What myth provides the central framework for C.S. Lewis’s novel Till We Have Faces?

The myth of Cupid and Psyche provides the central framework for C.S. Lewis’s novel Till We Have Faces.

Published in 1956, the novel retells the ancient story from the perspective of Orual, a princess who becomes queen of the fictional kingdom of Glome. In the classical myth, Psyche is forbidden to look directly at her mysterious divine husband, usually identified as Cupid or Eros. Lewis reshapes that story into a darker examination of love, jealousy, accusation, and self-knowledge.

The novel is not a simple reproduction of the ancient tale. Lewis changes the setting, expands the psychology of the characters, and gives Orual a sustained first-person voice. The title refers to the movement from hidden, self-deceiving identity toward honest self-recognition.

Readers sometimes mistake the book for a direct retelling of another Greek romance. Its structure and major relationships clearly derive from Cupid and Psyche, while its treatment reflects Lewis’s own philosophical and religious concerns.