Commentary
introduction

i.
medieval situation
ii.
Things to note
iii.
Selected Materials: Classical Period
A. "Scipio's Dream"
B.
Lucanus
C.
Statius, Claudius, and Lady Natura
D.
Apuleius's "On the Gods of Socrates"
iv.
Selected Materials: The Dawn of the Middle Ages
A.
Chalcidius
B.
Macrobius
C.
Pseudo-Dionysius
D.
Boethius
v.
sky
A.
various parts of the universe
B.
The workings of various parts of the universe
C.
inhabitants of various parts of the universe
vi.
Long-lived beings
vii.
Earth and its inhabitants
A.
earth
B.
Beasts
C.
human soul
D.
rational soul
E.
The soul of sense and growth
F.
soul and body
G.
human body
H.
human past
I.
7 liberal arts
viii.
The influence of medieval cosmological models

Reviews
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Oxford University Literature Lectures Showcasing Lewis's True Face as an English Literature Scholar

'The greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century' (Time) C.
This is an introduction to medieval and Renaissance literature that shows the true face of S. Lewis as an English scholar.
Lewis's most famous lectures at Oxford University, where he taught from 1925 to 1954 (after moving to Cambridge University), were two series of 16 lectures entitled "Introduction to Medieval Studies" and "Introduction to Renaissance Studies."
In this book, which Lewis completed in 1962 but passed away in 1963 and was published posthumously in 1964, he clearly demonstrates his abilities as a first-class English scholar, possessing both the breadth of his extensive reading and the ability to use a wide range of sources covering almost the entire medieval and Renaissance period, and the detail to present even the most minute details of each source in the right place.
Following his guidance, you get a vivid feeling as if you are looking into the minds of people at that time.
By the late 1930s, he had already established a reputation as an outstanding Oxford lecturer, drawing audiences larger than other lecturers could ever imagine, and this book will give you the experience of attending his lectures live, as if you were there with him, carrying only brief notes and captivating his audience with his fluent lectures.


The "Model of the Universe," the greatest work of the Middle Ages and a central reference point for the Middle Ages

The worldview and world view of the Middle Ages and Renaissance that Lewis reconstructs in a large picture in this book, the 'cosmological model' as he puts it in this book, is a worldview that modern people have rejected and thus discarded, but it is a worldview that Lewis found extremely fascinating and that he studied throughout his life and actively utilized in his writings.
He cites the “Model of the Universe” as the third work that can be placed next to the Summa Theologica (Thomas Aquinas) and the Divine Comedy (Dante), which are representative works of the Middle Ages, and convinces the reader that this “Model of the Universe” is not only the greatest work of art in the Middle Ages, but in some sense, the central work of the Middle Ages.
This is because most of the individual works are contained within this cosmic model, and the individual works constantly refer to this model and draw a lot of strength from it.
And it is argued that two key elements of medieval culture influenced the construction of these models: their book-centered nature and their fervent love of systematics.
Lewis's pursuit of a medieval cosmology cannot be seen as a preference for a particular era, as if the past was the best or the present is superior to the past.
Rather, it is based on his 'philosophy of eternity' that "everything that is not eternal is eternally outdated" (The Four Loves).
In other words, in the zeal of medieval people who were trying to establish a system for a complete world (universe), they discovered a piece of unchanging truth and were fascinated by it.
There is no doubt that the quest for the eternal led Lewis to rediscover his Christian faith and became the backdrop for many of his works, including The Chronicles of Narnia.


A discarded but valid worldview: a window into Lewis's world.

In one essay, Lewis spoke about why we should read old books, recommending, “After reading a new book, read an old one,” or, “If that’s too much, read an old one after reading three new books.”
The reason is that every era has its own perspective, each era has its own truths it grasps particularly well, and each era has its own mistakes it is particularly prone to making, so we need books that will correct the typical mistakes of our time.
That is what old books are, and old books free us from the 'chronological philistinism' and 'worship of modernity' that the new and the latest are always right and better.
In "Discarded Images," readers can discover how the universe and ideas of Plato and Aristotle were accepted, transformed, and flourished in the Middle Ages, exerting influence even in modern times. They can also confirm how the efforts and images of the world depicted in countless literary works to comprehensively view it have continued to impact our world.
The model of the universe that Lewis explored extensively, calling it the "discarded image," not only forces readers to reexamine their current way of thinking, but also invites them to consider what they have lost in the process of coming to think as they do today, and whether there is a way to recover it.