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What story does C.S. Lewis acknowledge in the preface to “The Great Divorceâ€
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This isn't a typical story-identification question, since it's not a story I've read myself. As such, I unfortunately can't offer any more details or more clarification beyond what's already in this question.
In C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, originally published in serial form in 1944, Jesus drives a flying bus of denizens of hell/purgatory to heaven, where they get to be tourists. While there, they are unable to interact with the world around them. Water is essentially solid, blades of grass don't bend under their feet, small apples seem to weigh tons, and so on.
In the preface to this story, Lewis says that this was not entirely his own idea, but instead:
I must acknowledge my debt to a writer whose name I have forgotten and whom I read several years ago in a highly coloured American magazine of what they call 'Scientifiction'. ...His Hero traveled into the past: and there, very properly, found raindrops that would pierce him like bullets and sandwiches that no strength could bite–because, of course, nothing in the past can be altered.
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
To summarize the points above, the story he's referring to:
- Was published in an American science fiction magazine
- Was published "several years" before 1944
- Has a protagonist that travels to the past
- While there, the protagonist can't directly influence the world in any way
It seems like it's a bit of a long shot, but any chance that anyone can identify this story?
story-identification
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
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asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
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up vote
9
down vote
favorite
This isn't a typical story-identification question, since it's not a story I've read myself. As such, I unfortunately can't offer any more details or more clarification beyond what's already in this question.
In C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, originally published in serial form in 1944, Jesus drives a flying bus of denizens of hell/purgatory to heaven, where they get to be tourists. While there, they are unable to interact with the world around them. Water is essentially solid, blades of grass don't bend under their feet, small apples seem to weigh tons, and so on.
In the preface to this story, Lewis says that this was not entirely his own idea, but instead:
I must acknowledge my debt to a writer whose name I have forgotten and whom I read several years ago in a highly coloured American magazine of what they call 'Scientifiction'. ...His Hero traveled into the past: and there, very properly, found raindrops that would pierce him like bullets and sandwiches that no strength could bite–because, of course, nothing in the past can be altered.
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
To summarize the points above, the story he's referring to:
- Was published in an American science fiction magazine
- Was published "several years" before 1944
- Has a protagonist that travels to the past
- While there, the protagonist can't directly influence the world in any way
It seems like it's a bit of a long shot, but any chance that anyone can identify this story?
story-identification
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
This isn't really relevant to the point of your question, but you have the details of The Great Divorce wrong. It's not Jesus driving the bus, it's an angel. And they're not strictly tourists. More like potential residents, if they're willing to stay.
– Alarion
5 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
This isn't a typical story-identification question, since it's not a story I've read myself. As such, I unfortunately can't offer any more details or more clarification beyond what's already in this question.
In C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, originally published in serial form in 1944, Jesus drives a flying bus of denizens of hell/purgatory to heaven, where they get to be tourists. While there, they are unable to interact with the world around them. Water is essentially solid, blades of grass don't bend under their feet, small apples seem to weigh tons, and so on.
In the preface to this story, Lewis says that this was not entirely his own idea, but instead:
I must acknowledge my debt to a writer whose name I have forgotten and whom I read several years ago in a highly coloured American magazine of what they call 'Scientifiction'. ...His Hero traveled into the past: and there, very properly, found raindrops that would pierce him like bullets and sandwiches that no strength could bite–because, of course, nothing in the past can be altered.
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
To summarize the points above, the story he's referring to:
- Was published in an American science fiction magazine
- Was published "several years" before 1944
- Has a protagonist that travels to the past
- While there, the protagonist can't directly influence the world in any way
It seems like it's a bit of a long shot, but any chance that anyone can identify this story?
story-identification
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
This isn't a typical story-identification question, since it's not a story I've read myself. As such, I unfortunately can't offer any more details or more clarification beyond what's already in this question.
In C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, originally published in serial form in 1944, Jesus drives a flying bus of denizens of hell/purgatory to heaven, where they get to be tourists. While there, they are unable to interact with the world around them. Water is essentially solid, blades of grass don't bend under their feet, small apples seem to weigh tons, and so on.
In the preface to this story, Lewis says that this was not entirely his own idea, but instead:
I must acknowledge my debt to a writer whose name I have forgotten and whom I read several years ago in a highly coloured American magazine of what they call 'Scientifiction'. ...His Hero traveled into the past: and there, very properly, found raindrops that would pierce him like bullets and sandwiches that no strength could bite–because, of course, nothing in the past can be altered.
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
To summarize the points above, the story he's referring to:
- Was published in an American science fiction magazine
- Was published "several years" before 1944
- Has a protagonist that travels to the past
- While there, the protagonist can't directly influence the world in any way
It seems like it's a bit of a long shot, but any chance that anyone can identify this story?
story-identification
story-identification
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
edited 2 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
32.2k13181222
32.2k13181222
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
asked 2 hours ago
DqwertyC
1,618311
1,618311
This isn't really relevant to the point of your question, but you have the details of The Great Divorce wrong. It's not Jesus driving the bus, it's an angel. And they're not strictly tourists. More like potential residents, if they're willing to stay.
– Alarion
5 mins ago
add a comment |Â
This isn't really relevant to the point of your question, but you have the details of The Great Divorce wrong. It's not Jesus driving the bus, it's an angel. And they're not strictly tourists. More like potential residents, if they're willing to stay.
– Alarion
5 mins ago
This isn't really relevant to the point of your question, but you have the details of The Great Divorce wrong. It's not Jesus driving the bus, it's an angel. And they're not strictly tourists. More like potential residents, if they're willing to stay.
– Alarion
5 mins ago
This isn't really relevant to the point of your question, but you have the details of The Great Divorce wrong. It's not Jesus driving the bus, it's an angel. And they're not strictly tourists. More like potential residents, if they're willing to stay.
– Alarion
5 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
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This discussion board thread appears to have evidence that the story in question was "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. The exact situation applies -- the time traveler cannot in any way alter the past world he finds himself in, because physical time travel to the past would require your physical substance to be present in two places simultaneously -- which is, of course, forbidden by the laws of physics.
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
This discussion board thread appears to have evidence that the story in question was "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. The exact situation applies -- the time traveler cannot in any way alter the past world he finds himself in, because physical time travel to the past would require your physical substance to be present in two places simultaneously -- which is, of course, forbidden by the laws of physics.
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
This discussion board thread appears to have evidence that the story in question was "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. The exact situation applies -- the time traveler cannot in any way alter the past world he finds himself in, because physical time travel to the past would require your physical substance to be present in two places simultaneously -- which is, of course, forbidden by the laws of physics.
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
This discussion board thread appears to have evidence that the story in question was "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. The exact situation applies -- the time traveler cannot in any way alter the past world he finds himself in, because physical time travel to the past would require your physical substance to be present in two places simultaneously -- which is, of course, forbidden by the laws of physics.
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
This discussion board thread appears to have evidence that the story in question was "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. The exact situation applies -- the time traveler cannot in any way alter the past world he finds himself in, because physical time travel to the past would require your physical substance to be present in two places simultaneously -- which is, of course, forbidden by the laws of physics.
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
edited 1 hour ago
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
answered 1 hour ago
Zeiss Ikon
6,7901038
6,7901038
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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This isn't really relevant to the point of your question, but you have the details of The Great Divorce wrong. It's not Jesus driving the bus, it's an angel. And they're not strictly tourists. More like potential residents, if they're willing to stay.
– Alarion
5 mins ago