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On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature Paperback – October 1, 2002

by C. S. Lewis (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 31 ratings
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“In life and art both, as it seems to me, we are always trying to catch in our net of successive moments something that is not successive . . . But I think it is sometimes done—or very, very nearly done—in stories.”

C.S. Lewis is widely known for his fiction, especially his stories of science fiction and fantasy, for which he was a pioneering author in an age of realistic fiction. In On Stories, he lays out his theories and philosophy on fiction over the course of nine essays, including “On Stories,” “The Death of Words,” and “On Three Ways of Writing for Children.” In addition to these essays, On Stories collects eleven pieces of Lewis’s writing that were unpublished during his lifetime. Along with discussing his own fiction, Lewis reviewed and critiqued works by many of his famous peers, including George Orwell, Charles Williams, Rider Haggard, and his good friend J.R.R. Tolkien, providing a wide-ranging look at what fiction means and how to craft it from one of the masters of his day.
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  1. Print length
    180 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mariner Books
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.5 x 7.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0156027682
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0156027687
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

On Stories is a companion volume to Lewis's collected shorter fiction, The Dark Tower and Other Stories and presents the literary face of C.S. Lewis's many aspects. The theme of this collection is the excellence of Story, especially the kind of story dear to C.S. Lewis--fantasy and science fiction, which he fostered in an age dominated by realistic fiction. Gathered here are nine essays, including "On Stories" and "On Three Ways of Writing for Children," and eleven pieces not previously collected, among them reviews of works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Rider Haggard, and George Orwell; a panegyric to Dorothy Sayers; and an essay, "The Death of Words," which shows how common usage can distort and deprive language. "Lucid, urbane, modest, and humorous."--Anthony Burgess C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) gained international renown for an impressive array of beloved works both popular and scholarly: literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and numerous books on theology. Among his most celebrated achievements are Out of the Silent Planet, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, The Four Loves, and Surprised by Joy.

About the Author

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) gained international renown for an impressive array of beloved works both popular and scholarly: literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and numerous books on theology. Among his most celebrated achievements are Out of the Silent Planet, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, The Four Loves, and Surprised by Joy.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books (October 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0156027682
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0156027687
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.5 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

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Walter Hooper

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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
31 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

A Cross-Cultural Servant
5.0 out of 5 stars How does philosophy, and even theology, affect the writing of fiction practically?
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2016
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I read this book as the Christian father of a teenage daughter passionate about writing. I have read a number of C.S. Lewis's books, and have watched a lecture series from Hillsdale College on C.S. Lewis's life and writings. I was amazed reading these essays, at how much food for thought such writings provide us. Though not written to a Christian audience, these writings force the Christian reader to consider how theology, as well as philosophy, interact with the writing of fiction. I would encourage anyone serious about writing fiction to consider what this collection of essays has to communicate.
2 people found this helpful
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Joshua D. Yoder
5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for Lewis!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2013
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C.S. Lewis's On Stories is one of the most insightful little books I've ever read on literature. His "Fairy Stories" is worth the price of the book. If you want to understand literature as well as good authors' use of it, buy this book and listen to everything Lewis says.
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md reader2
4.0 out of 5 stars mostly relating to fantastic literature, all related to literature
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2014
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A collection of essays, some incomplete, and other materials by C. S. Lewis, mostly relating to fantastic literature, all related to literature, including a recorded conversation between Brian Aldiss, Kingsley Amis and Lewis. Lewis was a professor of literature in the UK, a Christian apologist, and a writer of fiction (The Narnia books, three books of science fiction, and a novel set before the Christian era, which is perhaps his best work of fiction). It's hard to summarize, except to say that Lewis did believe that fantastic literature could tell us important things that other literature couldn't, and that he claimed that the stories that he, himself, wrote, started with a picture in his head -- he didn't ever start one with the purpose of making a theological point. Essential reading for Lewis devotees, and of some value for those interested in fantastic literature. Since Lewis died in 1963, some of the references to other people's writing will be obscure to most readers, but there aren't enough such references to matter greatly.
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Tracy
5.0 out of 5 stars Love Lewis
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2014
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If you love Lewis from his bold, clear points to his charming good nature you'll enjoy this book. Especially the last part is a treat.
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Rachel Simmons
3.0 out of 5 stars Popular Literary Criticism
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2001
Lewis's shorter works were generally originally composed as speeches or as articles for periodicals. Various sets of them were collected and published in book form both during his life and after his death. Trying to determine what works are in what collections is difficult - most works appear in more than one collection, some works appear under more than one title, and some collections appear under more than one title.
To aid readers, in this review I've listed the works in this collection, with notes indicating other collections they have appeared in. Where a work has appeared under more than one title, I give both titles separated by a slash.
Table of Contents:
"On Stories" / "The Kappa Element in Romance" (1), (2)
"The Novels of Charles Williams" (2)
"A Tribute to E. R. Eddison" (2)
"On Three Ways of Writing for Children" (1), (2)
"Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to be Said" (1), (2)
"On Juvenile Tastes" (1), (2)
"It All Began with a Picture ..." (1), (2)
"On Science Fiction" (1), (2)
"A Reply to Professor Haldane" (1)
"The Hobbit" (2)
"Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'" / "The Gods Return to Earth" & "The Dethronement of Power" (2)
"A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers" (2)
"The Mythopoeic Gift of Rider Haggard" / "Haggard Rides Again" (2)
"George Orwell" (2)
"The Death of Words" (2)
"The Parthenon and the Optative" (2)
"Period Criticism" (2)
"Different Tastes in Literature" (2)
"On Criticism" (1), (2)
"Unreal Estates" / "The establishment must die and rot ..." (1), (2)
Notes:
(1) also published in "Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories"
(2) also published in "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces"
Recommendations:
I don't really recommend this book as a first choice.
What do I recommend?
In general, to anyone interested in Lewis's shorter works, my best advice is to get "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces", which, as of the time of this writing, is available from Amazon UK but not Amazon US. That collection consists of about 130 short works by Lewis. Although the works in that collection are mostly Christian, they also include almost everything in this collection, plus Lewis's short science fiction and fantasy from "The Dark Tower and Other Stories".
If your interest in Lewis's shorter works is restricted to literary criticism, and your budget or enthusiasm does not run to "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces", then my second-best advice is to go ahead and get this collection, and possibly "The Dark Tower and Other Stories" as well (Lewis's short science fiction and fantasy).
Fans of Lewis's science fiction who are on a really tight budget may prefer my third-best advice, which is to get "Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories", which contains about half of this collection plus the best of Lewis's short science fiction.
Finally, those interested in Lewis's literary criticism will be interested in the following collections, neither of which overlap with each other or have significant coverage in "Essay Collection & Other Short Pieces":
"Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature"
"Selected Literary Essays"*
* ...very hard to come by, but it largely consists of essays unavailable in any other collection.
110 people found this helpful
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Tony Foglio
5.0 out of 5 stars Nuggets of Gold
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2014
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It's CS Lewis... My library is full of Lewis books... I've never read a bad one. These are nuggets of gold in setting of silver.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2014
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An excellent collection of Lewis' s writing and critical concerns.
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Nicola Gibson
4.0 out of 5 stars Bits of brilliance, but still bits
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2008
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These essay collection books are a mixed bag. On Stories is a wonderful and stimulating collection for all interested in the nature of human stories, especially as they are told as fantasies and science fiction tales. The main areas of discussion surround the defense of fantasy, discussions on certain specific books, and the difference between good and not so good stories.

In the end the essays are of a very high quality, but as is common to Lewis his mind is universal and far reaching on his subjects. And as these are public essays, they are not academic in the traditional sense of rigor and detail.

Many of them left me wanting more, but for what it is, this book is quite good.

recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

E. Prestwich
5.0 out of 5 stars Making literature live
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2011
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This is a slim paperback and several of the essays in it now seem of mainly historical value. I suppose it might seem pricey from that point of view, but the title essay is a sheer joy.

Lewis was a great scholar and critic, immensely well read in several languages and with remarkable powers of analysis and reflection. Above all, though, he had the combined gifts of astonishing imaginative receptiveness, a luminously clear and direct prose style, and clear-headed common sense. He makes literature live in his writing because it lived for him. He had the ability to convey his thoughts and feelings, however subtle, delicate and unexpected they might be, in a clear, vivid way that makes reading some passages in these essays almost as thrilling as reading a gripping poem or novel.

His reflections on criticism and taste in reading and his thoughts on the special value and power of different kinds of fantasy fiction are cogent and illuminating.
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