June 28: Cupid and Psyche

On Sunday, June 28, we will discuss the myth of Cupid and Psyche in preparation for our summer reading of Lewis's Till We Have Faces, followed by Peter Kreeft's The Mirror, the Mask, and the Masterpiece: A Guide to C. S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces.

We decided we'd like a lighter and shorter reading between the heavyweights of our recent reading of The Ransom Trilogy and our upcoming reading of Till We Have Faces, so we are happy to have settled on the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Perhaps light and short for us, but we know from Lewis himself that the myth of Cupid and Psyche was active in his mind most of his life:

In the first English edition of [Till We Have Faces] Lewis said: "This re-interpretation of an old story has lived in the author's mind, thickening and hardening with the years, ever since he was an undergraduate. That way he could be said to have worked at it most of his life." (from Walter Hooper's C. S. Lewis: Companion and Guide, entry for Till We Have Faces, p243)

Lewis's summary of Apuleius's tale of Cupid and Psyche can be found in Walter Hooper's C. S. Lewis: Companion and Guide.

The story of Cupid and Psyche is originally from Apuleius (a-pul-LAY-uhs) (c. 124 - c. 170) in his novel Metamorphoses, which Augustine of Hippo called The Golden Ass, and by that title it is better known. The story of Cupid and Psyche begins at the end of Book IV, runs throughout Book V, and concludes in Book VI.

Thomas Bulfinch's version of Apuleius's story is available through the University of Pittsburgh.

Edith Hamilton's Mythology includes the story in "Part Two: Stories of Love and Adventure."

Sarah Ruden's translation of The Golden Ass (Yale, 2011) is available from Yale University Press and from Amazon. Reviews of her translation praise Ruden for showing us Apuleius's comic writing and talent for mixing levels of language.  Most of that may be in service of the main story of the protagonist Lucius being turned into an ass, and we’ll see how Ruden treats the story of Cupid and Psyche.

Thomas Jones and Emily Wilson discuss Apuleius and Sarah Ruden's translation of The Golden Ass on an eleven-minute London Review of Books "Close Readings" episode.

Tentative Discussion Schedule:

June 28: The Story of Cupid and Psyche

July 26: Till We Have Faces (Lewis's last work of fiction)

August 23: Till We Have Faces (Peter Kreeft's comments)

A Summer of Dante is a study of The Divine Comedy presented by The Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, NY.  The first Zoom is this Wednesday, May 27, at noon Central Time. (The times listed below come from their website, which is in the Eastern Time zone.)

A Summer of Dante invites you to journey through The Divine Comedy in the company of fellow readers and expert guides. Read at your own pace, or deepen your experience by joining one—or all—of our seven discussion groups led by teachers, clergy, professors, and scholars. Our introductory session will be led by Dr. Mark Vernon, author of Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey. Whether you’re encountering Dante for the first time or returning to this masterpiece, come explore the depths of Inferno, the ascent of Purgatorio, and the glory of Paradiso this summer.

Schedule: 

Introduction: Mark Vernon - Wednesday, May 27th, 1:00 PM (Zoom)Inferno I: Charles Giglio - Tuesday, June 16th, 7:30 PM (Zoom)Inferno II: Kristen Zingg-DuBois -Tuesday, June 30th, 1:00 PM (Zoom)Purgatorio I: Martin Yost - Tuesday, July 14th, 7:30 PM (Zoom)Purgatorio II: Paul Hunter -  Tuesday, July 28th, 1:00 PM (Zoom)Virgil's Influence on Dante: Sylvia Barnard - Sunday, August 16th, 11:45 (Cathedral of All Saints)Paradiso: Tarik Wareh - Tuesday, August 25th, 7:30 PM (Zoom)

Narnia and the Education of the Soul is an in-person, five-day summer course offered by Valor Institute in North Austin. The course runs from Monday, June 15, to Friday, June 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon each day. Shannon Valenzuela leads this extended study of C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, his vision of imagination, and his understanding of education. Course fee is $50.

"Conversational Apologetics & Evangelism" is an interview with Lou Markos on the YouTube channel WizeUp with Paul Arthur. Lou talks about the ideas in his new book, "My Apologetics Dinner Party: A Real-Life Socratic Dialogue."

"My Favorite Apologetics Argument (and why it's not the one you think)" is by RebekahValerius. In her article, Rebekah outlines and explains the Argument from Reason as presented by C. S. Lewis in his book Miracles. 

Central Texas C. S. Lewis is a reading group that meets in Austin, Texas.
For meeting details, please send a request through our Contact Form. Thank you.