Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Book Review: Surprised By Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis by Terry Lindvall Ph.D.

Here is another one of those hard reviews.  I hate writing about books that I didn't like.  I'm always afraid that someone will not give a book a good look if I say that it was awful.  Do you like how much faith I have in my power of influence?   That being said, I did not like this book even one little bit.

When I read the description of this book, I was excited.  What do you think?

All of his life, C. S. Lewis possessed a spirit of individuality. An atheist from childhood, he became a Christian as an adult and eventually knew international acclaim as a respected theologian. He was known worldwide for his works of fiction, especially the Chronicles of Narnia; and for his books on life and faith, including Mere Christianity, A Grief Observed, and Surprised by Joy. But perhaps the most visible difference in his life was his abiding sense of humor. It was through this humor that he often reached his readers and listeners, allowing him to effectively touch so many lives.
Terry Lindvall takes an in-depth look at Lewis's joyful approach toward living, dividing his study of C. S. Lewis's wit into the four origins of laughter in Uncle Screwtape's eleventh letter to a junior devil in Lewis's The Screwtape Letters: joy, fun, the joke proper, and flippancy. Lindvall writes, "One bright and compelling feature we can see, sparking in his sunlight and dancing in his moonlight, is laughter. Yet it is not too large to see at once because it inhabited all Lewis was and did." 

Doesn't that sound like a look into all the funny things C.S. Lewis did and  was inspired by?  Well, that's what I thought it was going to be about.  It turns out to be a much more serious look into the study of laughter and humor in general.  It does refer to Lewis but isn't about Lewis.  I'll be honest, I didn't make it through the third chapter.  I had to force myself to read that far.

So,  if you are looking for a study and discussion on laughter & humor and how C.S. Lewis used it, this may be a good book for you.  It is not for you if you are looking for a light hearted look at Lewis' life.


 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
 




























That


Thi


Terry Lindvall takes an in-depth look at Lewis's joyful approach toward living, dividing his study of C. S. Lewis's wit into the four origins of laughter in Uncle Screwtape's eleventh letter to a junior devil in Lewis's The Screwtape Letters: joy, fun, the joke proper, and flippancy. Lindvall writes, "One bright and compelling feature we can see, sparking in his sunlight and dancing in his moonlight, is laughter. Yet it is not too large to see at once because it inhabited all Lewis was and did."
Surprised by Laughter reveals a Lewis who enjoyed the gift of laughter, and who willingly shared that gift with others in order to spread his faith.

No comments: