Christian. Wormwood's Uncle Screwtape believes that despite this man's conversion, he could still be brought back into Satan's camp through the proper combination of trying circumstances and demonic manipulation. To this end, the old devil tutors his protege in the exploitation of human weaknesses, such as gluttony, lust and pride.Some find Screwtape's letters witty, even humorous, but I found this short book heavy going at times.
In a series of letters to his nephew, Wormwood, the demon Screwtape provides advice to his nephew on how to tempt an unnamed human and separate him from the Enemy that is God.An interesting approach that is both a good read and prompts some serious thought on any believer's relationship with God.
For a bit of 'inspirational' reading this Christmas, I picked up The Screwtape Letters. I've read some of the Narnia series as well as Mere Christianity by Lewis and I knew the basic gist of Screwtape, but still wasn't 100% sure what was in store for me.The book is a series of letters written by the demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood. Both are demons of Hell and the letters are discussions of the practices used to tempt humans and lead them down to Hell rather than letting them make it to Heaven. Wormwood is a junior demon working on tempting a human man in 'contemporary' (to Lewis...~1940s) London. Screwtape is a senior demon no longer doing field work but now in a higher administrative role and full of good advice for the young Wormwood.The book is often humorous as you read about the follies of humans from the point of view of these immortal and immoral tempters. The humorous anecdotes are also subtly invasive as you realize just how true to life these comments are.Screwtape advises Wormwood to take advantage of the foibles of human nature to lead the man down the path to Hell while all the while letting him believe he's on his way to Heaven. The subversive realities these demons try to persuade the human to believe are strangely familiar to the social norms of the world in which we live.Screwtape admonishes that, unless the man is truly vile, Wormwood shouldn't try to push him away from religion but rather let him get puffed up in his religion to the point of self-exhaltation based on his own interpretations. The demons are wary of the truly penitent but are grateful for the many who go through the motions of religion for perception only.There are many good lessons to be learned through the book. Many poignant passages softly chastising humble pride, valueless bravery, hopeless nostalgic dreamers and others.It's a great satire on the state of the world.What was most sad and scary to me is that ~50-60 years later, not much has changed. The same subtle lies are being whispered through the world and countless humans (myself included at times) are believing them and gently paving our own way to Hell.Two other things I found very interesting in this book:
This edition included a short epilogue from C. S. Lewis. In it, he discusses the difficulty of writing from the point of view of a devil. He wrote of the darkness he felt in trying to shed all semblance of goodness in order to portray such a viewpoint. Perhaps one of my favorite themes in the book was that of Screwtape trying to understand "God's Love." He just couldn't believe that God truly loves us and that it is that Love that is at the heart of his motivations. I think Lewis truly threw himself into the role of Screwtape and did a great job embodying the demon. I don't envy him that difficult task.
This edition also included Lewis' one follow up to the Letters. It was a short work called "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" and the setting is a graduation commencement for novice demons just out of training and ready for assignments. Screwtape is giving the commencement speech and toast. His language and themes were again very relevant and honest satires on the world we live in. A few paragraphs really caught my attention...He talked about the education system of humans and ways they (the demons) might undermine it. He talked of standardized testing and lowering the scale to the least common factor such that the most inept student could succeed (only with that bare minimum) while the average and excellent students will leave school with no educational increase. He talked about undermining the true study and learning by replacing it with rote memorization of facts and figures to the point that any ability to truly think would be diminished and thus humans would not be able to see through the flimsy temptations. Sadly, a lot of the language in this section sounded far too similar to the No Child Left Behind legislation and other similar practices in the school system today. How sadly prophetic Lewis was on this front
I'd be interested to find some analysis of it that helps break out different letters into their themes...maybe I'll work on one. Something that could be used to pull out passages about some of the different temptations: Love/Romance/Sex, Religion, Pride, Nature, etc.Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. There were a few sections that really seemed to drag on but generally it was a lot of fun to read and it left me in a state of deep thinking afterwards. Give it a try.****4 stars
This book addresses certain qualities of mankind. The focus is (of course) on the seven deadly sins, as well as ignorance of history, materialism and general quirks of mankind. All of these focuses are directed towards how they can cause a person to fall into sin and end up in Hell. C.S. Lewis probably meant these warnings from a religious viewpoint. But I was actually able to look at them and find a non-religious aspect to them. From the first page I saw details that can relate to our time today. E.g. people falling into materialism or letting themselves become dumb with novelties and “incompatable philosophies dancing around”. This novel delves into all kinds of beliefs and questions them for the purpose of helping the reader find where they want to be. How does it fit into search for self? (Aside from the previous sentence) The first aspect to answering this question is to address the effect of The Point of View in the novel. As the title states, the novel is composed of Screwtape’s letters. He is not searching for himself, but instead is trying to help his nephew direct a human’s search for self in the direction of Hell. The human, who remains unnamed because that is not important to the point of the novel is tugged by demons and angels alike, both sides trying to direct him towards Hell or Heaven respectively. The man is searching for which side he believes himself to be on. This is the example of search for self. I reccomend this book to anyone religious or not because it has a message we all can take away.
A very clever way to look at Christianity. What kinds of things or attitudes would a devil look for in you that would help him to tempt you? Each letter is a quick read but very thought-provoking ... and humorous!
One of the great works of moral instruction of the past, or any century. Lewis' fame as an explicitly Christian apologist, has led to him being tremendously neglected as a moralist. He understands how our vices from ourselves, how easily we can be swept up in selfishness and pride ourselves on the flimsiest virtues. If you are reading this book honestly, you will at times find it very painful. It is also often very funny. Highly recommended, perhaps even more so for non-Christians (like myself).2.25.09"In the heat of composition I find that I have inadvertently allowed myself to assume the form of a large centipede."
“The Screwtape Letters” was my first foray into the mind of C. S. Lewis and I found it interesting and timeless. Written at the height of WWII in 1942, Lewis’s warnings about the false hope and change of “social justice” and “self-esteem” (then referred to as parity of esteem) have unfortunately become fulfilled predictions. In “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” (added twenty years later) Lewis again points to the then (1962) disturbing trend of everyone being equal, this despite obvious and significant differences. No one can be – or at least can be thought of as being – better than another, and he goes on to reinforce the notion that salvation of Democracies (free people) lies in the salvation of the individual – not the collective. A very refreshing, enlightening and timeless read.
The Screwtape Letters was a stimulating read from both a spiritual and an intellectual view. It is a series of letters sent by a Demon, Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood (a junior tempter). The letters give a detailed description of the sort of temptations which demons try to side track humans, specifically Christians.This book fits into our English genre of Finding The Self very well. From a Christian perspective, it makes the reader think about how Satan is tempting each of us individually in our own lives. When Screwtape describes a scenario in his letters, the readers begins to think about similar situations in their own lives and how, perhaps, their choices might replicate what Screwtape is describing. That process makes the reader think about themselves, the actions they have done, the choices they have made, and what they will do in the future.I think that this is a must read for any Christian. However, that does not mean non-Christians should be wary of the book. It provides many good messages on morality which non-Christians can and should take to heart. And while the book is not something you would read simply for the enjoyment of the story, it is none-the-less good because of its intellectual nature.
A wonderful perspective on man and Satan.
what a reflection! shows how easily we are manipulated into wrongdoing.
A very good book for all those who want to understand, or to embark on a journey of spirituality. Many books have been written from the perspective of God, but not too many have been written from the perspective of demons.As an alternative manner of thought, it provides a delightful read, and poses many questions for us to think about
The Screwtape Letters is a collection of letters from Screwtape, an experienced, senior level demon, to his nephew, Wormwood, on how to tempt his 'patient' away from God. Each of Screwtape's letters offers advice to his nephew on the using the human mind and logic to turn his patient to "Our Father Below". All of the letters analyze the actions and thoughts of humans. Screwtape is the master of reverse theology; however, he doesn't have much patience. This novel connects to our theme because it shows the journey the patient is going thorough as Wormwood tries to destroy his Christianity. In the background of the correspondence between Screwtape and Wormwood, there is the saga of one man’s spiritual battle. He is attempting to find God while dealing with the many temptations presented by Wormwood. His search for himself is the main focus of the two main characters. Overall, The Screwtape Letters was a good book. It presented many interesting ideas and made me think about my own actions and the motivations behind them. However, I found it tended to slow down and drag on at certain points. If you want to see a different perspective on spiritual struggles, then I would recommend this book.
Lewis adopts the old epistlatory technique to serve his ends of Christian apology, and with delightful results. Whether or not one accepts and agrees with Lewis's theology, his style and method win the reader's approbation.Screwtape is a senior demon in Hell writing advice to his protege on the front lines here on Earth. As Lewis himself remarked, once one hits upon the concept, the execution is fairly easy. Simply take standard moral advice and turn them inside out, upside down, or backwards.
The Screwtape Letters was written by C.S.Lewis in 1942 with WW2 as the backdrop. This is a series of letters (epistolary style literary work) written by Screwtape to his young nephew, Wormwood, advising him on how to secure the soul of 'the patient'. It also contained the sequel, Screwtape Proposes a Toast in which Screwtape addressed the graduating class of tempters. This was published in 1959 and addresses the politics of the post war world. C.S.Lewis uses this satirical format to address the Christian life. Many of the chapters discuss love. Letter 19 addresses God's love for humanity. Letter 26 addresses courtship. I also very much enjoyed the letters on time, reality, music and noise. There is so much in this little book that rereading it many times would not exhaust the nuggets of truth.
A senior devil gives advice on tempting humans to his nephew, a junior devil