Lewis on why we read

“Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality. There are mass emotions which heal the wound; but they destroy the privilege. In them our separate selves are pooled and we sink back into sub-individuality. But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do” (C.S. Lewis from the epilogue to An Experiment in Criticism, 131-32, 137-41).

I want to be well-read someday so that I can relate to people in more ways than my own experiences can accommodate. An obscure fact about myself is that I collect books. I hardly ever read them, though; I just have piles and piles all set aside for that perfect time that never seems to present itself. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, eh?

Also in this selection, Lewis talks about the annihilation of the self through love, virtue, the pursuit of knowledge, and in the reception of the arts, i.e. how this annihilation actually results in an enlargement. How does this work? How can one find one’s life only after losing it? I used to think that being Christlike was catering to the people around me and therefore neglecting my own needs, but now I’m pretty sure that that’s not the case. How can I lose my life during such a selfish stage? How can I be Christlike when I am doing Spanish homework? Maybe I’ve been following an incorrect stereotype for who knows how long. The adversary can be sneaky like that; neutralizing all good desires into general, vague ideals filled with idleness (The Screwtape Letters talks specifically about this in like the first two chapters). I’m not sure about the answers to all of these questions. I do know, however, that we have to be in motion in order to grow and to be used by God to influence other people.