C. S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll's Odd Hobby - NOT the Same

Hans Georg Lundahl

status

There seems to be one misconception about him in some conservative to reactionary circles in France : "C. S. Lewis, c'est un peu comme Lewis Carroll, non?"*

It seems some people don't get that France has had 19 kings names Lewis, in the English spelling (St. Lewis IX and Lewis XIV being the most famous), and believe it is a tribute to Ha-Levy ... where they don't get real St. Matthew vibes even.

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WL

Well, a surprising number of people can’t tell their King Richards without a scorecard.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Nevertheless, if they saw the Swedish version Rickard, they would not mistake it for a Hebrew name

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Alexander J. Wei

Well, they are both associated with Oxford...and they are both interested in puns and other languages. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson decided to create his pen name by noting that the name Charles was etymologically related to "Carroll" and Lutwidge was the German version of "Lewis".

Hans Georg Lundahl

Or Lewis the French cum English version of Lutwidge ...

But as to the misunderstanding, I don't think either was from Jewish background, though a Jew is now from CSL background, and I don't think CSL took any photographs of child friends in nude ... which is the kind of connection some people like to make over here.

How do these people strike you? Somewhat over the top in suspicion, right?

Alexander J. Wei

Hans-Georg Lundahl It's a paradox I've often noted. A genius and a paranoid conspiracy theorist can be confused, one for another. For a genius can see something no one else can see, but so can the other...but the thing the paranoid sees may not in fact exist.

Hans Georg Lundahl

I never said I mistook those people for geniusses ...

Alexander J. Wei

Hans-Georg Lundahl No, some of them seem seem quite the opposite of geniuses! ;-)

Hans Georg Lundahl

Except at networking.

If they were to get around the mistake, they MIGHT profit from reading an essay called "The Inner Ring" - what collection was it in?

Alexander J. Wei

"The Inner Ring" is in "The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses". I think that by "addresses", Hooper means that Lewis actually delivered them in person at some point. "The Weight of Glory" itself was a sermon he gave.

Hans Georg Lundahl

OK, and the Inner Ring - was it a valedictory at Oxford?

Alexander J. Wei

Hans-Georg Lundahl The Inner Ring was the annual "Commemoration Oration" given at King's College, University of London , on 14 December 1944

Hans Georg Lundahl

Wonderful, thank you!

I take it I may share this?

Alexander J. Wei

Of course

* For the moment, I can't find that in writing on the web, but I seem to recall conversations in which this was said.