C.S. Lewis's Gay Best Friend, Arthur

Area of Science:

• Literary and Historical Studies
• Biography and Personal Narratives
• Cultural and Social History

Background:

• Arthur Greeves was the lifelong best friend of renowned Oxford scholar and author C.S. Lewis.
• Greeves's personal life, particularly his sexual self-understanding, has remained largely unexplored.
• C.S. Lewis's extensive correspondence with Greeves provides a unique window into their relationship and Greeves's inner world.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide the first sustained reconstruction of Arthur Greeves's sexual self-understanding.
• To analyze the developmental phases of Greeves's same-sex attraction between 1917 and 1935.
• To explore the influence of social, psychological, and theological factors on Greeves's evolving identity.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of C.S. Lewis's published letters to Arthur Greeves, including restored censored sections.
• Examination of Arthur Greeves's three unpublished private diaries.
• Consultation of related archival materials to contextualize Greeves's personal experiences.

Main Results:

• Greeves's experience of homosexuality or same-sex attraction was not static but evolved over time.
• Identified six distinct stages in Greeves's sexual self-understanding between 1917 and 1935.
• These stages included disclosure, affirmation, psychoanalysis (conversion therapy), theological reframing, and attempted renunciation.

Conclusions:

• Arthur Greeves's journey reflects a complex and dynamic process of navigating same-sex attraction within his historical context.
• The study highlights the significant impact of external pressures, including psychoanalysis and religious beliefs, on Greeves's identity.
• This research offers new insights into the personal lives of figures associated with C.S. Lewis and the broader understanding of LGBTQ+ experiences in the early 20th century.