Four Loves (C. Lewis Signature Classic): A captivating journey through the different forms of love

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You often need a good dictionary handy when reading C.S. Lewis, it's an education in the English language alone, but this book also shows the author has an amazing depth of insight into the subject of love, human & divine, you may discern from this book why you act the way you do. He shows how the different loves are part of each other, and draws them all together into Charity, divine love. "We love because He first loved us."

Love is a subject that is as old and as deep as the sea. Much has been said about it but still much more will be said about it, so it seems. It is a subject inexhaustible and captivating of our hearts. It is something that we crave to have and to give. It seems to be inseparable from our being. If we are deprived of love, psychology tells us that we are screwed. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is such a tragic story. Love seems to have such healing power. But Lewis warns that love, having become a god, becomes a demon; carried in them are the seeds of hatred. Its nature and power we do not seem to fully understand. Lewis helps us categorise what he calls “natural loves”. He distinguishes it in two different levels. (1) He distinguishes Gift-love, Need-love and pleasures of Appreciation. (2) The four loves as the title of the book is called: Affection, Friendship, Eros and Charity. Lewis is patient in defining each for us. These definitions are most interesting as language is the first step to enable thinking. The nature of love at these two dimensions can cross, giving a matrix of love with many nuances. Yes, it is a complicated matter. From our own experience, it is not hard to see that we can idealise love which can go very wrong. We hold out with such high hope of love as if it is answer to our troubles, but only to find ourselves cheated or vexed by it when it does not deliver its promise. Lewis describes these loves for us, what they are supposed to be and how they could go wrong. We can relate to those descriptions in our own personal lives – this is where Lewis is at his best. He warns us how loves can sour. Why? Where have they gone wrong? His book tries to prove the maxim that “love begins to be a demon the moment he begins to be a god. This is where it goes wrong. Therefore to keep love sweet, we need to understand that it originates from God and in turn, where its real splendour lies. - The loves prove that they are unworthy to take the place of God by the fact that they cannot even remain themselves and do what they promise to do without God’s help (p.144). - Even for their own sakes the loves must submit to be second things if they are to remain the things they want to be (P. 144). - By subjecting their authority to His, gives [a human heart] for the first time a firm basis … Left to themselves they either vanish or become demons (p.144). - [We need to tell our loved ones] that your love all along had a secret reservation – ‘under God’ or ‘so far as a higher Love permits’… Indeed, a real disagreement on this issue should make itself felt early enough to prevent a marriage or a Friendship from existing at all (p.152). - We must try to relate the human activities called ‘loves’ to that Love which is God a little more precisely than we have yet done (p.152). - The doctrine that God was under no necessity to create is not a piece of dry scholastic speculation. It is essential (p.153). God , who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them (p.154). Divine Gift-love – Love Himself working in a man – is wholly disinterested and desires what is simply best for the beloved…. Divine Gift-love in the man enables him to love what is not naturally lovable… Finally, by a high paradox, God enables men to have a Gift-love towards Himself (p. 155). [We] can freely offer it back to Him…. That such a Gift-love comes by Grace and should be called Charity, everyone will agree (p. 156). - [This point is so true.] There is no good applying to Heaven for earthly comfort. Heaven can give heavenly comfort; no other kind. And earth cannot give earthly comfort either. There is no earthly comfort in the long run (p. 168). - All that was true love in them was, even on earth, far more His than ours, and ours only because His (p. 168). By loving Him more than them we shall love them more than we now do… God is our true Beloved. While clearly beneficial to have read this book, there is a sense that it could have been better and more precise to the point. There is also a sense that it could have been further developed in some areas. Furthermore, Lewis’s description of Friendship could be read as sexist by many these days, and he probably would have been forced to apologise!! Just be clear that I am not offended, because I think he is sincerely describing what it was in his days. Reading Lewis these days is a breath of fresh air, to hear the almost forbidden language which gets us think if we have progressed or regressed. I am grateful for the publisher to make this classic available to us at an affordable price. This time my copy is of a smooth edge instead of a rugged one which sometimes happens with this series.

I bought it only because I had mislaid my own copy of 30 years as I wanted to read it again. I liked the paper back because it was light and the print easy to follow. As I had been reconmmended a prayerful book of similar love centered themes, I wanted to juxtapose it with CsLewis' broader view of love within a spiritual ambit. I was not disappointed, I loved it and read it all again with the same pleasure I received 30 years ago. I take my hat off to Lewis, as he is just as valid today as he was when he wrote it and his description of human reactions ring true to my ageing ears. It deals with complex issues in an easy, convincing manner. I love it and keep it to hand.

Great book by CS Lewis on the Four Loves. Really helpful to read.

Great book by CS Lewis on the different types of love. Brilliant for anyone seeking to deepend their understanding of various types of attachment and love as categorised by CS Lewis. For anyone new to CS Lewis, like myself, may be helpful to note that the book is written from a Christian perspective, which I personally rather liked despite not ascribing to the faith myself. I personally found that the Christian references were relevent to the content of the book, and really weren't overbearing or overly intrusive to the extent that it became annoying. See my five star recommendation! I would go so far as to say this book should be highly recommended as essential reading for anyone over the age of 16 as a good introductory text to the topic.

Can be difficult to read as it is written in an academic style but more than worth eny effort you need to make to understand. If you feel love is like the romcoms this book is a must for you, everyone else, read this it will help you understand relationships, most particulally yours with the Lord as never before.

Sadly, I found the language style quite hard to follow.