Another little synchronicity the other day. When I mentioned to someone in the Pickerell (by Magdelene in Cambridge) that Barfield was on the reading list after Northrop, they knew of the C.S.Lewis / Inklings connection I blogged earlier. I knew of the Oxford 1917 to 1924 connection when Lewis (at University College Oxford) met Barfield (Wadham College Oxford), and C.S.Lewis was subsequently Fellow of Magdelen College Oxford and English Tutor there from 1925 to 1954, following which he took up the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Magdelene College Cambridge and regularly occupied the sofa in the corner of the Pickerell in, until his death in 1963. Anyway, back to Barfield, before I digress too far- C.S.Lewis, J.R.R.Tolkien and G.K.Chesterton lead off into strongly theistic directions very quickly.
Rough Barfield timeline.
Born 1898 and raised Muswell Hill, 6 Grosvenor Gardens.
Attended Highgate School.
At 20 (1918) joined The Royal Engineers during WW1
At 21 (1919) went (back) to Oxford, Wadham College (Met C.S.Lewis, joins the Inklings)
At 22 workig as Assistant Editor on London Weekly Newspaper
Starts to get works published / interested in Anthroposophy.
At 36 achieves B.Litt Oxon, and becomes partner in his fathers law firm.
Practising lawyer 1931 to 1959
Baptized 1948.
1964/5 Drew University. Madison, New Jersey.
Visiting professorships at various US Universities.
Moves to live in Orchard View, Kent during 1986
From 1986 until his death aged 99 on December 14th 1997, lived ay The Wallhatch, Forest Row, East Sussex.
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