
Studies in Words (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Philological Essays on Semantic Change, Classical Terms, and Reading Older Literature Without AnachronismBy C. S. LewisLength8h 48m
About this audiobook
Studies in Words is C. S. Lewis's forensic journey through the changing meanings of English and classical terms whose histories illuminate literature itself. Examining words such as "nature," "sad," "wit," "free," "sense," and "conscience," Lewis shows how semantic drift can distort modern readings of older texts. The style is lucid, exacting, and conversationally learned, joining philology to literary criticism in the humanist tradition of Oxford and Cambridge scholarship. Lewis was not only the celebrated author of imaginative works such as The Chronicles of Narnia, but also a formidable medievalist, classicist, and historian of ideas. His academic life at Oxford and Cambridge trained him to hear older English with unusual sensitivity, while his Christian and philosophical interests sharpened his concern for moral and metaphysical vocabulary. This book grows directly from his lifelong conviction that language preserves, and sometimes conceals, intellectual history. Readers interested in literature, theology, philosophy, or the craft of interpretation will find Studies in Words indispensable. It is especially rewarding for those who wish to read pre-modern texts without anachronism and with a finer ear for nuance.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreOther
Length8 hrs 48 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 4, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
47I. ‘ELEUTHEROS’
2Introduction
48II. ‘LIBER’
3Synopsis
49III. ‘FREE’
4Historical Context
50IV. ‘FRANK’ AND ‘VILLAIN’
5Author Biography
51V. AN OBSOLETE BRANCH-LINE
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6PREFACE
52VI. ‘LIBERAL’ AS A CULTURAL TERM
71 INTRODUCTION
536 SENSE [WITH SENTENCE , SENSIBILITY , AND SENSIBLE ]
8I. THE EFFECTS OF RAMIFICATION
54I. INTRODUCTORY
9II. THE INSULATING POWER OF THE CONTEXT
55II. ‘SENTIRE’
10III. THE DANGEROUS SENSE
56III. ‘SENTIRE (A) ’
11IV. THE WORD’S MEANING AND THE SPEAKER’S MEANING
57IV. ‘SENTIRE (B) ’
12V. TACTICAL DEFINITIONS
58V. THE NOUNS
13VI. THE METHODOLOGICAL IDIOM
59VI. ‘SENTENTIA’ AND ‘SENTENCE’
14VII. MORALISATION OF STATUS-WORDS
60VII. ‘SENSUS’ AND ‘SENSE’
152 NATURE [WITH PHUSIS , KIND , PHYSICAL ETC.]
61VIII. ‘SENSUS’ AND ‘SENSE (A) ’
16I. ‘NATURA’
62IX. ‘COMMUNIS SENSUS’ AND ‘COMMON SENSE’
17II. ‘KIND’
63X. ‘SENSUS’ AND ‘SENSE (B) ’
18III. PHUSIS
64XI. ‘SENSE’ AND ‘SENS’ IN LATER TIMES
19Eche thing in my cure is
65XII. ‘SENSIBLE’ AND ‘SENSIBILITY’
20IV. ‘NATURE’ AND ITS OPPOSITES
66XIII. ‘SENSIBLE (D.S.) ’
21V. ‘NATURAL AND UNNATURAL’
67XIV. TRIUMPH OF ‘SENSIBLE (D.S.) ’
22VI. THE ‘NATURAL’ AND THE INTERFERED WITH
687 SIMPLE
23VII. THE ‘NATURAL’ AS AN ELEMENT IN MAN
69I. THE LOGICAL BRANCH
24VIII. ‘NATURE’ AND GRACE
70II. THE ETHICAL BRANCH
25IX. NATURE AND THE MIMETIC ARTS
71III. THE POPULAR BRANCH
26X. BY ‘NATURE’ OR BY LAW
72IV. THE SEMANTIC SEDIMENT
27XI. THE STATE OF ‘NATURE’ AND THE CIVIL STATE
738 CONSCIENCE AND CONSCIOUS
28XII. ‘NATURAL’ AND ‘SUPERNATURAL’
74I. PRELIMINARIES
29XIII. PHYSICAL AND METAPHYSICAL
75II. THE WEAKENED BRANCH
30XIV. THE ‘NATURAL’ AS THE EXCUSABLE
76III. THE EXTERNAL WITNESS
31XV. ‘NATURE’ IN EIGHTEENTH- AND NINETEENTH-CENTURY POETRY
77IV. THE INTERNAL WITNESS
323 SAD [WITH GRAVIS ]
78V. SUMMARY
33I. ‘GRAVIS’ AND ‘GRAVE’
79VI. THE INTERNAL LAWGIVER
34II. ‘SAD’: THE ‘FULL’-SENSES
80VII. SURVIVAL OF THE SENSE ‘CONSCIRING’
35III. THE ‘GRAVE’-SENSES
81VIII. THE LAWGIVER
36IV. ‘SAD (D.S.) ’
82IX. DIVERSITY OF CONSCIENCES
37V. OUR POLLY IS A ‘SAD’ SLUT
83X. PRECARIOUSNESS OF THE SENSE ‘LAWGIVER’
384 WIT [WITH INGENIUM ]
84XI. MIXED USAGES
39I. EARLY HISTORY
85XII. CONSCIENCE AS FEAR
40II. WITS
86XIII. RAMIFICATIONS OF THE SENSE ‘SYNTERESIS’
41III. ‘INGENIUM’
87XIV. RETURN TO THE WEAKENED BRANCH
42IV. ‘INGENIUM’ AND WIT
889 AT THE FRINGE OF LANGUAGE
43V. EARLY HISTORY OF THE ‘DANGEROUS SENSE’
89Footnote
44VI. THE AFFLICTIONS OF ‘WIT-INGENIUM’
90Analysis
45VII. HAPPY ENDING
91Reflection
465 FREE [WITH ELEUTHERIOS , LIBERAL , FRANK ETC.]
92Memorable Quotes