The C.S. Lewis podcast #236 Joseph Weigel: The fairytale of That Hideous Strength
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Nov 17, 2025 Joseph Weigel, a firefighter and podcaster known for 'Men With Chests', dives into C.S. Lewis's 'That Hideous Strength', which he considers the standout of the Space Trilogy. He discusses the complex marriage of Mark and Jane, the ominous N.I.C.E., and the provocative connection between magic and modern science. Weigel highlights Lewis's views on dark and high magic while examining Merlin's role in the narrative and the implications for contemporary Christians. It's a fascinating exploration of power, morality, and myth.
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Two Paths: Marriage Amid A Dystopia
- That Hideous Strength follows Mark and Jane Stuttick as they split between the NICE and St. Anne's resistance led by Ransom.
- The novel blends domestic marriage drama with a national dystopian conspiracy resolved by supernatural intervention.
Magic And Science As Twin Quests
- Lewis frames magic and modern science as twin impulses born in the Renaissance, both driven by a will to power.
- Weigel argues That Hideous Strength dramatizes this claim, exploring the moral dangers of both quests.
Fiction Carries Lewis's Full Argument
- Weigel saw Lewis's deeper treatment of magic and science not in essays but embedded in That Hideous Strength as a 'fairy tale for grown-ups.'
- He uses the novel to unpack Lewis's fuller theological and cultural critique of power-seeking knowledge.
