That Hideous Strength

[Nat Carlinhos]

For those of you who have read C.S. Lewis' "That Hideous Strength," what do you make of his references to Numinor and "The True West?" In the forward he stated that "those who would like to learn more about Numinor and the True West must (alas!) await the publication of much that that still exists only in the MSS of my friend, Professor J.R.R. Tolkien." Throughout the book, the way the characters reference Numinor makes it sound as though it really exists. Could Lewis have been basing this off that time when Tolkien still envisioned Arda being the actual history of this earth? Or is it no more significant than a fleeting allusion? Could Merlin and Numinor exist in the same universe?

 

[Random_Scholar]

Numinor as Atlantis, yes. BTW, I must say I find That Hideous Strength the best book by CSL, a really horrific horror/sci-fi book, really. I was s**t scared when I read it as a 13 or 14 year old and would probably still be!

Of course, it's possible that Numinor is just a fleeing allusion in Lovecraft style. Lovecraft uses this a lot, allusions to real places and people and even to Kabbalah, even though it doesn't really fit in with his world.

 

[WhitneyBrat]

BTW, I must say I find That Hideous Strength the best book by CSL, a really horrific horror/sci-fi book, really. I was s**t scared when I read it as a 13 or 14 year old and would probably still be!

I agree, and it really strikes a chord with me as as Christian.

 

[Radaghast]

It's been a while since I read that trilogy (I think it was the mid 90s). May read it again at some point.

 

[Deimos]

THS... wow... turns out CSL 's book was prophetic.

"What we call Man's power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument."
...
“Man has got to take charge of man. That means, remember, that some men have got to take charge of the rest—which is another reason for cashing in on it as soon as one can. You and I want to be the people who do the taking charge, not the ones who are taken charge of. Quite.” (Lord Feverstone)