S6E2 – OSP 1 – “Road House”

Today we read the first chapter of Out of the Silent Planet.

S6E2: “Road House” (Download)

Clips

Show Notes

Introduction

Drop-In

• Dr. Christin Ditchfield-Lazo

Quote-of-the-week

“He was tall, but a little round-shouldered, about thirty-five to forty years of age, and dressed with that particular kind of shabbiness which marks a member of the intelligentsia on a holiday… he was a philologist, and fellow of a Cambridge college. His name was Ransom.”

C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet (Chapter 1)

Episode Movie Title

Chit-Chat

• Matt complains about how much his back hurts
• David has been clearing snow from his driveway

Toast

• Drinks
  • David was drinking what his family calls a “milky coffee”. Here’s how you make it:
    • Microwave half a cup of milk
    • Add 1-2 teaspoons of some good instant coffee (e.g. Douwe Egberts Gold)
    • Top it up with boiling water
  • Andrew was drinking Smithwick’s Irish Ale and also a small Caol Ila 12
  • Matt was drinking Macallan 12
• Foreign language “cheers”
  • “Prost!” (German)
• Patreon toast
  • Derek Hale

Story Recap

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Opening Comments

• David claimed his “Batesian Flexibility” is dead, “Batesian Rigidity” has returned and so he’ll be keeping everyone on time today.
• Andrew read the following from C.S. Lewis: Companion and Guide:

This is an altogether satisfactory story, in which fiction and theology are so skilfully blended that the non-Christian will not realize that he is being instructed until it is too late. It is excellent propaganda and first-rate entertainment.

E.L Mascall, Review of Out of the Silent Planet in Theology

Discussion

1. “The Road”

• Andrew refers to this work as “a potboiler”
• He also refers to commentary at Lewisian.nl and the Out of the Silent Planet Wiki.
• David connected the opening with “The Pedestrian” to Dante’s Divine comedy:

In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost.

Dante, The Divine Comedy

• Matt referenced to Dr. Diana’s book, A Compass for Deep Heaven
• David said that Ransom’s walking holiday reminded him of when he walked the Camino de Santiago
• Andrew referenced C.S. Lewis: Images of his world
• There was discussion as to whether Ransom is modelled after Tolkien. It was pointed out that Ransom’s first name, Elwin, means “elf-friend”. There inspiration for Ransom will be discussed in future episodes…

2. “An unexpected errand”

• Andrew refers to this trilogy as “romance” which, in the arthurian sense, mean an adventure story:

The idea of other planets exercised upon me then a peculiar, heady attraction, which was quite different from any other of my literary interests… I may perhaps add that my own planetary romances have been not so much the gratification of that fierce curiosity as its exorcism.

C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy

• We discussed Ransom’s begrudging sense of duty.
• Andrew references the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
• Are we meant to be suspicious about “Miss Alice”‘s death?
• Andrew quoted the letter which Tolkien sent to the publisher of The Hobbit, Stanley Unwin, about Out of the Silent Planet:

Mr Lewis tells me that you have allowed him to submit to you Out of the Silent Planet. I have read it, of course, and have since heard it pass a rather different test, that of being read aloud to our local club [The Inklings] which goes in for reading things short and long aloud. It proved an exciting serial and was highly approved. But, of course, we are all rather like-minded. It is only by odd accident that the hero is a philologist, one point in which he resembles me and has your name [Unwin]. The latter detail could, I’m sure, be altered. I do not believe it has any special significance… We originally meant to write an excursionary thriller, a space-journey and a time-journey (mine), each discovering myth. But the space-journey has been finished and the time-journey owning to my slowness and uncertainty – only a fragment as you know.

Letter 24: J.R.R. Tolkien to Sir Stanley Unwin (February 18, 1938)

3. “The house”

• We discuss how the house seems suspicious and how references to “silence” and “darkness” continue. David emphasized the presence of an owl which he says will be important in the next episode.
• Andrew spoke about the arthurian elements and connected it to George MacDonald’s Phantastes.
• Matt sees something of the antagonists’ character and worldview in the appearance of the house.

4. “The altercation”

• “By Jove” was quite a common exclamation in Britain at the time, which comes from the Roman invocation of the governing god, Jupiter. The Latin phrase is “pro Iovem”. Note: Latin doesn’t have Js).
• Gustav Holst’s “Planets” was referenced:

• We discussed what we learn about the characters of Weston and Devine from this initial encounter, as well as their view towards Harry.
• Ransom responds in a very English way!

Ransom was very much perplexed. There was something about the whole scene suspicious enough and disagreeable enough to convince him that he had blundered on something criminal, while on the other hand he had all the deep, irrational conviction of his age and class that such things could never cross the path of an ordinary person except in fiction and could least of all be associated with professors and old schoolfellows.

C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet

Wrap-Up

Concluding Thoughts

• We’ll get some good advice about accepting drinks in the next episode…
• The owl will make a reappearance next week!

Question-of-the-week

 What would you have done if you were Ransom and encountered this situation?

Question-of-the-week

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