Resources
This section is meant to provide inspiration for those who love the Inklings, especially those who teach the Inklings.
If you have a resource—whether it be a syllabus, book, podcast, etc.—that you think would add to this page, please email Elizabeth Yeh at liz@inklingsproject.org.
Example Syllabi/Course Material
Wheaton College | “Introduction to the Inklings” | Dr. David Downing
Brown University | “Beyond Narnia: The Political Theory & Writings of C.S. Lewis” | Dr. Timothy Flanigan, Dr. Edward Wing, Dr. Hannah Wei Wu
“Lessons from Brown” Packet: A fuller overview/look into the course at Brown University, including a reflection from Dr. Timothy Flanigan, real student feedback, an example paper, and more.
University of Notre Dame | “Transfiguration in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis” | Dr. David Fagerberg
Smith College | “C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien: Faith and Fantasy” | Dr. Carol Zaleski
Providence College | “‘Something Other than God’: C. S. Lewis, Christian Thinker” | Fr. Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P. and Fr. Jordan Zajac, O.P.
C. S. Lewis Discussion Guides: From Brown University’s “Beyond Narnia” course, a semester’s worth of student-led and student-created discussion guides.
University of Notre Dame | “C. S. Lewis: Sin, Sanctification, and Saints” | Dr. David Fagerberg
Printed Resources
THE INKLINGS
Bandersnatch: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings, by Diana Pavlac Glyer
The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, by Philip Zaleski & Carol Zaleski
The Inklings: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and their friends, by Humphrey Carpenter
The Inklings of Oxford: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Their Friends, by Harry Lee Poe, photographed by James Ray Veneman
C. S. LEWIS
C. S. Lewis: A Biography, by Ralph Lancelyn Green & Walter Hooper
C. S. Lewis: Companion & Guide, by Walter Hooper
Jack: A Life of C. S. Lewis, by George Sayer
Companion to Narnia, by Paul F. Ford
Into the Wardrobe: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles, by David C. Downing
The Way into Narnia: A Reader’s Guide, by Peter J. Schakel
Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis, by Michael Ward
Bareface: A Guide to C. S. Lewis’s Last Novel, by Doris T. Myers
Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis: A Study of Till We Have Faces, by Peter J. Schakel
J. R. R. TOLKIEN
J. R. R. Tolkien: a biography, by Humphrey Carpenter
Tolkien, by Raymond Edwards
J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment, Edited by Michael D.C. Drout
The Annotated Hobbit: J. R. R. Tolkien, Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson
The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion, by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth, by Robert Foster
Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World, by Verlyn Flieger
The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology, by Tom Shippey
Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography, by Holly Ordway
Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth, by John Garth
The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earth, by John Garth
Online Resources
THE INKLINGS
Marion E. Wade Center, especially of note, their “Authors” page: Great short overviews (with more additional resources available) of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonald, G. K. Chesterton, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams
Mythlore, as explained on the website, is “a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal published by the Mythopoeic Society that focuses on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and the genres of myth and fantasy.”
The Mythlore Index Plus, updated twice annually, contains “all issues of Mythlore as well as all articles and reviews published in the Tolkien Journal, Mythcon Conference Proceedings, and Mythopoeic Press publications.”
C. S. LEWIS
Pints with Jack podcast, especially of note is their “C. S. Lewis Books” page: collected notes, commentaries, and resources for Lewis’ books
Chronologically Lewis, by Joel Heck: over 1,000 pages on the lives of C. S. Lewis and Warren Lewis
The Disordered Image: An Image Catalog of C. S. Lewis’ English Editions. Visit the “How to Use” page to learn how to use the collection in order to identify which editions of Lewis’ work are identical
The Oxford University C. S. Lewis Society website, especially of note is their “Links” page that includes other Lewis-related resources and societies
CSLewisDoodle: Readings, accompanied by wonderful illustrations, of select essays written by C. S. Lewis. The purpose of CSLewisDoodle is to make these essays easier to understand (great for visual learners).
J. R. R. TOLKIEN
The Tolkien Society website, especially of note is their “Links” page that includes lists of several Tolkien-related resources and societies
Tolkien Gateway, as stated on their website, is “is a not-for-profit collaborative wiki devoted to works of J.R.R. Tolkien, being the largest Tolkien-related encyclopedia on the World Wide Web.”
CHARLES WILLIAMS
The Charles Williams Society website contains information/links to Williams’ work and to other Williams-related resources
The Oddest Inkling, a blog by Dr. Sorina Higgins. Visit the “A Reader’s Guide for Beginners” page if you are new to Williams and want to know where to start
OWEN BARFIELD
The Owen Barfield Literary Estate website, especially of note is their “Read Online” page that contains a breakdown of Barfield’s work
The Owen Barfield Society website contains information/links to Barfield-related events and resources, including a bibliography of Barfield’s published writings