Literary Essays, Studies & Lectures

James Como "Why I Believe in Narnia: 33 Reviews and Essays on the Life and Work of C.S. Lewis" (foreword by Clara Sarrocco)

Reading WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA provides a panoramic view of C. S. Lewis' multi-faceted genius and its application in fields as diverse as social criticism and children's literature. WHY I BELIEVE gathers reviews and essays that span Prof. James Como's many years as a preeminent Lewis scholar, to which the author of Remembering C.S. Lewis and Branches to Heaven has added several new entries. Chapters range from reviews of critical books, documentaries and movies to evaluations of Lewis's books to biographical analysis. In addition to close-up looks, Como reflects on the "big picture" of the most important contributions Lewis has made, not just in literature, but as a social philosopher and reformer. For the serious student of C. S. Lewis, WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA is an invaluable tool for appreciating the breadth and depth of Lewis' thinking.

John Granger, "The Deathly Hallows Lectures: The Hogwarts Professor Explains the Final Harry Potter Adventure"

The fastest-selling book in publication history, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS was a critical success and is loved by fans around the world. In THE DEATHLY HALLOWS LECTURES, John Granger reveals the Potter finale's brilliant details, themes and meanings. Even the most ardent of Harry Potter fans will be surprised by and delighted with the Hogwarts Professor's explanations of the three dimensions of meaning in DEATHLY HALLOWS to include why Ms. Rowling chose to make Lily's eyes green, why Harry buried Moody's eye where and when he did, and why Ollivander prefers the three wand cores he does. Ms. Rowling has said that alchemy sets the "parameters of magic" in the series; after reading the chapter-length explanation of DEATHLY HALLOWS as the final stage of the alchemical Great Work in THE DEATHLY HALLOWS LECTURES, the serious reader will understand how important literary alchemy is in understanding Rowling's artistry and accomplishment. The other seven chapters explore, among other things, the five writing tricks Ms. Rowling uses to work her story magic, the deciphering of the "Triangular Eye" symbol for the three Hallows, Harry's "struggle to believe" in Albus Dumbledore, why Ms. Rowling revealed that she "always thought" of the Headmaster as gay, and the more than 25 echoes of her first book, PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, in DEATHLY HALLOWS. Did you wonder why Fred died in the end? Why Harry went underground seven times in Deathly Hallows? Granger explains how Ms. Rowling's story formula required these twists - - - as well as two trips to King's Cross and two meetings with Albus Dumbledore at story's end. John Granger, the Hogwarts Professor, has spoken about the meaning and magic of Harry Potter at major universities from coast to coast and as a Keynote Speaker at fan conventions in the United States and Canada. Enjoy these lectures to learn the ins and outs and fascinating depths of DEATHLY HALLOWS - - - information unavailable anywhere else!

Michael Travers, Editor,(Essays by Walter Hooper, James Como and others) "C.S. Lewis: View From Wake Forest"

C. S. Lewis: Views From Wake Forest is a collection of sixteen insightful essays that will delight both Inklings scholars and C. S. Lewis readers of all ages and opinions. Walter Hooper, for example, the man most responsible for preserving, publishing, and promoting Lewis' many works after Lewis' death in 1963, shares stories from his work with Lewis, Owen Barfield, Lady Collins, and other friends of Lewis in his essay 'Editing C. S. Lewis,' an inspiring tale as well as a landmark event in Lewis scholarship. James Como, author of Why I Believe in Narnia and a Keynote Speaker at the international conference from which these essays were collected, reveals the neglected C. S. Lewis, the cultural critic and public philosopher whose insights and thinking give Lewis' more popular novels and apologetic works their weight and value. Fourteen more Lewis scholars explore Lewis' invaluable social criticism, his philosophical and theological insights, his Narnia books and Ransom Trilogy, as well as his medieval imagination and mythological artistry. For the serious student of C. S. Lewis as well as for anyone wanting to understand the Narnian novelist and Christian genius more profoundly, C. S. Lewis: Views From Wake Forest is a book that will open up new dimensions and ways of appreciating his multi-faceted brilliance