What was the title of C.S. Lewis’s 1955 spiritual autobiography?
Answer
Surprised by Joy
Surprised by Joy is the title of C.S. Lewis’s 1955 spiritual autobiography.
In the book, Lewis recounts important stages in his intellectual and religious development, including his childhood imagination, education, experience in the First World War, movement away from Christianity, and eventual return to belief. The narrative ends before some of the later events for which he became famous.
The title refers to Lewis’s idea of “joy,” a recurring experience of intense longing or desire that he associated with glimpses of something beyond ordinary satisfaction. He distinguishes this feeling from simple happiness or pleasure.
The autobiography is not the same as A Grief Observed, Lewis’s 1961 book about mourning the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. Surprised by Joy focuses primarily on the formation of Lewis’s mind and faith, while A Grief Observed is a direct record of grief and spiritual struggle.