till we have faces

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is a novel by C.S. Lewis, who (as everyone knows) is the author of the Chronicles of Narnia. What I was surprised to learn is that Lewis was mainly an author of non-fiction, did a little bit of fiction, and other than Narnia, wrote almost nothing else for children.

Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story, who earliest known rendering was put down by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (or Platonicus) in his Metamorphoses in the second century BCE. Lewis uses the myth as a starting point, or what he calls a 'source' for his novel in a note in the backmatter of the book.

In Lewis' version, the story does not focus on Psyche or Cupid, but is rather told from the point of view of one of Psyche's sisters. In the original story, Psyche is the youngest, and most beautiful of three sisters, daughters of a king. When she meets Cupid in the original story, she falls in love with the god, and her sisters, jealous of her good fortune, contrive to trick her into betraying the command of her lover to never look upon his face. Lewis has the oldest daughter, the story's protagonist, visit Psyche alone, and unlike the original story, can not perceive (or even conceive) the splendor and love in which her sister now lives, and thinks she is victim of some horrible trickery.

This is Lewis' view of man trying to understand the magnificence of God, and failing. He even describes the relationship between Cupid and Venus, his mother in terms similar to the Christ story. In some cases they are one in the same, being both mother and son, shadow and light, ravager and savior. The telling is similar to the original only in its beginnings. The story itself focuses on the struggles the eldest sister has in life and her relationship with the gods. She even sets her will against the gods, but in the end accepts that the gods are great, and indeed beyond our understanding, even if they do things that enrage as well as enrapture us.

This was an interesting read. I don't know that the happy ending I hoped for, or even the tragic ending that can also occur in myth, ever came to pass. The story just sort of ended when it was over. If one was reading it for its Christian overtones, one may have a different opinion of the ending, but I'll leave that for others to decide.


Update: I forgot to mention that I picked this book up from a 'Little Library' in Dracut, located at the rear of the town hall parking lot. Leave a book, take a book.