What sort of bookshops sell The Works of Aristotle?

Question

In the beginning of The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis' narrator states: > However far I went I found only dingy lodging houses, small tobacconists, hoardings from which posters hung in rags, windowless warehouses, goods stations without trains, and bookshops of the sort that sell The Works of Aristotle. I am assuming he means the bookstores were basic and catered to the needs of schoolchildren. Are there any other thoughts on what sort of bookshops sell The Works of Aristotle? To what purpose might Lewis refer to Aristotle at this point in the book?

Answer 1

Hmm, why do you assume he means the bookstores are basic and catering to schoolchildren? I haven't read this book, but in the passage you quoted, he describes an environment in which everything is dreary, old, neglected, lifeless... so I would guess that these "bookshops" are similarly small, drab, with an uninspired selection of books, nothing but "dusty old philosophy"... does that make sense?

If Lewis refers to Aristotle again, later in the text, it might be meaningful. If this is the only mention, I'm not sure it's significant.

Are you writing an essay? Let me know if I can help.