The Lives and Works of Dorothy Sayers and C.S. Lewis

By the time our class is over you should be able to:

• Identify topics that lead to a discussion
• Write a clear and concise 300-word essay
• Identify the main influences in the lives of Sayers and Lewis
• Appreciate the art of writing

Course Syllabus Text Keys:

• Dorothy Sayers (D)
• Reluctant Convert (R)
• Mere Christianity (MC)
• Sayers and Lewis (SL)
• Zinsser (Z)

WEEK ONE: (August 20-22)

• Introduction

WEEK TWO (August 27 – 29)

• MC (chapters 1-3); Z (Introduction, chapters 1-2); R (Introduction, chapters 1-2);

WEEK THREE (September 3 – 5)

• MC (chapters 4-5); Z (chapters 3-4); R (chapters 3 and 5)

WEEK FOUR (September 4 – 5)

• MC (Book 2 chapters 1-3); Z (chapters 5-6); R (chapter  7 to Epilogue); McGrath

WEEK FIVE (September 17 – 19)

• MC (chapters 4-5); Z (chapter 7); D (pages 161-185 Sayers One); first 300-word essay due

WEEK SIX (September 24 – 26)

• MC (Book 3 chapters 1 – 3); Z (chapter 8); D (pages 186-216 Sayers Two)

WEEK SEVEN (October 1 – 3)

• MC (chapters 4 – 6); Z (chapter 9); SL (Introduction to chapter 2)

WEEK EIGHT (October 8 – 10)

• MC (chapters 7 – 9); Z (chapter 10); SL (chapter 3); second 300-word essay due

WEEK NINE (October 15 – 17)

• MC (chapters 10 – 12); Z (chapter 11); SL (chapter 4)

WEEK TEN (October 22 – 24)

• MC (Book 4 chapters 1 – 2); Z (chapter 22); SL (chapter 5)

WEEK ELEVEN (October 29 – 31)

• MC (chapters 3 – 5);  Z (chapter 23) SL (chapter 6)

WEEK TWELVE (November 5 – 7)

• MC (chapters 6 – 7); Z (chapter 24); SL (chapter 7); third 300-word essay due

WEEK THIRTEEN (November 12 – 14)

• MC (chapters 8 – 9); Z (chapter 25); D (pages 186-216 Sayers Two)

WEEK FOURTEEN (November 19 – 21)

• MC (chapters 10 – 11); D (pages 186-216 Sayers Two)

WEEK FIFTEEN (December 3 – 5)

• Concluding Thoughts

Course Success

This course is rather straight forward–it is about participation, reading carefully, and effective writing.  The grade breakdown is as follows:

Participation (questions, quiz, discussion): 30%
300-Word Essays: 20%
Quizzes: 40%
Final Paper: 10%

Participation includes your weekly submission of five questions from the reading that are meant to lead to a group discussion. You will submit these questions on Canvas by midnight the night before class. The questions should be typed in Word, using 12-point font. Participation will also include your oral contributions to the weekly discussions. Your essays should be between 290 and 310 words, 12-point font, and double-spaced. Late work will not be accepted.

Attendance is mandatory. Each unexcused absence after the first one will bring your final grade down one letter. An excused absence is when you let me know before class starts, or you have documentation for your absence.

Your final paper will be an eight-page double-spaced work of fiction or your memoir (12-point font)

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

“C. S. Lewis understood, like few in the past century, just how deeply faith is both imaginative and rational.” Review of Mere Christianity

The Most Reluctant Convert: C.S. Lewis’s Journey to Faith  by David C. Downing

“This is a marvelous book about Lewis’s early life. It deals with all aspects of his life up to the time he converted to Christianity. His family, the war, Oxford friends, his changing beliefs, the maturing of his thinking – all this came together to make him the reluctant convert that he was. This is a very readable and helpful book for those who want to understand Lewis.”

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

“On Writing Well” has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity, and its warmth of style. It is a book for anybody who wants to learn how to write, whether about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts, or about yourself. Its principles and insights have made it a cherished resource for several generations of writers and students.”

“Not since The Elements of Style has there been a guide to writing as well presented and readable as this one. A love and respect for the language is evident on every page.” Library Journal

Dorothy and Jack by Gina Dalfonzo

“Beautifully written, Dorothy and Jack will transform not only common understanding of both Lewis and Sayers but also common assumptions about male/female friendships.”

“This book is both delightful and important. The style is so engaging that it is easy to overlook how rich it is in content. Not only do we learn a great deal about Lewis and Sayers but we are also treated to a nuanced account of the nature of friendship itself. I enjoyed every page of it, and I heartily recommend it. It is very, very good.”

Women of Mystery: The Lives and Works of Notable Women by Martha Hailey Dubose

Find PDF Here: “Dorothy Sayers: The Passionate Mind”