Rules and Insights: Connecting the Mathematical and Linguistic Abilities of C.S. Lewis

While most biographical works on C.S. Lewis give passing reference to Lewis\u27 problems with elementary mathematics, few have made an attempt at diagnosing the difficulty or exploring its impact on his writing. A careful study of family correspondence, however, makes it clear that his learning difficulties were not with mathematics alone and suggests connections between attitudes toward and abilities in both mathematics and language. This paper will make these connections clear and will illustrate their ties to Lewis\u27 effective mathematical references