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The Four Loves (Audio CD)
by C.S. Lewis
| Category:
love, relationship |
| Market price: ¥ 268.00
MSL price:
¥ 248.00
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Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
MSL Pointer Review:
"The Four Loves" spans diverse life stages, offering golden wisdom not only to mature singles and married couples, but even to teenagers sorting out keys to friendship and romance.
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Veront Satchell (MSL quote), Jamaica
<2007-01-25 00:00>
A very deep and thoughtful work, from which there is much to be learnt. It is not the type of work that can be read in haste or in one sitting. The discussion on the four loves are much too intense to be glossed over. It is well suited not only for the deeply religious but also for anyone desirous of a greater understanding of the many and important attributes of this one simple word Love. |
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Corum Seth Smith (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-25 00:00>
C.S. Lewis wrote this book late in his life after he had experienced love with a colleague in writing. He gives sound advice that I believe applies to a broader base than his usual Christian readership. The four loves are: Affection, Eros, Friendship, and Charity. Each type of love has a chapter dedicated to a fuller explanation.
My favorite section is the one he wrote on Friendship. I think he is honest about limitations we place on who becomes our friends. Many believe any two people can become good friends, when in reality, this is just not so. Friends are people who share some vision or passion in life. That vision or passion is the cement of the common bond. Lewis had deep friendships with interesting people, such as Tolkien. He even elaborates on his own experiences with such companions.
Charity is the true form of love. Charity is the deepest form of giving our feeling, freedom, and even our very selves, to each other and finally, to God, whom Lewis calls "Love Himself." There is wisdom in his admonition that love is not easy or cheap. Work, loss, and sacrifice often accompany the application of true love, which is charity.
Unlike other works, such as "Miracles" or "Mere Christianity" where logic sets the primary pace, "The Four Loves" is a book where Lewis brings much of his experience to light. This is not, however, to say that Lewis does not apply logic to experience. Rather, Lewis uses logic to makes sense of experiences in his past to try and uncover truths about love.
In writing about love, Lewis articulates some significant moral, social, and psychological truths. Most importantly, he shows that love itself is not God. Love exalted to divinity becomes a "demon," as he quotes one of his contemporaries. Love is only a part of the greatness of our complex lives, not the full of it. "The Four Loves" is another insightful masterpiece by C.S. Lewis.
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C. N. Gallimore (MSL quote), Annapolis, MD
<2007-01-25 00:00>
There have been many good things and helpful reviews already written about this book so there's no reason for me to go on about how wonderful and insightful it is. My comments are more directly related to those who have a wish (or are assigned) to read Aristotle's work "The Nichomachean Ethics". I read the Ethics for a philosophy discussion class my freshman year and was intrigued by mush of what Aristotle had to say about love and human behavior. While it is a very insightful work, the Ethics is extremely difficult to read, and takes much time and pastience.
About a month after completing the Ethics, I happened to pick up Lewis's "The Four Loves" in my college's bookstore, and I couldn't put it down. What surprised me most upon reading it, however, was that much of Lewis's understanding of the human loves came directly from Aristotle. I went back and reread the Ethics and found (not surprisingly since Lewis was a classics scholar) that for his understanding of friendly and passionate love (for Aristotle philos and eros), Lewis's arguments followed Aristotle's very closely, and were much more clear and easy to understand. On top of this, his additions of affectionate love and agape or godly love (a Greek thought to be sure, but not in Aristotle's time), expanded upon the notions of love and offered a fuller treatment than Aristotle.
I say all this not to disuade anyone from reading Aristotle or thinking that Lewis was an Aristotle knock-off, on the contrary, both these these works should be read, and in opinion my opinion they complement each other very well and aid the reader in more fully understanding both works: understanding Aristotle because Lewis presents many of his same arguments only more clearly, and understanding Lewis by seeing the evolution and expansion of his thought from the Greek concepts.
And even if you don't feel like tackling Aristotle, "The Four Loves" is a work worth reading in and of itself (just don't think that you can get away with substituting this work for the Ethics, since the Ethics goes far beyond a discussion of love).
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R. A. Davis (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-25 00:00>
As other reviewers have stated, C.S. Lewis takes a look at the four Greek words for love (storge, affection; philia, friendship; eros, romantic love; agape, charity). In addition, he defines some terms such as "Gift-Love", "Need-Love", "Appriciation-Love" and uses these in describing various attributes and potentialities of the Four Loves.
Lewis winds these terms and some other ideas throughout his writing and builds upon his ideas in his definitions of the various loves. I felt like I needed to totally comprehend each section before moving on, and while his ideas are not enormously complicated, they do require time and a hungry frame of mind to get the most out of the reading. It definitely would have helped me to take notes.
Lewis also used a lot of literary illustrations with the reasoning of the literature being more of a common ground with the reader than his personal experience; unfortunately, the literary cannon seems to have changed a bit - I don't know too many other people who have read Ovid or Tristram Shandy and can remember them well enough for these illustrations to make a whole lot of sense. The ideas being illustrated are still communicated well enough without the illustration, but several times I had to read the same passage more than once to get it to click. His other books I have read (Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, Screwtape) were easier, but this one is definitely rewarding.
My favorite section was Charity (agape) at the end of the book, which provided a beautiful description of God's Love and how it should basically light all the other loves on fire. Lewis sees Christianity as a light by which he understands, and he advances some enjoyably comforting, convicting, and profound ideas in this book.
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Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (MSL quote), Edinboro, Pennsylvania
<2007-01-25 00:00>
While the English language includes the four types of love under the heading of one word, the original languages of the Bible are more specific in distinguishing between the particular kind of love discussed in the Scriptures. The four loves Lewis covers in this book are: affection, friendship, eros, and charity.
In the early part of Genesis God tells us it is not good for the man to be alone. Eve was created to meet this need. Anyone who denies this reality is denying the truth of what God said. We are not just spiritual beings, we live in a body and we need other people.
Consider one's love for his or her home country. Lewis argues that this is a legitimate love. In citing Chesterton, he explains that a man not wanting his country to be ruled by foreigners is similar to him not wanting his house to be burned down in that the reasons are too many to list.
Affection comes from the Greek word "storge" and refers to the kind of love found between a parent and child or child and parent.
Friendship, he says, is the least jealous of the four types of loves. He makes an observation worth noting, "those who are going nowhere can have no fellow-travelers." Frienship strengthens us.
Eros is sensual love. The stimuli gains and sustains our attention. We become totally focused on the object drawing us toward it. He reminds us that St. Francis did not respect this part of his humanity, calling his body "Brother Ass."
Charity is selfless love. "We were made for God. Only by being in some respect like Him, only by being a msnifestation of His beauty, lovingkindness, wisdom or goodness, has any earthly Beloved excited our love," Lewis writes.
Jack Lewis helps us to gain a clearer understanding of the different ways we love. This book isn't just for the sake of acquiring more knowledge, it helps you to express your love more fully after having gained that understanding.
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Joshua Clark (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-25 00:00>
There is really some dynamite material in here. C.S. Lewis explains in typical style and clarity all that is right and wrong with love. Dealing with affection (that warm, fuzzy, it-sure-bugs-me-how-you-twiddle-your-thumbs-but-it's-endearing-in-a-funny-sort-of-a-way type of love you experience after knowing people for a while), friendship, Eros (romantic love, not to be confused with Venus (sexual passion), which is only an element of Eros), and charity, the highest of the loves, Lewis explains the glory of each, and the temptations that arise because of the glory. Much of the book is just hilarious, since he points out little faults common to us all, and he makes it easy to laugh at ourselves. But he also offers much practical advice, good for understanding and enriching our relationships.
Main thesis of the book: If you make love God, love becomes a demon. Love is a great gift from God, but because love is so lovely, it's a great temptation to serve it as the whole end and purpose of life. But if this occurs, love becomes a demon, and turns against you. Keep God at the forefront of your mind and your relationships, and love can be kept rich and sweet in its proper perspective.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-25 00:00>
CS Lewis can take a difficult issue and boil it down to something remarkably simple-that's the beauty of his writing. Here Lewis tackles love-the most simple, the most complicated, the most pleasurable, and the most painful of all our emotions. He approaches his subject with uncanny insight, and divides this passion, what we call love, into four types: affection, friendship, eros (sensual love), and charity. Then, starting with affection, Lewis proceeds to tell us just what we thought we could never understand.
I am not a flowery, luvvy-duvvy type of guy. I don't find it all that amusing to sit around and talk about emotions. But Lewis's writing is different-he takes the subject of love to a higher level, and examines what it is that makes us feel the way we do and, more importantly, how that can bring us closer to God.
This book, like many of Lewis's works, is a case for Christianity. But even without that approach this book is invaluable, because Lewis can make you understand WHAT IT IS to love. In short, you can learn how to love better, and how to make your dealings with others much more meaningful.
CS Lewis is different than most theologians (he would have hated to be called that). While many concentrate on doctrinal matters, Lewis explores everyday life. What he teaches are good, solid morals-the things that will make you a better everyday person. This book is highly recommended for a good look at what we call Love.
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Lindsay Smith (MSL quote), Charlotte, NC
<2007-01-25 00:00>
For those parents who have "encouraged" their teenage children to read "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", I would recommend "The Four Loves" far more. I am sixteen, and I read this book not long ago - I was absolutely speechless when I finished the last page. It is, by far, one of the most profound books I have ever read on ANY subject, not just love. C.S. Lewis seems to get stronger with each page, and his observations about today's understanding of love are right on. His insight as he places the four loves in priority with God and fellow man is astounding. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
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Michael Litzky (MSL quote), CA
<2007-01-25 00:00>
Far more than merely a "book on tape", these tapes contain a series of lectures which (I'm guessing) were delivered before the writing of the book "The Four Loves". The words of the book are more polished and the ideas more expanded but I actually find these talks more accessible than the book itself, although both are very fine. These tapes are also the only professional recordings of the actual voice of C.S. Lewis which we still have, and as such are a priceless treasure. His voice sounds a little like Winston Churchill's and his droll sense of humor sparkles throughout. Though not a Christian myself, I find a lot of inspiration in Lewis's thoughts. I know that whenever I reread any of his books from now on, I will hear his rich, warm, dry baritone voice in my head.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-25 00:00>
This has to be one of the most thought-provoking books that has ever been written. Absolutely breathtaking! Using the logic Lewis is so famous for and written with the same intelligence as "Mere Christianity", this book is not to be discounted simply because it is about love. Lewis is regarded as one the best Christian theologians of modern times, and it is no mistake that he wrote about this subject, the different types of love, and the importance of it.
I went on a spiritaul search for true love-the love of God-at the same time I read this book. "The Four Loves" made everything about love that is cloudy much more clear. From Lewis, you can't get an better than this!
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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