Who was the protagonist of C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy?

The protagonist of C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy is Elwin Ransom. He is the central character of Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.

Ransom is introduced as a Cambridge academic whose expertise in languages and medieval literature becomes important during his first extraordinary journey. In Out of the Silent Planet, he is kidnapped and transported to Malacandra, Lewis’s name for Mars. His linguistic ability helps him communicate with the planet’s inhabitants and understand a civilization unlike his own.

In Perelandra, Ransom travels to the planet Venus, called Perelandra, where he becomes involved in a struggle over temptation and obedience. That Hideous Strength returns him to Earth and places him within a conflict involving science, power, and spiritual forces. The three books shift settings and narrative styles but retain Ransom as their linking hero.

The trilogy is also called the Space Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy. Mark Studdock, Orual, and Digory Kirke are important Lewis characters, but they belong to other works and are not the trilogy’s recurring protagonist.