A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
Every good book should be entertaining. A good book will be more; it must not be less. Entertainment…is like a qualifying examination. If a fiction can’t provide that, we may be excused from inquiring into its higher qualities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A good book must entertain its readers as a fundamental quality, but it should also offer more than just entertainment.
C. S. Lewis emphasizes the importance of entertainment in literature, positing that a fiction book must engage and entertain its audience to be considered worthy of deeper examination. While entertainment is essential, it serves as a threshold for appreciating the book's other qualities, suggesting that without this foundational aspect, the book does not merit further analysis.
Themes
BooksEntertainmentLiteratureQualityReading
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be perfect for a speech at a book club meeting discussing what makes a book enjoyable.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes →I enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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