Discussion Topic
The Screwtape Letters: Writing Date and Setting
Summary:
The Screwtape Letters, written by C.S. Lewis in 1940 and first published in 1941, is set during World War II, specifically the "second German war." The narrative unfolds through letters exchanged between Screwtape, a senior demon, and his nephew Wormwood. The setting alternates between Great Britain, where Wormwood's human "patient" resides, and Hell, from where Screwtape writes. The story uses the war backdrop to explore themes of temptation and moral resolve.
What is the setting of The Screwtape Letters?
The setting of a story usually indicates the location and time frame in which the story takes place. In The Screwtape Letters, the story occurs during the "second German war," which is to say WWII. The location of the story is a bit more confusing, as the story is told through Screwtape and Wormwood's exchange of letters. Wormwood's patient is British, so you could derive the setting location as being Great Britain, but also consider the location from which Screwtape, Wormwood's nefarious uncle, writes his letters. In this sense, part of the story's setting would also be Hell.
When was The Screwtape Letters written?
The Screwtape Letters was likely written in 1940 and were first published in 1941. It appeared as a series of letters, one every week, in a religious periodical called TheGuardian . In 1942, it was pulled together and published in book form. It has been widely...
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popular ever since.
In these letters, the devil Screwtape helps guide his younger and more inexperienced colleague Wormword in the art of tempting human souls to damnation, largely through trickery and treachery. Through him, we get a demon's insights into how humans can be tempted to sin in simple, banal ways.
The book was written during the most challenging days of World War II for the British, before the United States entered the war but after most of Europe had fallen to the demonic seeming Hitler. The letters were meant to infuse the British people with hope and moral resolve as they faced an exceptionally evil and seemingly unstoppable enemy. The backdrop of this war is woven into the letters. For example, while Wormword enjoys the war for all the misery and depravity he hopes it will bring to the human race, Screwtape sharply informs him that wars are a special problem for demons because they inspire heroism and acts of unusual courage and self-sacrifice that prepare souls for heaven. In fact, Wormwood fails in corrupting the human he has been assigned, as the man dies with his soul right with God during a bombing.