Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Holy Nerds Club (Feb) - The Screwtape Letters
I first stumbled upon this book last year, and after reading six chapters, I decided it was costing me too many brain cells, so I chucked it aside. This year, as part of my NYR of reading one book per month, I decided to give Mr Lewis another shot. Thankfully, I succeeded, though I must say, it wasn't without much struggle.The author of The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis (who also wrote the Chronicles of Narnia), is one of the most celebrated Christian writers of all time. Reading his books is like digging for gold - exhausting and tedious, yet once you strike the shiny metal, you can savour the sweet smell of victory.
The obscurity of the language makes this book a tiring read. Though it is not cryptic like Shakespeare nor overpowered by bombastic expressions, the odd flow of sentences and conjoint long paragraphs can prove to be a challenge. To enjoy The Screwtape Letters, I'd suggest you lock yourself in a room with no distractions and simply focus on the text.
Despite the unfavourable note which I started this review on, The Screwtape Letters is simply one of the must-reads of this lifetime. A masterpiece of satire (i.e. the use of irony, sarcasm & wit to poke fun at human vice), the story is told through a series of letters from Screwtape, a senior demon, to his nephew and junior tempter, Wormwood. As a mentor to the inexperienced tempter, Screwtape suggests methods and strategies to secure the damnation of a man, known as the "patient".
It is one thing to know the temptations and sins which we humans constantly fall into. And it is quite another to know it through the eyes of the devil. Truthfully, this book doesn't tell you stuff you don't already know. What it does, however, is to show you a refreshing perspective of the everyday happenings and subtly point out exactly where the devil fits in each scene. Different subjects like family, church-going, sex & love, pride, etc, are addressed in the letters, so something is bound to strike a chord within.
Amazingly, though this book was written some 60 years ago during the period of World War II, The Screwtape Letters has proven to be a timeless classic pointing to the fact that the framework of sin and temptation has stayed the same, regardless of generation or culture.
I love the quiet humour which Lewis uses to break the monotony and seriousness of the issue in discussion. Firstly, make sure you straighten out who's "Our Father Below" and "The Enemy". The sporadic comic relief should appease your appetite for variety. For instance, look out for a scene where the angered Screwtape transforms into a large centipede and gets his secretary Toadpipe to finish typing the letter on his behalf.
In all, it takes a brilliant storyteller to keep a reader's attention through a one-sided monologue. It takes a profound theologian to add depth and sense of that monologue. C.S. Lewis combines both attributes perfectly into this exceptional read.
Wanna borrow this book? You know how to contact me...
