What Barfield Thought : An Introduction to the Work of Owen Barfield

As interest in Owen Barfield grows, we aim to meet the need for a scholarly introduction to his thought. Our primary purpose is to present an overview, analysis, and synthesis of Barfield’s most salient ideas in a manner that will be of interest to neophytes and initiates alike. Barfield’s work can, at times, be difficult to understand; C. S. Lewis put it well when he described Barfield’s style of argument as “dark, labyrinthine,” and “pertinacious.” But Lewis ardently promoted Barfield’s work because he knew that people who willingly walk in those dim and winding corridors are, in time, richly rewarded by the bright light at their end. We offer the present work in service to those who wish to undertake this adventure. While the present book will help those readers who wish to engage Barfield for the sake of achieving a greater understanding of and appreciation for other writers who have been associated with or influenced by him, we aim first and foremost to present Barfield as a profound and original thinker in his own right. While the present book will help those readers who wish to engageBarfield for the sake of achieving a greater understanding of andappreciation for other writers who have been associated with or influencedby him, we aim first and foremost to present Barfield as a profound andoriginal thinker in his own right. Regrettably, Barfield’s place in history haslargely been determined by his relation to other figures—most notably, to C.S. Lewis and the other Inklings, as well as Samuel Taylor Coleridge andRudolf Steiner. Without intending to detract from the significance of any ofthese thinkers, we argue that the time has come for Barfield’s work to emergefrom the shadows of other works and to take its place in the sun.--------------