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“The Great Story on Which the Plot Turns”: Cruciformity in C.S. Lewis’ Narrative Spiritual Theology
Dickieson, Brenton
Dickieson, Brenton
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2019-05
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This thesis presses in on C.S. Lewis’ extremely diverse corpus to explore his
integrative narrative spirituality of the cross. Chapter one argues that Lewis’ concept of
spiritual self-death and resurrection is lacking critical treatment despite the spirituality of
the cross that I argue is deeply woven into the fabric of Lewis’ poetry, fiction, nonfiction,
and letters. This cross-shaped spirituality, what Michael Gorman calls “cruciformity,” is
central to Lewis’ understanding of Christian life. Though neglected because of readings of
Lewis that reduce him to the role of an apologist, chapter one surveys occasional notes
about this death-and-resurrection motif in Lewis scholarship and provides definitions for
methodological approaches to the study. Following definitions of spiritual theology by
Eugene Peterson, chapter two turns from systematic theological explorations of Lewis to
consider him as a spiritual theologian, a move that is organic to his theological enterprise,
his epistemology, and his fiction. Chapter three explores Gorman’s biblical-theological
approach to Pauline cruciformity, arguing that there is a six-point Logic of Cruciformity in
Lewis’ so-called apologetics writings that moves past and refocuses Thomas à Kempis’
Imitation of Christ. As Lewis’ spirituality is embedded in narrative form within poetry, fiction,
and nonfiction, chapter four explores “The Shape of Cruciformity” in Lewis’ œuvre, using
Northrop Frye’s narratology and J.R.R. Tolkien’s theory of eucatastrophe to argue that there
is a comedic, U-shaped pattern of cruciform imagery in Lewis’ fiction, poetry, and
nonfiction. Chapter five interrogates Lewis’ integrative, normative narrative cruciformity
with feminist theological critique, provoked by Anna Fisk’s concerns about cross-shaped
spiritualities in women’s experiences. A response to this problematisation reveals an
inversive quality inherent to Lewis’ thought that is itself U-shaped, comedic, and
eucatastrophic. Chapter six explores this inversive U-shaped thinking central to Lewis’
theological project, arguing that the shape of cruciformity in Lewis is the shape of his
spiritual theology. I conclude the thesis with “sacred paradoxes” in Lewis’ thought that
invite further work and deepen our understanding of Lewis’ concept of spiritual life, thus
inviting a prophetic self-critique for Christian believers.
Citation
Dickieson, B. (2019). “The Great Story on Which the Plot Turns”: Cruciformity in C.S. Lewis’ Narrative Spiritual Theology (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, UK.
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University of Chester
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Thesis or dissertation
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en