S2E7 - That Hideous Strength (Ft. Cynthia Chung)

Unreliable Narrators

In this episode, we are joined by editor-in-chief and co-founder of the Rising Tide Foundation, Cynthia Chung. Cynthia has lectured on the topics of Schiller’s aesthetics, Shakespeare’s tragedies, Roman history, and the Florentine Renaissance among other subjects. She is a writer for Strategic Culture Foundation, and is a contributing author to the book series “The Clash of the Two Americas.” In this episode, we discuss C.S. Lewis's concerns about modern education, the threat of scientific dictatorship, the essence of culture, science and magic, and much more as we explore the epic conclusion of Lewis's space trilogy, That Hideous Strength.

Time Stamps: 1:24 Cynthia discusses the Rising Tide Foundation 5:47 Cynthia’s background in molecular biology 7:31 The historical backdrop if That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis’s contemporaries 12:10 Discussing The Abolition of Man important to understanding That Hideous Strength 18:23 Was Lewis’s critique of H.G. Wells legitimate? 21:39 Mark Studdock and Bracton College: the progressive Element and the Traditionalist School 23:12 Mark’s obsession with the Inner Ring 27:10 How the N.I.C.E. uses “remedial treatment” on people who oppose them 29:51 The final Inner Ring: the “Head” 35:05 Turning attention to Jane, Mark’s wife, who is having prophetic dreams 37:21 Merlin represents something Britain has lost 40:55 Why did George Orwell critique Lewis for including Merlin in the story? 48:37 The epic climax: The Curse of Babel on the N.I.C.E. 1:01:48 Closing thoughts on the Inner Ring and Tolkien’s “One Ring” 1:05:43 Are the “good guys” in this story just another Inner Ring? Why are they different? 1:12:14 Lewis’s “Logres” 1:13:48 Cynthia’s upcoming projects

Rising Tide Foundation: https://risingtidefoundation.net/ Cynthia's Substack: https://cynthiachung.substack.com/ Cynthia's Lecture Series on the Space Trilogy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4W04cnITUI

Part 2 of this episode series can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perelandra/id1594769451?i=1000581106991

Stay tuned for our next episode when we discuss Marvel's 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home.

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