"They were falling out of heaven, into a world. Nothing in all his adventures bit so deeply into Ransom's mind as this. He wondered how he could ever have thought of planets, even of the Earth, as islands of life and reality floating in a deadly void. Now, with a certainty which never after deserted him, he saw the planets -- the 'earths' he called them in his thought -- as mere holes or gaps in the living heaven -- excluded and rejected wastes of heavy matter and murky air, formed not by addition to, but subtraction from, the surrounding brightness."
C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet
Most readers are acquainted with Lewis' masterful Chronicles of Narnia; many fewer are familiar with his other major fictional series, The Cosmic Trilogy, comprised of the novels Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. And, among those who have delighted in the pages of The Cosmic Trilogy, many fewer still have been equipped to deeply mine its riches.
The Cosmic Trilogy is a deeply erudite work, grounded in Lewis' scholarly understanding of the Medieval conception of the heavens. And yet, the story is accessible and compelling: at times delightful, at times dreadful, but always captivating. It is an easy story to enjoy, but it is a story that also benefits from a guide.
In this course, we will read all three novels of The Cosmic Trilogy, with attention given to the philosophical and theological dimensions of this magnificent "modern fairy-tale for grown-ups" (as Lewis says of the last book). We will also read The Dark Tower, Lewis' unfinished first attempt at a sequel to Out of the Silent Planet. This overlooked fragment sheds important light on the project of the first novel, and makes sense of why That Hideous Strength is the consummation of the whole project.
June 6 - August 15, 2026
Saturdays, 9:00 - 11:00 am CT
$500 / student
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I first read the Space Trilogy 45 years ago and enjoyed it; I read it again 20 years ago and loved it; I read it for the third time this past spring for Dr. Johnson’s class . . . it was nothing short of revelatory; it was as though I had not read it before. To be sure, this speaks to the greatness of the literature, and to changes in me. But the Doctor was our guide on this journey through the cosmos, into outer space and into the inner spaces. Lewis was steeped in all things medieval. So, too, is Dr. Johnson. Though the Trilogy is set in Lewis’ day, under Junius’ tutelage we were led to see through the eyes of the medieval forefathers of our faith: to glimpse the mysteries of the heavenlies that surround us, both seen and unseen; the ordering principles and powers that pervade the Great Drama of creation—that battle being waged for the souls of men. Navigating the Trilogy via the depths of the underlying medieval world view, with Junius at the helm, we were led to see, with crystal clarity, our own times, our own age, our own souls, and that the cosmic battle, which has been from nigh the beginning, still rages here and now. It’s as though history were compressed, time foreshortened, such that we felt present to the whole of the story, that it is one story, that each of us is essential and integral while at the same time, thankfully, not central. I felt I was witnessing more than every before the truth of what has been going on throughout history, and around me, and in me. The class was historical, philosophical, theological, anthropological, cosmological, and perhaps above all, or because of all, personal and pastoral.
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As [the Cosmic Trilogy] is the focus of my PhD research I was delighted to discover that there was a course I could attend on it. I found each session helpful from the perspective of understanding the trilogy and Lewis himself more deeply, including how his thoughts are reflected in different books he has written as well. I also enjoyed the times where his ideas were used as a springboard for other reflections and brought closer to home to be relevant in today's world. In that sense there was a prophetic element which I believe Lewis would have endorsed. The things I have learnt from the course will no doubt contribute to my own research, including pointing me in the direction of further reading, but I can also say that it has impacted me spiritually in a personal way too.
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I came to the C.S. Lewis’ Cosmic Trilogy class with an expectation of academic rigor, thoughtful teaching, and imagination-opening conversation. Dr. Johnson delivered this and more! He brought these texts alive in a way that I could not have imagined, and he made me think about implications for my life. Even though I had read The Cosmic Trilogy before, Dr. Johnson did a masterful job of bringing out the redemptive work of Christ as shown in the Ransom character throughout the trilogy and gave me a greater understanding of Lewis’ philosophy and writing. This class took me far beyond a simple reading of the text, into a world of wonder and a desire for deeper understanding of the great mysteries of our world and the stories that we tell about them.