C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces retells which classical myth?

C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces retells the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche. Published in 1956, it is Lewis’s final work of fiction and presents the story through the viewpoint of Orual, Psyche’s older sister.

The novel shifts the setting to the fictional kingdom of Glome and gives the myth a darker, psychologically complex treatment. Orual becomes queen and looks back on her family, her jealousy, and her complaints against the gods. Psyche’s mysterious husband forbids her to look at him, echoing the central condition in the ancient tale.

Lewis had been interested in the Cupid and Psyche story for many years. His version is not a simple retelling: it changes character emphasis, expands the sisters’ relationships, and explores questions about love, possession, self-knowledge, and accusation.

The title comes from the novel’s concern with truthful self-expression. Orual’s complaint cannot be fully understood until she confronts her own face and identity. Readers sometimes classify the book as straightforward Christian allegory, but Lewis himself shaped it as a mythic novel whose symbolism remains deliberately layered.