Did The Screwtape Letters Inspire Darin Morgan?

[Earthnut]

IHaveGoodInstincts, welcome to the group and our home away from home.

C S Lewis is an awesome author, and I for one am proud to say that I have many of his books.

To give him honor I'd like to mention a couple other excellent books. First, "A Grief Observed."

"Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published in 1961 and concerns the death of C. S. Lewis's wife, the American-born poet Joy Davidman. In her introduction to this new edition, Madeleine L'Engle writes: "I am grateful to Lewis for having the courage to yell, to doubt, to kick at God in angry violence. This is a part of a healthy grief which is not often encouraged." (Harper Collins Publishers)

Quote from "The Problem of Pain."

"Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for, listening for?"

Quote from "The Weight of Glory."

"We do not merely want to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it."

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

Hi there IHaveGoodInstincts and as this is your first post may I welcome you to TIWWA and say that I hope you enjoy your stay and make many new friends in the process.

Now that we have someone who has read the book is it really that overt in terms of the similarities? I got the impression that the premise was similar but that the content differed or would you say that it is easy to where Darin the specifics of that episode from when reading the book? What I'm trying to say, I guess, is do you consider it a coincidence that both deal with a similar theme or would you say it is more striking that than?

Eth

Thanks for the warm welcome. It's been a while since I read the book, but the content of the book is conversations in the form of letters where Screwtape, a junior devil, is conversing with Wormwood, the "senior" devil. Screwtape is in the process of learning how to draw people away from God, sometimes by intervention and sometimes by lack thereof. Some of the examples, or techniques, used in both the book and the episode are similar. The book is not quite as comedic as the episide, but the premise, in my opinion, is the same. I don't consider this episode to be a rip-off in any way, rather a very interesting take on a less than mainstream subject that I related to quickly, having read the book.

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

Whoops! I flipped the book characters around by accident!

[ethsnafu]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and, again, welcome to to our band of merry men. I was interested to see that CS Lewis also presented the idea that temptation isn't necessary to cast man into the arms of the Devil - simply leave him to his own devices and he will get there in is own good time. Darin's work has this wonderful sense of melancholy about it that seems to turn the idea that we 'cleave towards the light' on its head and presents the human condition as such a meaningless, futile and largely uneventful collection of happenings that we are driven to the dark side simply because we are what we are. Idle hands make Devil's work if you like. I thought that "Somehow Satan Got Behind Me" presented that idea wonderfully. All the Legion stuff of season one with it's pacts and promises and scenes of temptation were all perfunctory in the end - just grab a coffee, sit back and let them come to you as the daily grind of relentless normality will ultimately bring them to the Donut Hole of their own accord.

Bliss.

Eth

[Earthnut]

Mark, welcome to our band of merry MEN?

Actually, I believe C S Lewis is correct in that man rarely has to be tempted by an evil force. All man needs is to have a lust of his/her heart available, and he/she will usually walk right into it, eyes wide open. The devil doesn't "make" us do anything, it's our choice which direction we head into.

Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me, probably is one of the best episodes ever because of the fact that it is so different, and yet so believable at the same time. Or should I say, "Somehow, Cake Got Behind Me?"

"just grab a coffee, sit back and let them come to you as the daily grind of relentless normality will ultimately bring them to the Donut Hole of their own accord" ~ Love it, perfectly stated Mark.