The Last Romantic: C. S. Lewis, English Literature, and Modern Theology (Hansen Lectureship) by Jeffrey W. Barbeau

In this theological and literary investigation, Jeffrey Barbeau explores the influence of nineteenth century Romanticism on C. S. Lewis's writing in three essays. Drawing on extensive reading of the marginalia Lewis's personal library, Barbeau offers a fresh understanding of modern theology, Romantic poetry, and Lewis's most beloved works.

"This beautifully crafted book sets the religious writings of Lewis within the context of German idealism and English Romanticism. Barbeau brilliantly draws upon the marginalia in books from Lewis's own library to place him within the tradition of Methodism, the poetry of Wordsworth and Coleridge, and the philosophy of Schleiermacher, Hegel, and Feuerbach. In the construction of theological language, Lewis is revealed afresh as a deeply learned, sensitive, and serious Christian thinker."

"Jeffrey W. Barbeau's eloquent and accessible lectures look past the blinding assumptions of standard intellectual history to discover a modern C. S. Lewis inspired by religious Romanticism-a vital, creative tradition of poetry and thought that unites the subjective and objective, the personal and the divine. Lewis's place in this visionary company was there all along, expressed in his stories, essays, self-representations, and previously unpublished marginalia. Thanks to Barbeau, we may also see that Lewis, like Elijah on Horeb, was not alone as the last inspiring, faithful Romantic."

"The Last Romantic-a bold claim about Lewis, yet one that Barbeau fully supports with fascinating detail-offers not only the best guide to Lewis's engagement with the Romantics, it is also a wonderful study of Lewis's thought and faith in general, as well as a wise meditation on connections between modern theology and the Romantic imagination. Enter this wardrobe and you will not come out the same."

"As a scholar, Professor Barbeau does not disappoint. He has done remarkable research teasing out the degree to which C. S. Lewis was affected by the English Romantics, which he says was pervasive and primary. His style is winsome and engaging. Did he make the case? Let the reader decide. I must say, I enjoyed the book and discovered some things I had not seen before. It is a good read!"

"There are so many books on Lewis that are simply a rehash of existing knowledge; by contrast, this is a work of fresh, detailed, illuminating scholarship. Barbeau's work on Lewis's long, close, and intimate reading of Coleridge and Wordsworth has unveiled new depths and even given us a newly discovered poem by Lewis. Barbeau dismantles the clichéd idea that the Romantic element is mere subjectivity and shows decisively how Lewis's 'Romantic' engagement with intense personal experience actually dovetails with and reinforces his arguments for the objective truth of Christianity. Barbeau's use of Lewis's personal annotations in the books in the Marion E. Wade Collection is a revelation and makes this book a permanent and important contribution to the study of Lewis's thought."

Jeffrey W. Barbeau (PhD, Marquette University) is professor of theology at Wheaton College. A theologian, literary critic, and historian, he is the author of numerous monographs, anthologies, and edited books, including The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism and Religion, The Spirit of Methodism: From the Wesleys to a Global Communion, and Religion in Romantic England: An Anthology of Primary Sources.

IVP

Pub Date: January 28, 2025

0.48" H x 8.52" L x 5.56" W

176 pages

Paperback