MovieChat Forums > Shadowlands (1994) Discussion > Who was Warnie?

Who was Warnie?

posted 16 years ago by teal123
9 replies | jump to latest

I hate to sound immature or what not, but something sort of bothered me the whole movie... was Warnie _really_ his brother? It's well known that in those days, "brothers" who lived together were actually couples and just said they were brothers as cover. Not that I have a problem with that, I'm just asking. I find it odd that both of these brothers would have the same penchant for celibacy and pure academia.

I have read Lewis' "Mere Christianity" as well as "The Screwtape Letters". The former is the most convincing argument in favor Christianity I have ever read or heard. Very intelligent man.

[–] xyl_54 16 years ago

"Warnie" was his older brother, Warren. He has a biography here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Lewis

[–] ohmandylicious 16 years ago

I have read Lewis' "Mere Christianity" as well as "The Screwtape Letters". The former is the most convincing argument in favor Christianity I have ever read or heard. Very intelligent man.

He was brilliant, wasn't he?

I read Mere Christianity for a class in college several years ago, and I thought it was incredibly convincing, but I was already a Christian. So, I'm curious, are you a Christian, teal123? If you are, did Mere Christianity have anything to do with that?

My ancestors were humans. Sorry to hear about yours.

[–] rmm413-1 15 years ago

Yes, Warnie was most definately his real brother. There are after all photos of them as children together and Lewis' life is pretty well known. We known what he and his brother were doing across the course of their entirely lives for the most part, so this is not just a cover story for a different sort of relationship. And actually many times bachelor brothers would go and live with their siblings. This was not uncommon, so you should revise your idea that all "brothers" living together were homosexual. Some were, many weren't. Having read up a fair amount on Lewis too, I'm not really convinced that he was as "celibate" as this movie suggests.

[–] merrykate-1 14 years ago

C.S. Lewis had a long-term relationship with a much-older woman named Mrs. Moore, with whom he shared house for the better part of 25 years. There's no way to know for certain,but there are some indicators that it was a sexual relationship, at least at first. He was adamantly private about the matter and never even discussed it with Warnie, who wouldn't intrude upon his brother's privacy by asking..one aspect I always found odd in brothers who were so close. But he went far out of his way to prevent his father learning that they were keeping house, which might indicate it was a common-law arrangement.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] taznath 13 years ago

Mrs. Moore was the mother of a close friend, Edward "Paddy" Moore, that Lewis met when training for and fighting in the trenches of France. They promised to care for the other's parents in the case that one did not survive. Moore did not survive, so Lewis was obliged to take in his parents. Mr. Moore passed away in 1929, but Mrs. Moore survived him 21 years, dying in 1950. Though there is debate as to the nature of Lewis' relationship with Mrs. Moore, I find it rather rather unlikely that their relationship was sexual in nature.

[–] brupey-1 12 years ago

who wouldn't intrude upon his brother's privacy by asking..one aspect I always found odd in brothers who were so close
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How many Englishmen do you know?

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] bengt-ove 12 years ago

Some biographers love to bring their own preconceived ideas to the table and then use only those facts that support their own case. Is the biographer you mention A.N. Wilson?

I have read some 5-6 biographies on Lewis as well as his published letters, and I don't believe that he and Mrs. Moore were ever lovers.
Jack had other reasons for trying to keep their ménage a secret from his father. His father was supporting Jack financially to keep studying in Oxford, and most of this money was then spent keeping house with the Moores. They even had a row about it, since Albert knew about it all along and was terribly worried that Jack was being taken advantage of.

Jack also wrote after his marriage to Joy something about never thinking that as an old man he would enjoy pleasures that passed him by as a young man.