David Godwin - Myth Became Fact - (Outside Reading #3)

I tried to resist the temptation to turn to C.S. Lewis again for my outside reading, but here it goes…. During the semester, one I found Lewis’ essay “Myth Became Fact” to be incredibly helpful in analyzing movies throughout the course. The article basically states that Christianity is not and should not claim to be a mere rational religion. There are aspects in Christianity, according to Lewis, that are beyond rationality. Specifically, he discusses the essential importance of myth and archetype in Christianity. Some may point to the story of Christ’s sacrifice as an unoriginal archetypal trope which proves it is not fact. But Lewis looks at it in a different light. In actuality, Lewis argues, the archetype has always been existence to set up the sacrifice of Christ. It has created an expectation within us, and has made the actual act a truth that can be recognizably beautiful to us.
Lewis’ praise of myth as transcendent over intellect has helped me appreciate the films we’ve watched in the class. My favorites have been: Thin Red Line, The Jacket, and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. All of these films had strong emotional affects on me that are still affecting me. They feel transcendent, above my thoughts or intellect, just hovering above me, waiting for me to understand how they connect to my world. Just the fact that they evoke an emotional response from me says something. The fact that they are each beautifully composed means more, I think, than the fact that each has a message. Without the beautiful composition and the emotional reaction, would I even care about their messages? If I did not think they were beautiful, would I care to spend time thinking about their philosophical implications? Probably not. It’s the same thing with Christ, according to Lewis. He has made his sacrifice beautiful. He has turned a myth into fact, so that we will not ignore it.
Yet, these films remain myth. They have not become fact in the concrete sense of the word, as Lewis argues Christ has. I think, though, that their application to life (the very thing we’ve all being doing throughout the class) helps bring some spiritual clarity into our lives. Although they have not literally become fact, perhaps they have brought to life the things that we could not express any way other than myth. It’s inspiring to have a film move you in such a way, because it encourages you to sub-create as Lewis says we should. In creating our own little metaphors, myths, and symbols, we begin to understand the real things, what it all stands for.