C.S. Lewis and Last Things:

How the Writer of Narnia Saw the End of Our Story

4th November 2024

At Union Theological College

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Co-Sponsored by 

The C.S. Lewis Institute Belfast 

& 

John Brown University

Rationale

 In The Sense of an Ending, literary critic Frank Kermode famously speaks of ‘our deep need for intelligible Ends’, saying that ‘We project ourselves [...] past the End, so as to see the structure whole, a thing we cannot do from our spot of time in the middle’. This one day public-facing symposium aims to examine C.S. Lewis’s vision(s) of last things, exploring his depictions of the end in works such as The Narnia Chronicles, The Cosmic Trilogy (or any of his fictional works), and to explore his sense of the end in his non-fiction: for example, in his essays, letters, or theological writings. We invite scholars at every career stage to engage with this broad topic from a variety of different and creative approaches to suit their own interests; and we invite them to consider—in a more general way— how Lewis’s talent for capturing abstract concepts in concrete, relatable terms might make him an especially capable guide in helping readers to make sense not merely of the end, but of the entirety of our story. 

Call for Papers

We invite proposals of up to 250 words for 20-minute papers on some aspect of our topic. Submissions are welcome from scholars at every career stage, from early career researchers to well-established. Please include a brief bio with your submission. 

Email Proposals to: 

Curtis White at White-C36@ulster.ac.uk by 4th September 2024.