The Architectural Parables of C.S. Lewis: The World Between Tangible and Transcendent
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Date
2024-01-23
Authors
Bulos, Monica
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Beloved and renown writer, C.S. Lewis, sees the world beyond its material
construction and that its meaning is rooted in its spiritual significance. Beyond
the curtain of physicality lies divine reality that transcends our world, yet is
constantly invading it. The experiences of beauty, sublime awe, and the delights
of the imagination within our corporeal realm awaken within us inconsolable
longing that points to the reality that we were made for another world. For Lewis,
stories and myths were the most powerful vehicles of transport to the other world,
namely that of the spirit, illuminating transcendent reality in a language we can
understand. The context of our sensual setting provides tangible expressions to the
intangible realm, and provides a framework for understanding what is beyond our
comprehension. As Lewis ventures into creating his own stories within imaginary
other worlds, he opens up a portal for us to become pilgrims in the story, to
experience the spiritual dimension in a concrete way. Architecture, through its
mythical form, can become revelatory, unveiling concealed truths that lurk behind
the visible. Such artforms are able to awaken a powerful desire to move beyond
the shadows and towards the substance of absolute reality in which we can
encounter the Other.
Description
Keywords
architectural narrative, fantasy, philosophy, transcendence, beauty, sublime, theology, longing, metaphysics, literature, shadows, liminality, illumination, medieval architecture, nature, symbolism