BOOKS:History in English Words

Eagle and Child Pub, Oxford. Meeting place of the Inklings Group.

He was the friend of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, inspiration for a Society of followers and and man that lived for nearly century__Owen Barfield (1898-1997) is not widely known today, but a person who had a tremendous influence on both C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. All were members of the famous "Inklings Group," an informal literary discussion group that met for two decades in a pub near Oxford University. Barfield had a particularly strong influence on C.S. Lewis with whom he was close. Lewis referred to him as a "antifriend" someone who disagreed with his every word. In 1926 Barfield, wrote, "History in English Words," a work that analyzes how the changes in European Language (vocabulary) reflect the mental outlook and consciousness of European civilization. Through Europe's usage of words the world view of Europe people becomes evident. Barfield traces this path of consciousness linked to language starting from the Indo-European roots of English through the influence of Greek and Latin and then up to modern times. By using current English words whose derivation is from other languages he shows how the use of language is actually a reflection of our inner souls. According to Barfield European societies oscillated between using inner looking Greek words and outer looking utilitarian Roman (Latin words). This choice reflected the structure of their society. "History in English Words," has been out of print for years, but is again now available through Lindisfarne Books or "Barnes & Noble Rediscovers."