The Lion in the Wasteland
The Lion in the Wasteland: Fearsome Redemption in the Work of C. S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, and T. S. Eliot
Janice Brown
Kent State University Press, 2018
290 pp., $40.00
ISBN 978-1-60635-338-7
Reviewed by Stephen Tomlinson
It could be argued that one of the more obscured aspects today of Christianity, and more specifically, the person of Christ, is that of potency, or rather, the “untame” quality that marks the Gospel and the figure of the Savior. This quality of redemptive grace is brought out in sharp relief in the latest work of Dr. Janice Brown, and contextualized in the works of C. S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, and T. S. Eliot. Dr. Brown, recently retired professor of English literature at Grove City College, has distinguished herself as a specialist in the thought of Dorothy Sayers, and it comes as no surprise to note the great command and facility with which she navigates the works of Sayers as well as those of her contemporaries, Lewis and Eliot, around this central theme.
The work follows a more or less topical and thematic approach, while also giving attention to the historical context that shapes the three writers and their works. The opening two chapters focus on the persons of Sayers, Eliot, and Lewis themselves, exploring their relationships with one another, and setting the stage for a closer examination of their respective works. However, the second chapter, entitled “Prophets in the Wilderness,” is particularly noteworthy in that it addresses the question of the chosen paradigm of these three authors with regard to their more theological or spiritual writings, namely, the imaginative approach as opposed to controversy or apologetics. They all understood that the way of the imagination possessed unique power in terms of conveying religious truth, especially in a twentieth century world that had grown cynical and jaded in the face of two world wars, and had lost a certain amenability towards the approach of reason. As the title of the chapter suggests, Brown also identifies this paradigmatic approach, especially in their poetry, with that of the prophetic impulse, observing that, “in their other mode of writing, the creative mode, they functioned poetically in that they did not seek to explain, but to show, through emotionally charged pictures and images.” (59)
The core of the work lies in the third and fourth chapters, appropriately focused on the person of Christ and our response to His grace, respectively. Brown notes the fact that all three writers went to great lengths to highlight both the suffering and brokenness of the Savior as well as his fearsome authority and supremacy. It is precisely in regards to this context that Brown draws attention to the neediness of our own age, that is, a “loss of connection with the person of Christ.” (64) This need was recognized by Sayers, Eliot, and Lewis in their own day and they responded to this task in their own unique fashion, whether in the form of plays, fiction, or poetry. They all recognized that the modern age had lost a sense of religious emotion, the source of which they all identified as a loss of a true perspective of the person of the Savior. They aimed to present the reality of Christ imaginatively, in order to prepare the way for true faith, one that would consume and dominate the life of the believer. Such was also at the heart of Newman’s own famous distinction between mere notional assent, which remained on the level of the intellect and reason, versus real assent, which commanded the movements of the heart and imagination, and resulted in the profound transformation of life. Hence, the appropriateness of the subsequent chapter which focuses on the aspect of conversion, and the response to the attraction of God in the life of faith. What is striking in Brown’s presentation on this point is the attention given to the initiative of God in the conversion experience, a point which is consistently emphasized in the works of Lewis, Eliot, and Sayers. It is God who saves, and it is man’s vocation to both accept and respond to this advance of divine love.
The final four chapters are devoted to a mixture of topical and historical themes that assist the reader in appreciating the larger theme of salvific grace in the works of these three authors. An extensive treatment of the role of angels and divine intervention in the life of man is particularly interesting. Also, from the historical perspective, the discussion on the trials and sufferings of the second world war, which affected all three writers, is especially noteworthy, not least because of the opportunity to appreciate the context out of which the authors were formed in their understanding of human suffering and its redemptive quality. The last two chapters address the pilgrimatic quality of the Christian life, as well as the desire for the permanent things. In regards to the first aspect, Brown notes how much of the literary work of Lewis, Sayers, and Eliot was influenced by Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, but especially the Divine Comedy of Dante. This chapter contains some of the most beautiful and poignant selections from the works of each author, as they highlight the pressing forward and the pining and yearning for heaven and the cessation of struggle that is so characteristically a part of the Christian experience here on earth. The final chapter, being a testament to the everlasting pursuit, so intimate to the Christian life, of the things that last, offers a wonderful challenge to the modern obsession with “progress.” Lewis, Sayers, and Eliot were no fools when it came to the sober realization of the demands and challenges of everyday life in the modern world, and in particular, the realization of Christian perfection within such a framework, especially after the ravages of the wars, revolutions, and bloodshed of the twentieth century.
In the end, the book, in certain instances, exceeds its stated academic objective, and even inters into the realm of spiritual literature. It is not to suggest, although I would certainly not wish to deny, that the likes of Lewis, Sayers, and Eliot were necessarily mystics, but only the naïve would dare to challenge the fact that their work and insights into the mystery of the Christian life reaches quite the profound depth. In fact — and this point is all to Professor Brown’s credit for drawing it to the reader’s attention — the literary and imaginative genre, employed by these authors, achieves and even exceeds the goal of non-fictional spiritual writing, often packing a bigger punch, so to speak, as the impact on the reader is greater and longer-lasting. It is the unique privilege of imaginative literature, and one that regularly gives it an advantage over simple didactic prose, that eternal truths can be clothed in such fashion as to utterly overwhelm the imagination and sentiments, often resulting in profound conversions or even renewed intimacy and commitment to the Christian life. For those seeking a beautifully written and yet entertaining as well as informative narrative of the Christian notion of grace in the works of Lewis, Sayers, and Eliot, one would be hard-pressed to consult a better book!
