This past summer I was rummaging through some letters of C.S. Lewis and discovered a note where he was enthusiastically recommending a new book by Charles Williams. It was called The Place of the Lion and was published in 1931. It is a fantastical novel whose basic plot will be familiar to anyone who has taken my leadership courses at U of L.
Students always find it difficult to wrestle with Plato’s theory of the “forms” where he proposes that our world is merely a flawed reflection of the true world where perfection dwells. In William’s novel, the world of the forms begins to seep into our material world. This gives Williams the chance to reflect on ancient, medieval and modern philosophy, love, sacrifice, religion, the nature of time, and the nature of evil. It’s a penetrating book but is also a relatively short and interesting novel that can make a quick read (though I would recommend more time puzzling over passages and letting the images sink in deep.)
As I read it, I am wondering how much it might have influenced an older Lewis who would go on to write of another great lion from beyond our material world! And, I am lamenting the fact that the decline of letter writing means that future generations won’t have the opportunity to learn from people of our e-mail era like I have learned from Lewis’ letter that drove me to this really deep and important old book.
The Place of the Lion is available in a contemporary version from Regent College Publishing.