Studies in Words (Canto),   ISBN:9780521398312

Customer Rating: 

I bought this book not only because I love C.S. Lewis's apologetic works, but because I am a student of linguistics and classics myself. This book was definitely above my head. It would have helped to be familiar with the authors Lewis so easily references. However, once I had wikipedia-ed the allusions, I discovered the extent of Lewis' genius. This work was not just the histories of the words themselves, but a history of what they meant to people throughout time. I never realized how much a word's meaning was connected to its different connotations. I read this book over a semester, and in that time I became more aware of the words themselves in my other reading. If you are undaunted by how easy Lewis references works you've never heard of, read this book; you will begin to read even modern works in a whole new light.

Customer Rating: 

Lewis has a curiosity about words and language that I find engaging. Maybe I like this book because I've often found myself focusing on the etymology of words in the dictionary and then doing the same for synonyms of those words. I've done the same with Spanish and Greek words. I like to look for new applications and meanings of familiar words. I like writers who use familiar words in unfamiliar ways to evoke fresh metaphors and connotations. Lewis has a similar fascination with the ways words can be used. It's enchanting to follow his thinking in this book. I can almost imagine sitting in a pub with him and listening to him talk.

Customer Rating: 

Someone once said that good teachers do not only teach a subject but also impart a LOVE for the subject. This C.S. Lewis certainly did to me through his "Studies in Words." I read the book a while ago, and though I do not remember every detail, a deep love for words and language has been with me ever since.

Naturally the book offers more than mere love for linguistics: it is also a tool for truly appreciating and understanding older literature. By tracing a number of key words through the centuries, C.S. Lewis helps the reader to understand how concepts change and what effect that has on one's understanding of literature.

Lastly, for those who relish C.S. Lewis's other works, "Studies in Words" might prove a fascinating view of yet another facet of Lewis's wide-ranging writings. Full points!

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The C. S. Lewis Book on the Bible: What the Greatest Christian Writer Thought About the Greatest Book

Customer Rating: 

This represents yet aother of Lewises attempts at "grammar" in the medival sense - what words and stories actually mean. As his chapter on "life" shows, we despertly need it.

Customer Rating: 

This is a very interesting book, though it is not easy to read. Don't approach it thinking it is a book to be read quickly. . . I feel as though I were sitting in lectures, and I have to read it slowly, to be sure I'm getting all that Lewis is trying to say. If you have an interest in etemology, you'll enjoy this book. Read it in small bits, digest them over a day or two and then read some more!