Thoughts on Literature

“Literature, real literature, must not be gulped down like some potion which may be good for the heart or good for the brain—the brain, that stomach of the soul. Literature must be taken and broken to bits, pulled apart, squashed—then its lovely reek will be smelt in the hollow of the palm, it will be munched and rolled upon the tongue with relish; then, and only then, its rare flavor will be appreciated at its true worth and the broken and crushed parts will again come together in your mind and disclose the beauty of a unity to which you have contributed something of your own blood.”
Vladimir Nabokov, Lectures on Russian Literature

The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis

My new favorite book: The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis. I've never read any of his literature outside of Chronicles of Narnia, so this was an entirely new experience for me. He is such a deep, profound thinker! And while I don't agree with absolutely everything he says, I have learned much about God, life, and myself through his insights. I also enjoyed a few laughs. :)

Lewis addresses what he designates as the four loves--Affection, Friendship, Eros, and Charity--within the context of the two main types of love--Need-love and Gift-love. He explains both the natural and supernatural aspects found in each (though Charity is only a result of the supernatural--Christ working in us). While much could be said about this book, I will just include my favorite quotation from it:

". . . as a better writer has said, our imitation of God in this life--that is, our willed imitation as distinct from any of the likenesses which He has impressed upon our natures or states--must be an imitation of God incarnate: our model is the Jesus, not only of Calvary, but also of the workshop, the roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions. For this, so strangely unlike anything we can attribute to the Divine life in itself, is apparently not only like, but is, the Divine life operating under human conditions" (6).

If you're looking for a good intellectual, inspiring read, this may be the book for you! :D