The Screwtape Letters.by C. S. Lewis (HarperSanFrancisco, 2001). For more than 60 years readers of all ages have been enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. and bedeviled by this imaginary collection of missives penned by the arch-demon Screwtape to his underling nephew and apprentice devil Wormwood wormwood, Mediterranean perennial herb or shrubby plant (Artemisia absinthium) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), often cultivated in gardens and found as an escape in North America. It has silvery gray, deeply incised leaves and tiny yellow flower heads. . In his diabolical correspondence Screwtape seeks to instruct the doltish dolt n. A stupid person; a dunce. [Middle English dulte, from past participle of dullen, to dull, from dul, dull; see dull. Worm wood in the craft of temptation, allowing Lewis to take a scathing poke at Verb 1. poke at - to push against gently; "She nudged my elbow when she saw her friend enter the restaurant" nudge, prod jog - give a slight push to elbow - shove one's elbow into another person's ribs the petty appetites that lead us into sin and to offer a darkly comic vision of the real face of evil--a face marred by cruelty, stupidity, and blind self-absorption. Underlying this theological satire, of course, is a joyous vision of the feast prepared for those who elude Wormwood's pathetic efforts. **** |
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