C.S. Lewis at University College
University College is C.S. Lewis’s Oxford college as an undergraduate and tutor in philosophy. Hoping for an academic career, the just eighteen-year-old Lewis arrives in Oxford for a scholarship examination on 4 December 1916. Although he is not happy with his performance, he receives a letter from University College two weeks later, awarding him the second of three scholarships in Classics. He needs to be accepted by an Oxford college to attend University. Acceptance by a college suggests that acceptance by the University, through an examination called ‘Responsions’, will be a mere formality. On 20 and 21 March 1917, Lewis takes Responsions and then returns home to Belfast for a month. Not altogether surprisingly, he fails the mathematics part of the exam. Nevertheless, he gets permission to go into residence at University College if he takes the exam again and passes all subjects. In June, he retakes the exam but fails again. This might have been the end of his academic career if it had not been for the First World War (1914–1918). On 8 June 1917, Lewis enters the British Army and is sent across Oxford to be billeted in Keble College, where he joins the Officer’s Training Corps. Following his training, he crosses over to France on 29 November 1917, his nineteenth birthday. On 15 April 1918, he is wounded during the Battle of Arras. He therefore returns to England and recovers there until the end of the war. After the war, the examination is waived for those who served in the army, and Lewis may start his studies.
Student
After the war, C.S. Lewis returns to University College in January 1919. He starts reading Classical Honour Moderations, an examination in Latin and Greek meant to prepare for the Final Honour School, the study of Classical Philosophy and Ancient History, called ‘Greats’. Lewis performs brilliantly in his studies, and he takes a First Class degree in Classic Honour Moderations in March 1920. In June 1922, he sits for the Greats examination. On 4 August 1922, it is announced that he had been awarded First Class Honours, and he takes his B.A. the following day. After graduating, the twenty-three-year-old Lewis thinks about his future and the possibility of staying in Oxford. However, the future of Classics and Philosophy is uncertain. He is advised to stay in Oxford for one more year to take a degree in English Literature. It is a newly instituted degree, as the Oxford Honours School of English Language and Literature is deeply committed to language study. Lewis follows the advice, and he takes his finals in June 1923. After his oral examination on 10 July, he is awarded another First Class Honours degree.
Tutor
After graduating, C.S. Lewis’s first job is at University College. In May 1924, he is offered a one-year appointment to replace the college’s tutor in philosophy, E.F. Carritt (1876–1964), during the academic year 1924–1925. Lewis accepts, and during the year, he gives lectures and conducts tutorials. During term time, he lives in Room 5 on Staircase XII. At the time, he applies for a fellowship in English Language and Literature at Magdalen College, Oxford University. Since he could teach both English and philosophy, it turns out that he is the preferred candidate, and he is elected in May 1925. At Magdalen College, C.S. Lewis holds a fellowship in English Language and Literature from June 1925 to December 1954.
Sources
Walter Hooper, C.S. Lewis. Companion & Guide
Jeffrey Schultz & John West, The C.S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia