Elizabeth Rhein-Venus-Space Trilogy

One of the passages in the Space Trilogies that I remember is the description of Venus. I have read it for the Religion in the Movies class as well as heard it told to this class. Obviously this passage is an important one because it shows how powerful and mysterious Venus is to us. In the passage from That Hideous Strength, Jane comes face to face with Venus. The woman is described to be unusually tall, have honey colored skin, and wearing a fiery red robe that exposed her breasts. I really liked this depiction of Venus because in the Four Loves, Venus is described as the carnal desire that occurs in people when they thirst for sexual pleasure. Venus is not the wanting of the person themselves, but rather the feeling that people receive when they are in that passionate moment of pleasure received from sex. In the book, Venus and her minions or dwarves are prancing around her room setting chaos and disorder about, as well as setting everything on fire. Jane, the witness to all of this destruction is afraid of Venus. The sense of fear that comes with experiencing Venus seems to be because Venus is a powerful goddess that can take complete control over whoever she likes and sets fire to their hearts. The fear reminded me of the class’ conversation about the aweful. I would be scared if I saw a goddess standing in front of me. As for the destruction Venus was causing, I believe it was because that is what Venus does to us. She comes in and wreaks havoc in our lives because love has not bounds and can make people crazed and it just seems more fitting than Venus quietly and calmly sitting about peacefully. She storms into our lives and takes full control, leaving us helpless to her will.