Which C.S. Lewis novel was inspired in part by the myth of Cupid and Psyche?

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Till We Have Faces was the C.S. Lewis novel inspired in part by the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

Published in 1956, the novel retells the classical story from the viewpoint of Orual, a princess and later queen of the fictional kingdom of Glome. The narrative examines love, jealousy, religious experience, suffering, and the difficulty of seeing oneself honestly.

Lewis drew on the ancient story associated with Apuleius's Metamorphoses, also known as The Golden Ass. His version changes the setting, expands the psychological perspective, and makes the first-person narrator central rather than treating Psyche's experience as the whole story.

The novel was one of Lewis's final works of fiction and is often considered among his most mature literary achievements. It is not part of the Narnia sequence or the Space Trilogy, despite sharing Lewis's interest in myth and religious symbolism.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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