Joe Ross: "But Peter Pan IS literature!"
Me: No, I mean, a narrative hook! It's something that catches the audience's intention. Everybody knows that.
Joe Ross: Right. I knew that.
Anyway, C.S. Lewis uses the concept of hooks really well in his first chapter of the book The Screwtape Letters. The premise of the book is this: A demon named Screwtape is writing to his nephew Wormwood and tells him the way to make a man go to Hell. That's a pretty good premise.
Most good books have a unique launching-off point with which to follow-up with a great book. While critics mostly agree that it's not the idea that matters, it's the execution, it's often the hook...that gets readers to read the rest of the book.
Hey, that rhymed!
So The Screwtape Letters would be great with just the simple premise of a demon trying to a damn a young man...but there's an extra layer of complexity to the narrative.
History lesson here...C.S. Lewis, before being a noted children's book writer, was a theologian and apologist. (a person who defends the existence of God and Christianity in general). So, the concept of The Screwtape Letters is satirical in nature. By showing us how to make a person go to Hell, Lewis succeeds in gaining converts to Christianity and starting conversations. While the book was a tad controversial from evangelical Christians who didn't like the idea of giving people ideas on how to make people not Christians, they missed the sarcastic tone of the book., Lewis made statements in such a caustic* and ironic way that transcended the basic hook of his novel.
Here's an example as Screwtape writes about faith and politics intertwining: "Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster."
Screwtape's sincerity in his statements only reinforces the comedic satire that Lewis is harnessing as he writes this book. If the book was written by an atheist, the sarcasm would not work obviously because there would be sincerity in his voice.
Martin Luther writes, "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."
Instead of praising God and Jesus, Lewis indirectly makes fun of the Devil in his book. Now, I don't want to get too much into religion as that's a sensitive subject for some people-
Marshall: Then why did you choose a book about Christianity, written by a theologian?
Me: I don't know, because it's a good piece of literature and I wanted to read something from Lewis that didn't involve lions, witches and wardrobes.
Marshall: Ok.
So, most non-Christians get turned off by evangelical Christians throwing bibles through their windows and chasing them down the street with holy water and some unleavened bread.
For most though, The Screwtape Letters offers a comedic way for Christians to learn more about battling temptation and doubt in their own lives, while still entertaining them with a sarcastic author giving a voice to a hilarious demon.
*Do I get a prize that I used a vocabulary word?