Precepted by Clayton McReynolds

Owen Barfield, one of C.S. Lewis's closest friends and a core member of the Inklings, was one of the most original thinkers of the 20th century (although he did not think of himself as such). Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry sets forth the core theory of ongoing and evolving participation in creation which forms the core of Barfield's thought. Poetic Diction, a work that influenced not only Lewis but Tolkien as well, applies Barfield's theory to language in particular. In this module we will first read Saving the Appearances and then use that work as a basis for understanding Poetic Diction.

In this class, we will tackle one essay per session from Owen Barfield's important collection of essays "Romanticism Comes of Age." For those who have read some of Barfield's better known works--such as "Poetic Diction" or "Saving the Appearances" these essays offer an opportunity to deepen and broaden their understanding of Barfield's ideas through more specific and focused studies. For those unfamiliar with Barfield's work, the essays also function well as an entry point into Barfieldean thought (and I will provide ample clarifying context where necessary).

The subjects of the essays range from literary analysis to psycho-spiritual exploration, but they are all bound together by a concern with the evolution of consciousness as a vitally important (indeed life-saving) aspect of the past, present, and future of humanity.