Welcome to the SCIO Alumni Stories blog!
We are delighted to announce that Aimee Smith, an alumna of SCIO from Hilary Term 2024, has won an essay competition hosted by the New York C. S. Lewis Society. The competition, which invites students from around the world to explore the works of C. S. Lewis in depth, provides a platform for budding scholars to engage meaningfully with one of the most treasured authors of the 20th century.
Aimee’s winning essay, “Influences of Romanticism: Lewis, Wordsworth, and the Notion of Sehnsucht,” was inspired by her tutorial on C. S. Lewis in Literary Context, taught by our longtime tutor, Dr. Emma Plaskitt. Her thoughtful exploration of the relationship between Romanticism and Lewis’s notion of Sehnsucht—a concept she describes as “unappeasable longing”—caught the attention of the selection committee and earned her this prestigious recognition.
We asked Aimee what inspired her, and if she could share any insights into this experience. Here is what she shared:
1. Can you tell us about the topic of your essay and what inspired you to choose it?
My essay is entitled “Influences of Romanticism: Lewis, Wordsworth, and the notion of Sehnsucht”. I wrote this piece for my tutorial with Dr. Emma Plaskitt, C.S. Lewis in Literary Context. The idea behind this piece was to explore how Romanticism might have influenced Lewis’ ideas or writing, and in this instance my focus was Wordsworth. More specifically, I was asked to investigate the use of the German notion of Sehnsucht, which, simply put, is a sense of unappeasable longing, in both authors’ works. Lewis explicitly invokes Sehnsucht in his spiritual autobiography Surprised by Joy (which is a title borrowed from a Wordsworthian poem; additionally, when reflecting on joy, Lewis refers to Wordsworth). Wordsworth does not use the term explicitly, but there are traces of the idea in several of his poems.
I chose to write this essay because I am intrigued by the way that poetry can influence our patterns and habits of thinking. When Dr. Plaskitt posed the question of Wordsworth’s influence on Lewis’ understanding of joy, I saw a chance to explore the way poetry can be a key player in the formation of our view of the world. I am very glad I chose this essay topic because it offered the opportunity to spend time reflecting on the ideas of Lewis and the excellent poetry of Wordsworth.
2. What aspects of C.S. Lewis’s work did you engage with, and what unique perspective did you aim to bring in your essay?
As I mentioned above, the main focus of the essay was the use (or influence) of the German notion of Sehnsucht. This term is often translated as “unappeasable longing.” In Lewis’ Surprised by Joy, he reflects on the relationship between unappeasable longing and joy; for much of his life he felt that his experiences of joy were only shadows of something greater, something that he was always chasing. Lewis concludes, in the final pages, that joy (experienced as an unappeasable longing) was a pointer to something greater: the One thing that could truly satisfy his longing.
In Wordsworth’s poem, “Tintern Abbey,” he talks of a “serene and blessed mood.” In other poems, he describes a feeling (of joy, of peace, of satisfaction) as fleeting. The question I was tasked to answer was how Lewis’ and Wordsworth’s treatment of joy was similar. I quickly discovered, however, that there was not a clear-cut answer to this question. Depending on the selection of Wordsworth’s poetry you read, his description of joy differed. Sometimes, it agreed with Lewis’ assessment and mirrored the idea of Sehnsucht; other times, it seemed that Wordsworth’s idea of joy was opposite of Lewis’. When I began writing my essay, I knew that I wanted to find a way to hold in tension the different selections of Wordsworth’s poetry and use this tension to help illuminate further Lewis’ ideas.
3. How did you feel when you found out you won the contest? Can you describe the moment you received the news?
I had mostly forgotten that I had submitted this essay to the contest. When I received the email notifying me that my essay had been selected as the winner, I was dumbfounded. I did not submit the essay with the hope or expectation of winning; I submitted it because it was out of my comfort zone, and I wanted to challenge myself. Winning the contest was a boost of confidence. I have never been confident in my ability to clearly express my ideas in writing, but this award suggests to me that I might be too hard on my own work!
4. What advice would you give to future SCIO students who might want to submit their tutorial essays to similar contests or for publication?
I almost did not submit my essay because I did not think I would have any chance of winning. But then I realized that nothing bad could come from trying! So what if I don’t win? I had already written the essay, and sending it to a selection committee was minimal work. And, it put my work out there for other people to read, which is something that is often hard to do in academia (especially at the undergraduate level). My first piece of advice is just go for it! If there is a contest you are aware of, submit something!
My other piece of advice is to take time to revise your essay before you submit it if you want. It’s often the case that after discussing your essay with your tutor, you realize some areas that could be strengthened; because of the fast-paced nature of the Oxford term, you don’t really get a chance to do that. But, if you are submitting to a contest you will probably have a bit of time to make revisions if you so desire. I wish I had made more revisions to the essay I submitted, and if I ever submit another tutorial essay to a contest, I will likely spend more time on revisions.
5. What does it mean to you to represent SCIO and have your work recognized in this way?
My experience in Oxford with SCIO was truly life changing. People always tell you that studying abroad will have a life-long impact, but I do not think you can truly understand what they mean until you do it. I experienced growth in every part of my life: my faith, my relationships, my writing and ability to contribute to academic discussion, and my confidence as a thinker, researcher, traveler (and so much more!). I am honored to be able to share this accomplishment with the SCIO community because it was this community that offered me the support and encouragement to embrace my academic aspirations head-on. My hope is that my small success might be the encouragement another student needs to try something new academically that is out of their comfort zone.
