''Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life'' is a partial

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

published by

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

in 1955. The work describes Lewis's life from very early childhood (born 1898) until his conversion to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in 1931, but does not go beyond that date.

Overview

Lewis' purpose in writing was not primarily historical. His aim was instead to identify and describe the events surrounding his accidental discovery of and consequent search for the phenomenon he labeled "Joy", his best translation of the idea of ''

Sehnsucht () is a German noun translated as "longing", "desire", "yearning", or "craving". Some psychologists use the word to represent thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alte ...

'' (german: longing). This ''Joy'' was so intense for something so good and so high up it could not be explained with words. He is struck with "stabs of joy" throughout his life. "Joy is distinct not only from pleasure in general but even from aesthetic pleasure. It must have the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing." Overall, the book contains less detail concerning specific events than a typical autobiography, although it is not devoid of information about his life. Lewis recounts and remembers his early years with a measure of amusement sometimes mixed with pain. However, while he does describe his life, the principal theme of the book is ''Joy'' as he defined it for his own purpose. Lewis ultimately discovers the true nature and purpose of Joy and its place in his own life. The book's last two chapters cover the end of his search as he makes the leap from

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to ...

and then from theism to

and, as a result, he realizes that Joy is like a "signpost" to those lost in the woods, pointing the way, and that its appearance is not as important "when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles." Contrary to assumptions, ''Surprised by Joy'' is not about the American poet and writer

Joy Gresham Helen Joy Davidman (18 April 1915 – 13 July 1960) was an American poet and writer. Often referred to as a child prodigy, she earned a master's degree from Columbia University in English literature at age twenty in 1935. For her book of po ...

, who edited its final draft and would become Lewis' unexpected wife two years after its publication. However, his friends and contemporaries were quick to notice the coincidence, frequently remarking that Lewis had really been "Surprised by Joy".Lancelyn Green, Roger and Hooper, Walter (2002). ''C.S.Lewis: A Biography'', p. 330. HarperCollins, London. .

References

External links

*
''Surprised by Joy''
(Canadian public domain Ebook)
Notes on Quotations & Allusions in ''Surprised by Joy''Index to authors and works quoted in ''Surprised by Joy''
{{C. S. Lewis 1955 non-fiction books Books by C. S. Lewis Irish autobiographies Literary autobiographies Geoffrey Bles books