Gift-love 'must work towards its own abdication.' we are mirrors whose brightness, if we are bright, is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us.įor the Church has no beauty but what the Bridge-groom gives her he does not find, but makes her, lovely.īut the proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our gift. Since Lewis does have a good deal of wisdom, though, I'll end with some quotes I especially appreciated: While thought-provoking and interesting, this didn't quite 'scratch the itch.' It reminded me more of a wise man's stream-of-consciousness or conversational musings on a topic. I don't always get his train of thought, or follow his literary references (he assumes a degree of classical education in his audience that I simply don't have). This work, like his others, is in turn both wonderfully profound and difficult to follow. He discusses characteristics of each but doesn't succinctly define any. I was hoping, therefore, that he would define it (or the different types of it) clearly. I was drawn to this in particular because I believe 'love' is a word we all use but mean different things by it.

I like Lewis- I've read many books by him. They are still called so, but can become in fact complicated forms of hatred.' He discusses not only what the loves look like but the dangers of putting them above their station, 'For natural loves that are allowed to become gods to not remain loves.

He also talks about concepts like 'need-love' (I love it/them because it's required for my well-being) and 'gift-love' (I bestow favor and provide for another because I love them).

friendship (those of similar beliefs or interests).

Lewis discusses what he considers the four categories or types of love:

Types of love cs lewis