El Gran Divorcio: Un Sueno

Por C. S. Lewis

Un fantástico viaje entre el Cielo y el Infierno En El Gran Divorcio, C. S. Lewis de nuevo utiliza su formidable talento para contar fábulas y alegorías. En un sueño, el escritor se sube a un autobús una tarde lloviznosa y se embarca en un increíble viaje por el Cielo y el Infierno. Este es el punto de partida para la profunda meditación sobre el bien y el mal. ""Si insistimos en quedarnos con el Infierno (o incluso la Tierra) no veremos el Cielo: si aceptamos al Cielo no podremos quedarnos ni siquiera con el más pequeño e íntimo souvenir del Infierno.""

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: HarperCollins
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 29 abr 2014
• ISBN: 9780062347022

C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

Vista previa del libro

1

Al parecer, estaba en la cola del autobús, a un costado de una calle larga, sórdida. Terminaba la tarde y llovía. Había paseado durante horas por otras calles sórdidas, siempre bajo la lluvia y siempre a la luz del último atardecer. El tiempo parecía detenido en ese instante triste cuando sólo unas pocas tiendas han encendido la luz y aún no hay bastante oscuridad para que sus escaparates luzcan alegres. Y tal como la tarde no terminaba de avanzar hacia la noche, así mis pasos no terminaban de llevarme a las zonas mejores de la ciudad. Por más lejos que fuera sólo hallaba decaídas casas de alojamiento, pequeñas tabaquerías, acumulaciones indistintas de las cuales colgaban afiches destrozados, bodegas sin ventanas, estaciones de carga sin trenes, pequeñas librerías del tipo de las que venden las obras de Aristóteles. Nunca me topé con nadie. A excepción del grupo en la parada de autobús, toda la ciudad parecía vacía. Creo que por eso me incluí en la cola.

De inmediato tuve un golpe de suerte. Apenas me situé en la fila, una mujer pequeña, blanca, que debía estar delante de mí, le dijo a un hombre que parecía acompañarla, muy bien entonces. No voy, por ningún motivo. Allá tú. Y dejó la fila. Por favor, no te creas, dijo el hombre, en tono muy digno, que me importa ir. Sólo he tratado de agradarte. Lo que yo sienta es, por supuesto, algo sin la menor importancia. Lo entiendo perfectamente. Y adecuando palabra y acción, también se marchó. Vaya, pensé yo, hemos ganado dos sitios. Quedé ahora junto a un hombre de muy baja estatura, ceñudo, que me miró de modo demasiado desfavorable y manifestó, en voz innecesariamente alta, al que tenía al lado, estas son las cosas que a uno lo hacen pensar dos veces sobre este viaje.

¿Qué cosas?, gruñó el otro, persona grande, carnosa. Bueno, dijo el breve, ésta no es la sociedad a que estoy acostumbrado, por cierto. ¡Oh!, dijo el grande, y luego, mirándome, no le tolere ninguna broma, señor. Usted no le tiene miedo, ¿verdad? Como viera que yo no hacía el menor movimiento, se volvió hacia el breve y dijo: ¿No estamos a su altura, verdad? Un momento después golpeó al breve en el rostro y lo envió, despatarrado, a la cuneta.

Dejémoslo descansar, dejémoslo descansar, dijo el grande, a nadie en particular. Soy un hombre normal y corriente, eso soy, y debo hacer respetar mis derechos como todo el mundo, ¿o no? Como el breve no manifestaba ninguna intención de volver a la fila y muy pronto se marchó cojeando, me acerqué, con cierta prudencia, al grande y me congratulé de haber ganado otro puesto más. Casi al mismo tiempo, dos jóvenes que estaban delante de él se marcharon del brazo. Se los veía tan de pantalones ceñidos, esbeltos, risueños y de voz ligeramente aguda que no pude asegurarme de su sexo, pero era evidente que preferían su mutua compañía y no la oportunidad de un asiento en el autobús. Nunca entraremos todos, dijo una voz femenina algo quejumbrosa, unos cuatro puestos más adelante. Le cambio el sitio por cinco libras, señora, dijo alguien. Sentí sonar las monedas y luego un grito femenino mezclado con carcajadas del resto de la gente. La engañada saltó de su lugar en busca del que la había timado, pero los demás inmediatamente apretaron filas y la dejaron fuera…Así que, por una cosa u otra, la cola adquirió proporciones razonables mucho antes de la llegada del autobús.

Era un vehículo maravilloso, resplandeciente de luz dorada, heráldicamente coloreado. El conductor parecía lleno de luz y sólo utilizaba una mano para conducir. Agitaba la otra delante del rostro como para apartar el vapor grasoso de la lluvia. Un gruñido surgió de la fila apenas lo vieron. "Parece que lo pasa bien, ¿eh? Apuesto que…Querido, ¿por qué no se comporta con naturalidad? Se cree demasiado importante para mirarnos…¿Quién se cree que es?…

Todos esos dorados y esas púrpuras. Un desperdicio. ¿Por qué no gastarán ese dinero en las propiedades y casas de por aquí? ¡Dios! Me gustaría darle con todo en el oído." El aspecto del conductor no me parecía digno en absoluto de tales expresiones, a menos que la gente reaccionara por su aspecto de autoridad y su aparente decisión de realizar su trabajo.

Mis compañeros lucharon como gallinas para introducirse en el autobús, aunque había sitio sobrado para todos. Fui el último en subir. El bus quedó a medio llenar y opté por sentarme atrás, lejos de los demás. Pero un joven despeinado se me sentó al lado. Apenas lo hizo, el bus empezó a moverse.

—Creí que no le molestaría que me siente con usted —dijo—, porque he notado que experimenta lo mismo que yo con toda esta gente. No alcanzo a imaginar por qué han insistido en venir. No les gustará nada cuando lleguemos allí; estarían mucho más cómodos en casa. Pero no es lo mismo ni para usted ni para mí.

—¿Les gusta este lugar? —le pregunté.

—Tanto como les gusta cualquier cosa —respondió—. Han tenido cines, pesca, y negocios de papas fritas y propaganda y cuanto han querido. La asombrosa falta de cualquier tipo de vida intelectual no les preocupa. Apenas llegué aquí noté que debía haber un error.

Tenía que tomar el primer autobús, pero me dediqué a tratar de despertar a la gente; qué tontería. Me encontré con algunas personas que había conocido antes e intenté organizar un pequeño círculo, pero todos parecían haberse hundido hasta el nivel de esta zona.

Incluso antes de llegar aquí tenía mis dudas sobre un hombre como Cyrill Blellow. Siempre creí que estaba trabajando en una lengua falsa. Por lo menos era inteligente: era posible escucharle alguna crítica digna de ser oída, aunque fuera un fracaso en el aspecto creador. Sin embargo, ahora sólo parece quedarle mera autocompasión. La última vez que intenté leerle algo de lo mío…

Espere un minuto, me gustaría que usted mismo lo viera.

Advertí, con un estremecimiento, que estaba sacando del bolsillo un grueso atado de papel escrito. Murmuré algo sobre que no tenía los anteojos y exclamé:

—¡Vaya! Pero si hemos abandonado la tierra…

Era verdad. A varios cientos de metros bajo nosotros, medio ocultos por la lluvia y la niebla, podían verse los techos húmedos de la ciudad, esparcidos sin interrupción hasta donde alcanzaba la vista.

2

No quedé mucho tiempo más a merced del poeta despeinado: otro pasajero nos interrumpió la charla. Pero antes de que eso sucediera ya había aprendido bastante sobre el poeta. Al parecer era un hombre a quien se había aprovechado singularmente poco. Sus padres nunca lo estimaron y ninguna de las cinco escuelas a que asistió parecía haber previsto nada adecuado para un talento y carácter como el suyo. Para empeorar las cosas, era justamente el tipo de niño para el cual los exámenes parecen funcionar con el máximo de injusticia y absurdo. Sólo cuando llegó a la universidad empezó a reconocer que todas esas injusticias no eran un azar, sino los inevitables resultados de nuestro sistema económico. El capitalismo, además de esclavizar a sus trabajadores, les rebajaba el gusto y les vulgarizaba el intelecto. De allí provenía ese sistema educacional y la falta de reconocimiento del genio. Este descubrimiento lo convirtió al comunismo. Pero vino la guerra y la alianza de Rusia con los gobiernos capitalistas; una vez más se halló aislado y debió entonces pasar a objetor de conciencia. Las indignidades a que se vio sometido en esta etapa de su carrera, confiesa, lo amargaron. Decidió que serviría mejor a la causa si se iba a América. Pero América muy pronto también estaba en guerra.

En ese instante, de súbito, descubrió que Suecia era el hogar de un arte decididamente nuevo y radical. Pero sus distintos opresores no le habían dado precisamente facilidades para viajar a Suecia.

Problemas de dinero. Su padre, que jamás progresó más allá de la más atroz complacencia y vulgaridad mental de la época victoriana, le entregaba una pensión que por lo inadecuada rayaba en la insolencia. Una joven, además, lo había tratado muy mal. La había creído dotada de personalidad civilizada y adulta, pero de repente manifestó una verdadera masa de prejuicios burgueses e instintos monógamos. Le disgustaban sus celos y posesividad; le disgustaban los celos y los afanes posesivos en general. Al final resultó hasta mezquina con el dinero. Fue la gota que rebasó el vaso. Había saltado bajo un tren…

Me sobresalté, pero no lo advirtió.

Incluso entonces, prosiguió, la mala suerte continuó persiguiéndolo. Le enviaron a la ciudad gris. Pero fue un error, por supuesto. Ya descubriría, me dijo, que todos los pasajeros estarían conmigo en el viaje de regreso. Pero él no. Iba a quedarse allí. Se sentía completamente seguro de que se

Comentarios para El Gran Divorcio

[rachelpenso · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This is another one of those books I really enjoyed long ago, but I think my opinion may have changed since then.

[ben_a_11 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A vivid imagining of the visit of souls in hell to the outskirts of heaven. Read at the suggestion of my friend Tim, and thinking on it, perhaps 15 years after his first, implicit, suggestion. Lewis is of course known as a defender of the Faith. This he of course is, and that aspect of Lewis is on fine display here. What is less known about Lewis , and should win him more secular readers, is his surpassing skill as a plain moralist. Lewis has thought deeply about the ways we go bad, and the lies we tell ourselves to hide our rotten behavior. It's hard to imagine the person who will not gain from this smashing book. (8.26.06)

[kobooks · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Very interesting and thought provoking! Lewis' dream fantasy of what Heaven is/will be like and what keeps someone (and allows another) from entering it. Addresses what role sin plays in our lives and how God and Hell coexist.

[m_dow · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

My absolute favorite part is the moment when Sarah Smith of Gulder's Green appears. Lewis makes Beatrice human, and thus more gloriously holy than ever she appeared in the Earthly Paradise.

[bongo_x_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

An interesting book, even though there are many things I don’t agree with in it. It’s overly preachy, full of straw man arguments, and generally full of the idea that you should never question or stray from strict Christian dogma or you are a damned fool. Other than that it has some good, thought provoking ideas that you can take in ways the author may not have intended. It is very short, and that’s a good thing, I wouldn’t have wanted too much of it.

[venqat65 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I've read this book many times and given many copies of this book away as well. In my opinion, this book is wonderful. It truly shows just why some people would prefer hell over being with the Lord---it does a great job of illuminating all the sinful traps that we can get caught in and end up turning away from accepting the Lord's greatest gift to us. Eye-opening and insightful. I think it is as good as the Screwtape Letters, if not better!

[sherrykaraoke · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

One of my favorites for many years, this is the greatest allegory of Heaven and Hell ever written.

[gilbertstaples · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

If you've never read Lewis, this is a great place to start. Almost all the themes which wind their way through his work are referenced here. It is a short read based on an intriguing premise; a bus tour from hell to heaven. Insights on both locations abound. When you're finished you will have both, more questions and more answers than when you started.That is, I think, one of the signs of a great book.

[sherrythompson · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

If "The Screwtape Letters" demonstrates various ways that humans may be led toward sin and hell, then "The Great Divorce" is its complement, demonstrating what might happen to these benighted souls if given one more chance after death. A chance that the souls, currently living in the grey town, must choose to attempt by boarding a kind of celestial bus that takes the passengers as far as the outskirts of Heaven. Here, instead of being influenced by invisible and inaudible demons, they are approached by bright beings (souls already admitted to Heaven) and even angels intent upon them taking the last few steps to salvation.The tale is told from Lewis' POV as if he were dead and, finding himself in the grey town, decided to board the bus. His guide, as it turns out, is George MacDonald. I love every one of the encounters on the doorstep of Heaven That Lewis observes. Even though I've read this book many times, I find myself rooting for each of the spirits visiting from the grey town to make the right decision.

[daphneh-2 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Love it but bad ending.

[a.j.lumaren · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Some very interesting theological ideas and a brilliant allegory.

[yahonk_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is my favorite fiction book of all time, hands down. Lewis' talent for articulating spiritual truths in fiction is amazing, as evidenced in his other works, like Narnia. However, The Great Divorce is on a whole different level. I think Lewis has forever altered my perception of the union of Heaven and Hell.

[bezoar44 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

C.S. Lewis is a fine propagandist - more that in this short novel than an apologist. But the power of his allegory - in this, in the Screwtape Letters, in the Narnia Chronicles, in the Out of the Silent Planet series - feels deeply manipulative. Here, a man climbs aboard a bus in a gray, miserable city with a variety of unhappy passengers. When they reach their destination, it becomes clear that the characters are on the outer fringes of Heaven, and will be welcomed in, if only they can bring themselves to admit their total inadequacy and shame and cast their lot with God: "If you will accept [shame] - if you will drink the cup to the bottom - you will find it very nourishing: but try to do anything else with it and it scalds." In the literary form of an allegory or fable, it's perfectly legitimate for an author to set up the world of the story any way they like. But, the chief problem with this as a mode of argument is that it is compelling only if you accept that it is. I have the same problem with Paolo Coelho's fable, the Alchemist - but here, the effect is worse. The choice whether to accept the ground rules of the fable is, in fact, a different choice than the choice presented within the fable to Lewis's characters, but to a reader trying to find a common frame of reference with an author, it is easy for the two choices to superimpose and merge. I think Lewis intends them to; that is how this work functions - as a kind of tautology - to save souls (or, as I think Lewis might put it, to bring readers to an emotional place where they can choose to invite God in - they definitely must make the choice themselves). To pile on the pressure, many of Lewis' characters are straw men (or straw women) - not ordinary complex people, but people who are morally weak in simplistic and unsympathetic ways.All of that would be fine - not every book is for everyone. But there is an aspect of Lewis' writing that really raises my hackles: the implication that this book is in fact for everyone - that it must be - because everyone has to accept their shame and inadequacy before they can be saved. What's deeply missing from this worldview is a sense of the multiplicity of grace; that's it's not up to us, (if we're being truly serious) to decide it is too late for a fictional character or a real person to be saved in a cosmic sense - we just can't know that. It's striking that Lewis is perfectly prepared to rule some speculation out of bounds - for example, what actually happens after we die, which he raises twice explicitly to deny it as a legitimate topic of discussion - while simultaneously insisting on a specific vision of how grace operates, and making characters pop out of existence when they deny it. My gut and my faith tell me Lewis is wrong; I certainly hope he is. My rating reflects my sense that this is a work of better than average quality, although I dislike it.

[artnking_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The essense of the human condition captured in a great story. The most re-read book in my library.

[nmhale_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

In this fantasy tale, Lewis explores the nature of heaven and hell and the ramifications of salvation and redemption. In the introduction, he points out that this is an imaginative exploration of these locations, not to be taken as gospel or even as his own beliefs, but a simple fantasy that explores what could be.Hell is a drab place, where fights break out and people are drawn into deeper and deeper solitude. It is always gray, that fading light that just precedes night time, and the weather is damp and drizzly. The narrator, presumably Lewis himself, isn't at first aware of the true nature of his surroundings, and neither are we. Through vivid descriptions and cryptic dialogue we piece together an idea that this is hell that he is traversing (which is later confirmed by an angel). By chance he sees a queue, and for want of anything better to do he joins it, later discovering that it is a bus line, and he hops on board. The bus, however, is no ordinary means of public transport: it flies.The dull gray drops away, light percolates through shut window blinds, and the bus approaches cliffs that loom over the riders. The top of the top of these sheer rock walls reveals a lush green valley, and beautiful mountains in the distance. The light is the soft brilliance of early dawn, just before day breaks. Of course, this is heaven.While the physical settings of heaven and hell are, in themselves, fascinating, Lewis's inventive mind has more to offer. The denizens of hell become mere ghosts in the bright land, so insubstantial that even the smallest stalk of grass pierces them, water is solid, and an apple weighs a ton. The angels that descend upon the bus riders have come with a purpose, one angel to one ghost, in a last attempt to break through their worldly walls and win them to repentance and salvation. The exchanges between the angels and the ghosts, still stubbornly clinging to their flawed ideas that placed them in hell in the first place, become philosophical debates where Lewis has a chance to refute some common criticisms of Christianity.I've always liked Lewis, because he has a touch for explaining theological conundrums in simple terms, and because he has a rich imagination. This book combines both. Clearly, the fantasy is just a vehicle to delve into those philosophic exchanges, but since his intention is clear from the introduction I didn't feel like he was playing a trick. On the contrary, I thought it was a clever way to make subject matter that could otherwise be dry become very entertaining.

[macii_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

As noted here, Lewis' "The Great Divorce," caused me to think and ponder many different concepts. The fantastic thing about the contemplation process was that it occurred while reading a piece of fiction.Maybe the idea of feel of the book can best be described in Lewis' preface: If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell. I believe, to be sure, that any man who reaches Heaven will find that what he abandoned (even in plucking out his right eye) was precisely nothing: that the kernel of what he was really seeking even in his most depraved wishes will be there, beyond expectation, waiting for him in "the High Countries." In that sense it will be true for those who have complete the journey (and for no others) to say that good is everything and Heaven everywhere. But we, at this end of the road, must not try to anticipate that retrospective vision. If we do, we are likely to embrace the false and disastrous converse and fancy that everything is good and everywhere is Heaven.Emphasis in the quote is my own.Maybe this does not describe the feel of the book at all or make full sense unless you have fully read the book. I would love to expand on the ideas Lewis expresses through his work, but I simply can not, in my own words, share these in a way which would do the piece any justice.It is my highest recommendation that you read this book.

[thinkpinkdana · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I have read several things by the great C.S. Lewis including his children's fiction and some of his theological works, but reading The Great Divorce was my first foray into his "adult fiction." I have to say that Lewis absolutely does not disappoint.From the back cover:C. S. Lewis takes us on a profound journey through both heaven and hell in this engaging allegorical tale. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis introduces us to supernatural beings who will change the way we think about good and evil. In The Great Divorce C. S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer, in a dream, finds himself in a bus which travels between Hell and Heaven. This is the starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil which takes issue with William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. In Lewiss own words, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven then we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell." While I have no doubt that this is not the scenario that I will find after death, it is none-the-less an extremely thought provoking story of God's justice, and man's stubborn inability to let go of earthly things when reaching for the things of heaven. Lewis is brilliant in portraying humanity in it's most redeemable and dispicable forms. On more than one occasion I found myself identifying with those who simply refused to become less themselves in order to become more of God." There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says in the end, "Thy will be done." All those that are in Hell choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. To those who knock it is opened."I am sure that The Great Divorce will invoke either a "love it" or "hate it" response in the reader. It can do nothing else because it's subject matter is so very black and white. Either you see what is True in it and embrace it, or you call what is True utter nonsense and walk away in search of more palatable answers.It took me less than twenty-four hours to devour this book from cover to cover. My book came away underlined, annotated, dog-eared and the worse for wear. In short, it was a book much loved, and one which I am sure I will visit time and again." All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World. Look at yon butterfly. If it swallowed all of Hell, Hell would not be big enough to do it any harm or have any taste... All the lonliness, angers, hatred, envies and itchings that it contains, if rolled into one single experience and put into the scale against the least moment of the joy that is felt by the very least in Heaven, would have no weight that could be registered at all. Bad cannot succeed even in being bad as truly as good is good. If all Hell's miseries together entered the conciousness of wee yon yellow bird on the bough there , they would be swallowed up without a trace, as if one drop of ink had been dropped into that Great Ocean to which your terrestrial Pacific itself is but a molecule."

[eschator83 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The book is a wonderful image of Heaven, despite the unfortunate title, which refers instead to the multitude of weaknesses and issues that humans can cling to (and cannot repent and divorce) rather than to seek the Model that Jesus gave us. The book describes a dream of leaving earth and traveling to Heaven, where Lewis sees old acquaintances. Highly recommended, you will enjoy thinking of Heaven this way,

[mull9292 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

SO MUCH we can let keep us from the divine or even just our own hopes and dreams.

[bill5bradford · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Lewis' story of a bus trip from hell to heaven is one of Lewis' most quotable books, and contains a number of fascinating insights into human nature. The book is perhaps best summed up in the quote, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it." It is one of those books you can easily read from cover to cover in one night.

[dogearedpage · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This book was recommended by my pastor. I can't believe it was as good at he said. It was better. I figured that if he liked it, it would be a boring yeah,yeah on the church line. It ain't. Read it.

[soylentgreen23 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

I can appreciate the quality of Lewis's writing - his visions of hell and heaven are both very well conveyed, and give more body to the ideas that many possess of these two places. The picture he draws of hell is particularly convincing, especially for us Brits - there is certainly something of hell in many of our lonely grey towns.The writing also falls down in places; one instance would have delighted Freud, when Lewis writes, 'Every young man or boy that met her became her son - even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door.' But I digress.By examining the idea of evil in our everyday actions, Lewis comes a long way on the road of self-help and a kind of spiritual psychology. This is all spoilt by this being a book about heaven. His thesis is to prove the kinds of behaviour that lead to eternal salvation and those that don't; but this presumes that Christianity is right, and that there is a hell and a heaven for people to go to.He is also enormously judgmental, as so many firm believers tend to be. This line sums up his beliefs perfectly, and further provides a reason that I can never subscribe to religious beliefs. 'You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God.' No such statement could ever be uttered, no such judgment could ever be passed, by an atheist.

[aethercowboy · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

When Blake wrote of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Lewis thought it would eventually end in a Great Divorce. In this book, Lewis shows Heaven and Hell, but in a way, they are subjective. If you choose the Earth over Heaven, you find the Earth is a suburb of Hell. If you choose Heaven over Earth, you instead find that Earth is a neighborhood on the outskirts of Heaven. Kinda. Likewise, those in Hell can visit Heaven whenever they like, and can stay in Heaven, only they have to give up all of their Earthly ways, and realize what's really important.While not a Biblical view of the afterlife, I found that Lewis' depiction of this afterlife to be quite imaginative and interesting: Hell is a place that you make your own, but what you make is not real, while Heaven, to a denizen of Hell is so real that you cannot even move the blades of grass or make ripples in water. I'm not sure how I feel about it from a theological point of view, but as a story that raises intrigue and thinking, especially of metaphysical things, it certainly does that fairly well.I would recommend this book alongside others by Lewis, specifically those theological fictions of his, such as Screwtape Letters (though, not necessarily, alongside Narnia). It may be too radical for some Christians, and too preachy for some non-Christians, but for everyone else, it's definitely thought-provoking.

[alexthehunn · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Lewis writes of a man's experiences leaving Hell for a sort of last chance at salvation in the afterlife. By no means is it evident to the reader or the characters that such is the nature of the events. Lewis uses this framework to present various scenarios of sin and goodness.

[heidiangell · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I've read many of Lewis' works and find his religious bent interesting. As a not particularly religious person myself, though having grown up in a very strictly religious home, I still find his work quite interesting, particularly in that it reflects much of what I have also observed about people's behaviors (never mind my religious beliefs.) The Great Divorce does not disappoint in that respect. Often those who think that they are better than, or less sinful, or more morally upright, or whatever thing we use to prop ourselves up in comparison of "Others" are often the ones outsiders look upon as being not very good people.

Although I enjoyed the Screwtape Letters more, The Great Divorce is much along that same vein, not pointing the finger at the obvious sinners (such as myself) but providing a reflection for those who are striving to be righteous and do not see their sins, or minimize them for the sake of their religious pride. Even for those who are not religious, we can see ourselves doing the same if we look deep within. And at a time where people seem so determined to be divided by their moral/ religious/ political causes, this is a good read to remind us to look inward first and to ask ourselves if our behavior is just, or just to prop ourselves up?

[lhlady_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This classic Lewis book was fascinating, interesting, and moving.

[gfreewill_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This book is a book of allegory where a man takes a bus trip and ends up at the gates heaven where he sees lots of interactions between what I would describe as saints, those who are damned and those who eventually can be saved. This book is a favorite to many people, but I honestly have liked other things that Lewis wrote much more. I probably need to read it again to give it a real chance, but I wasn’t really impressed. I guess it seemed to me like it was trying to be fantasy-fiction, but wasn’t quite there, so was just kind of preachy instead. George MacDonald, who was one of Lewis’ great inspirations, and whom he even references in this book did a much better job of navigating the fantasy-allegory path in his Lilith. As far as Lewis goes, I liked Till We Have Faces, The Narnia Books and even his autobiography Surprised by Joy much more.

[victorya_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is one of the little known but POWERFUL wonderful books by CS Lewis. He has a way of making you really think about your life and what you're letting control you. It's a MUST read!

[duffdaddy-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A fable about what it means to get to heaven. Done very well with the imagery of a "solid" heaven. Lewis did a good job of describing Hell not as a demon-filled inferno; rather as a dreary town where no one gets along and no one is happy. Kind of reminded me of the novel "Hell". Especially meaningful were the scenes where the phantoms would not shed their earthly vanities for the chance of heaven. I also liked Lewis' interaction with George MacDonald - his self-proclaimed inspiration. Jack never disappoints.

[texascheeseman · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

The Great DivorceAuthor: C. S. LewisPublisher: TouchstonePublished In: New YorkDate: 1974Pgs: 125REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERSSummary:Heaven and Hell on a bus ride from London’s rainy streets to the core of good and evil. Expectations and realizations and the challenging of philosophical suppositions. Life. Death. Forever.This is Lewis’ response or riposte to William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.Genre:AdventureClassicsCultureFictionReligionSocietyWhy this book:Heaven and Hell in juxtaposition.______________________________________________________________________________Favorite Character:The narrator and his sense of wonder as we experience these realms through his eyesLeast Favorite Character: The Evangelical Apostate who is so sure of his rightness and his wanting to hold onto his influence and rights that he fails to see what is being offered. Reminds me of every televangelist that I’ve ever seen.The Feel:There is a feeling of the other shoe about to drop, possibly on the narrator’s head throughout this story.Favorite Scene:The Big Man/Ghost’s argument with the murderer who used to work for him who had come to collect him and led him to the mountains.Pacing:Well paced.Hmm Moments:Right off the bat, the people wandering the shutdown town at neverending twilight and the bus station with people jumping in and out of the queue is an excellent metaphor for modern religion. The gray city might be limbo, a waiting room between death and heaven and hell. Or it might be hell, going with the idea that hell is other people. It’s Hell. Interesting.The desperate Ghost woman who wants to be put back in charge of her long suffering husband. She wants to guide him and bend him and make him into whatever she wants him to be, just like she did in life. The poor bastard.Why isn’t there a screenplay?Not sure how this would translate to the screen. Could be awesome in a What Dreams May Come sense. With as much internal dialogue as there is, there would be some major stumbling blocks.__________________________________________________________________________Last Page Sound:A dream...really?Author Assessment:This was okay.Knee Jerk Reaction:real classicDisposition of Book:Irving Public LibrarySouth CampusIrving, TXDewey Decimal System: 236.2 LEWWould recommend to:no one______________________________________________________________________________