24 pages 48 minutes read

C. S. Lewis

A Grief Observed

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1961

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

C.S. Lewis writes in the first chapter about the awkwardness of running into friends and acquaintances after his wife died. He found that they were embarrassed to see him, either because they not did not know what to say to him or he reminded them of death. Have you ever had a similar experience, either as the bereaved or someone who didn’t know what to say to the bereaved? Did reading this change your understanding of grief and how to react to the bereaved? Explain.

2.

C.S. Lewis published A Grief Observed under a pseudonym (the book was attributed to him after his death) Why do you think he did this? Do you think his reputation as a prominent Christian writer was a factor in this decision? Do you think other factors were involved?

3.

Both the Foreword and Introduction provide details of the relationship between H. and Lewis that are not revealed in the four chapters of A Grief Observed. How does knowing the story of Helen and C.S. Lewis affect the reader’s understanding of the book? Would reading the book without that knowledge change the experience?

Related Titles

By C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis

Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

Out of the Silent Planet

C. S. Lewis

Out of the Silent Planet

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

Surprised by Joy

C. S. Lewis

Surprised by Joy

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

That Hideous Strength

C. S. Lewis

That Hideous Strength

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewis

The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Discarded Image

C. S. Lewis

The Discarded Image

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Four Loves

C. S. Lewis

The Four Loves

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Horse And His Boy

C. S. Lewis

The Horse And His Boy

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Last Battle

C. S. Lewis

The Last Battle

C. S. Lewis

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Magician's Nephew

C. S. Lewis

The Magician's Nephew

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Pilgrim's Regress

C. S. Lewis

The Pilgrim's Regress

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Problem of Pain

C. S. Lewis

The Problem of Pain

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Screwtape Letters

C. S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Silver Chair

C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

C. S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

C. S. Lewis

Study Guide

logo

Till We Have Faces

C. S. Lewis

Till We Have Faces

C. S. Lewis