Myth, Allegory, and Gospel: An Interpretation of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, Chas Williams

If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams or G.K. Chesterton, then this is a book worth reading. You might not know it, but Lewis, Williams and Tolkien were close friends who met together in a bar and created an informal writing support group known as The Inklings. And they all loved the writings of G.K. Chesterton who had gone before them. This collection of essays by various authorities in literature, myth and theology honors their literary work and friendship.The contributors to this volume, all scholars (a couple of whom knew either Tolkien or Lewis), draw on insights from religious phenomenology, Jungian analysis, Christian theology and literary interpretation to tease out the potent mythic symbols found in the writings of Chesterton and the Inklings. The central thesis running through this collection of essays is that mythic symbols found in folk-tales and religious rituals all express a common, fundamental human yearning for healing and a return to a lost paradise.The essayists then take us a step further, considering the Christian world-view that informed and shaped the writings of these men.