Information about the author:
Anna L. Gumerova
Anna L. Gumerova, PhD in Philology, Senior Researcher, A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Povarskaya 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia.
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9795-0974
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Abstract:
The theme of myth is one of the key aspects for the creative group of the Inklings. It has been explored by Owen Barfield (in his theoretical and literary works), J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Owen Barfield called the latter a “delighter in myths.” But it should be noted that Lewis’s ideas about myth — and, more broadly, about artistic expression — differed significantly from those of J.R.R. Tolkien and Owen Barfield, despite their shared long- term interest in the subject. A deep interest in myth and its reflection in a work of fiction can be found throughout Lewis’s work, from his early sketches on Cupid and Psyche to his last novel, Till We Have Faces (based on the same plot) and his collection of essays, Experiments in Criticism. In this book, Lewis’s idea of myth intersects with the concept of “story,” which also plays a significant role in his work.
Keywords: C.S. Lewis, Inklings, Owen Barfield, myth, Till We Have Faces.
