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Why is Merlin in That Hideous Strength? - A Pilgrim in Narnia

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I am writing a paper on C.S. Lewis and the Arthurian tradition for Sørina Higgins’ collection, The Inklings and King Arthur. As I trawl through the materials one common theme keeps coming back: How do we explain the sudden appearance of Merlin in That Hideous Strength (1945)? Part of the ultimate answer is this: “Charles Williams and J.R.R. Tolkien.” Williams and Tolkien, both writers struggling with Arthurian stories and both close friends of Lewis—they are the reason that Merlin appears. They influence the way that Lewis shaped his science fiction writing during WWII. This claim won’t shock readers of the Inklings or C.S. Lewis scholars; it was from Sørina that I first heard That Hideous Strength (THS) called “The Charles Williams novel by C.S. Lewis.” While the first Ransom book, Out of the Silent Planet (1938), was an H.G. Wells space fantasy—what he and Tolkien called a Romance—and Perelandra (1943) became a new myth like what Milton did in Paradise Lost. THS really sets itself ap

Why is Merlin in That Hideous Strength? | A Pilgrim in Narnia A Pilgrim in Narnia a journey through the imaginative worlds of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Inklings Skip to content Home About C.S. Lewis and the Love of Words ← Guest Blog: C.S. Lewis Goes to Heaven: William O’Flaherty’s Interview with David Clark Podcast Discussion on the Hobbit Film at All About Jack → Why is Merlin in That Hideous Strength? Posted on January 14, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson I am writing a paper on C.S. Lewis and the Arthurian tradition for Sørina Higgins ’ collection, The Inklings and

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