Customer Reviews
A master of human psychology seasoned by wit - By: A. foley, 01 Nov 2007 
CS Lewis, like the desert Fathers (portrayed by John Cassianin his Conferences & Institutes) has a keen insight into the psychological & spiritual forces operablein the human psyche. Listen to what Screwtape "writes" when advising his tempter nephew on how to deal with the newly converted christian:
"I have been writing on the assumption that the peoplein the next pew afford no rational grounds for disappointment. Of course, if they do - if the patient knows that the woman with the absurd hat is a fanatical bridge player or the man with the squeeky boots a miser & an extortioner - then your task is so much easier...At the present stage, you see, he has an idea of "Christians"in his mind which he supposes to be spiritual but which,in fact, is largely spiritual. His mind is full of togas & sandals & armour & bare legs & the mere fact that other peoplein church wear modern clothes is a real - though of course an unconscious - difficulty to him".
And further on:
"what he says, even on his knees about his own sinfulness is all parrott talk. At bottom, he still believes he has run up a very favourable credit balancein the Enemy's ledger by allowing himself to be so coverted, & thinks that he is allowing great humility & condescensionin going to church with these "smug" commonplace neighbours at all".
And Lewis's observation of human relationships:
"When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice & expression of face which are almost unendurably irritating to the other. Work on that. Bring fully into the consciousness of your patient that particularl lift of his mother's eyebrow which he learned to dislikein the nursery, & let him think how much he dislikes it".
And his analysis of the dangers of a comfortable middle age:
"If, on the other hand, the middle years prove prosperous, our position is even stronger. Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is "finding his placein it", while really it is finding its placein him"
And listen to screwtapes "advice" on "reality" versus "subjectivity"
"The general rule which we have now pretty well established among them is thatin all experiences which make them happier or better, only the physical facts are "real" while the spiritual elements are "subjective"... Thusin birth the blood & pain are "real", the rejoicing a mere subjective point of view;in death, the terror & ugliness reveal what death "really means"
CS Lewis is witty, intelligent and, above all, a master of the human condition. One wishes that such a prophetic man would again grace the shores of England, the dowry of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Insightful piece of text; read and re-read. - By: Peaches, 17 Jun 2007 This is my third read from the CS Lewis Signature collection & my first thought was 'wow he's done it again!' As an English student, I take great joyin reading any good literature (for which this book certainly is), but more so what Lewis manages to accomplish time & time againin his works is the wayin which complex ideas or arguments are laid outin a clear & readable manner. You may not agree with all of his ideas but you will certainly appreciate the wayin which his thoughts are organized &in line with true-to-life examples. As such the book is must read regardless of one's religious persuasion.
As a Christian however, this book is not only a good read & example of great literature but incredibly insightful. Lewis demonstrates through Screwtape's letters to Wormwood the constant battle that takes placein the spiritual realm for the individual soul & the eternal truth of Christ's victory on the Cross; it is a topic which is not often discussedin the Church, I guess partly because we don't want to be spooked out & prefer to dwell on the pretty Scriptures, & pretty they are, for they are truths. However Lewis' shows that an awareness of the Enemy hatred for the Christian is a knowledge which,in some way is imperative to the understanding of the Father's love for His children & the grace we receive as a result. The demonic assignments of Screwtape & Co over the individual Christian's life is not as grand as destroying the Christian soul or changing his eternal destination; that is impossible since Christ's blood seals our redemption, thus what the letters shows is the waysin which God, having made usin His own image has also made us an individual & the Enemy's attempts to destroy that individuality. Lewis dwells quite a bit on this & I thought it was interesting esp.in relation to societal pressuresin society to conform to the ever elusive 'ideal'. He gives many examples of this but one which stuck incredibly with me was his simple illustration of how individuality can be lost by affectation e.g. picking a book to read not because you are genuinely interestedin it but because it talked about by so & so, make you appear clever etc.
There are many things which I can say about this book butin the end I can simply recommend it & say that it is one that must be read & re-read because the wisdom & truthsin it is something that we need to constantly reminded of.
A must-read classic of the 20th century. - By: Z. Patt., 09 Nov 2006 C.S. Lewis is clearly one of the masters of 20th century prose. His theological ideas are very succulentin their purpose & while I may not agree with every doctrinal belief of his, the essence of his message is a very pure one - fulfilment comes only from submitting your will to the Father, through loyal service, dedication, & love (which He very happily returns to youin limitless abounds).
"The Screwtape Letters" is a collection of epistles from the senior devil Screwtape to his junior 'tempter-in-training' nephew, Wormwood. The contents of Scewtape's letters are various discourses on how to spiritually influence the tempter's human "patient" into staying as far away from God as possible.
Through this devil's advocate style of writing, we are given a very interesting glimpse into the workings of the evil one & how he can gradually pull people away from the Father through subtle tactical advances.
Many times through reading Screwtape's letters as he discussed the behaviour of Wormwood's patient, I would have to stop myself & think, "Wow, I have acted exactly the samein that situation before" & Lewis begins to open up your perception of your own behaviour with an accurate objective commentary of our human thought processes - & the wayin which they can be turned against us, e.g. how realising one's own humility can easily turn into a form of spiritual pride.
Most surprisingly, was a passage where Screwtape discusses how God's only desire is for every human being to become exactly as his Son is, to the point where they realise that they are themselves sons & daughters of God. Lewis definitely understands the very core of Jesus' teachings, no matter how much Christianity has corrupted them over the years.
Fiction-wise, all of the characters mentioned are given to usin brief glimpses at different timesin the book, to the point where while there may not be large amounts of detail on them all, you could give a good description of each at the end of reading the entire book.
Some of the more "story" focused elements are quite fun, & give us a glimpse into the 'mythos' that Lewis has obviously given some thought to before writing the "Letters". While some events are quite enjoyable, even humorous at times (such as when Screwtape's momentary anger causes him to involuntarily transform into a giant centipede) I felt slightly disappointed that there weren't more plot elements or details of this demonic "world" that Lewis' characters livein - although perhaps this was to preserve the authentic tone of the letters & the fluidity with which the book progresses.
Overall, some passages touched me so deeply that I would have to ponder on them for some time before continuing on. I must admit that some of Lewis' ideas were so profound; they went over my head completely (I'm only 17 & have no qualms about admitting that I still have much more to learn, spiritually & intellectually). I hope that with future re-readings of this book (which for me, there most definitely will be!) I will pick up on things I had missed last time and, with hope, have a few more moments of inspired revelation.
This is most definitely a classic which should be read by everyone, religious or not. It will open up your mind to many philosophical ideas about the nature of human beings & the psychological wayin which we perceive spirituality.
For those looking purely for a fictional reading experience, this one may be a little scant on details to satisfy your curiosity.
I have no hesitationsin recommending this book with a stellar 5/5 stars.
Some wit and insight but way too repetitive. Mostly for Christian readers. - By: NoWireHangers, 08 Sep 2006 
It seems here like everybody absolutely loves this book. Whilte it does have some witty moments of insight, I found the book to be enormously overrated.
The allegorical form of writing, as letters from a demon to another demon, gets old pretty quickly & it gets extremely repetetive & frankly quite boring. Way too much time is spent on how to tempt humans away from Christianity, & to a non-Christian, those long portions of texts are completely uninteresting.
Lewis does make some good points about human behaviourin general that are both witty & insightful, but those are exceptions & for the most part "The Screwtape Letters" is quite boring. The novella would have been good if it was about one third as long & not be so centered on Christianity. Christians will probably enjoy it more than I did, though.
excellent - By: treefrog, 29 Jul 2006 Easily read, this book is one of the best I have ever read. Short chaptersin the form of letters. Superb spiritual insights.
