The Great Divorce (part 1)
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Lesson
Heaven and hell are dichotomous. Whether life is heaven or hell depends on your future trajectory. God is true reality, fixed and can’t be altered. In GD, true reality is God. The descriptions are not meant to be literal. Heaven is the Trinitarian life of God. It’s not a place, it’s a state of being in proper relation to the love and joy of the Trinitarian relations. Lewis describes it as a great dance.
Outline
The Great Divorce (part 1)
I. Lewis’s Treatment of Heaven and Hell
A. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, by William Blake
B. Preface to Paradise Lost
II. Lewis’s Methodology
A. Presented as the report of a dream
B. Definition of heaven
C. Definition of hell
III. Dichotomies
A. Legitimate dualisms
B. Illegitimate dualisms
IV. Characters
A. Ghosts
1. Various persons drop out of the queue early
2. Tousle-Headed Poet
3. The Big Man
4. The Communist / Conscientious Objector
5. Intelligent-Looking Man in a Bowler Hat
6. The Bishop Ghost
7. The Hard-Bitten Ghost
8. The Frightened Ghost
9. The Grumbling Ghost
10. The Painter Ghost
11. Robert’s Wife Ghost
12. Woman Ghost, Pam
13. Ghost with Lizard
14. Dwarf Ghost
15. Lewis / Narrator
16. Others???
B. Driver
C. Bright People / Solid People
V. Themes
