CS Lewis' science fiction is a reply to HG Wells and Olaf Stapledon and Lewis'
That Hideous Strength includes an uncharitable parody of Wells whereas James Blish and Poul Anderson are successors of Wells and Stapledon. Both Blish and Anderson wrote historical fiction and fantasy as well as sf and Blish also dedicated his first fantasy novel,
Black Easter, to Lewis. My advice to everyone: read all five authors. Blish and Anderson, like Lewis, address theological issues although from a different perspective.
This set of connections makes it interesting to highlight a textual parallel between
That Hideous Strength and
Black Easter.
"From the point of view which is accepted in hell, the whole history of our Earth had led up to this moment."
-CS Lewis,
That Hideous Strength (London, 1979), Chapter Nine, p. 121.
"'...all Hell has been waiting for [the meeting of Ware and Baines] since the two of them were born.'"
-James Blish,
Black Easter (New York, 1977), III, p. 42.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
On thinking it over, I'm not sure how PLAUSIBLE it was of Blish to say "...all Hell has been waiting for [the meeting of Ware and Baines] since the two of them were born." No matter how great Satan's natural abilities and wisdom, he could not know the contingent future of those two men. That would be a kind of knowledge God alone could know.
Sean
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