History Literature / TillWeHaveFaces

* {{God}}: The Divine Nature thought by Greek intellectuals (like Fox) to be a single, [[TheOmnipotent all-powerful]], and unemotional power who created all things and assigns their destinies. While Fox's logical proofs and scholarly arguments suit the needs of priests and politicians, the old Priest of Ungit maintain that gods must be found in mystery and sacrifice rather than writing and navel-gazing and every worshipper in the novel affirms his view.

* LoveMakesYouEvil: Lewis believed that human love -- absent divine grace -- is selfishness in a pretty mask, which ultimately destroys the object of affection. (He says elsewhere, "[Love] is a stronger angel, and therefore, when it falls, a fiercer devil.")
* LowFantasy / DarkFantasy: This book is definitely much darker than Lewis's [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia more famous fantasy novels.]]

* RealityWarper:

* CunningLikeAFox: The Fox is so called for his knowledge. (Well, and his red hair.)

* {{Demythification}}: [[spoiler:initially.]]

* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Istra. In keeping with the ClassicalMythology tradition, this causes problems when she receives BlasphemousPraise as "prettier than Aphrodite herself."

* CelibateHero: Orual, appropriately enough, given her antagonism to the local love deities.

* HonoraryUncle: Orual calls the Fox "Grandfather."

* InsaneTrollLogic: The gods, according to Orual.

* ItsAllAboutMe: The king.
* JerkassGods: Most of the people of Glome see their gods as petty, self-serving forces of nature and try to avoid attracting their attention as much as possible. Orual ''wishes'' the gods were just mindless brutes. The truth is...complicated.
* JustSoStory: Orual mentions there is a story that explains why pigs are not suitable as sacrifices to Ungit, but does not tell it. Later, she discovers that [[spoiler:Istra's rejection by, and eventual reunion with, the God of the Grey Mountain]] has become one for the seasons changing, which inspires her to write the novel.

* UnreliableNarrator: Orual realizes she is one after finishing the first half of the book.
* VirginSacrifice: Istra.

* AllTakeAndNoGive: Orual is the Giver. [[spoiler:Or so she claims herself to be.]]

* BecomingTheMask: Orual.

* TheFaceless: Orual in her mask.

** If she isn't an UnreliableNarrator, Orual has a personal encounter with the god of the Grey Mountain, the Shadowbrute. As a pagan of Glome would know, the Brute is wrathful enough to flatten a forest and so radically present as to make everything else in reality seem like a dream. Yet, he (or maybe He) may be the {{God}} known to Greek philosophy, as the Shadow is [[GodIsGood benevolent enough to love Psyche more than her foster mother]], metaphysical enough that [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm Orual cannot see if he has a shape]], and [[TheOmnipotent omnipotent]] enough to change the past at will.

* ReleaseYourSlaves: Orual did quite a bit, starting with the Fox. [[DeliberateValuesDissonance Appropriately]] for [[ValuesDissonance her time]], she never regards slavery as a bad thing; rather, she thinks it's just (and prudent) for a good mistress to give freedom as a reward to faithful and hard-working slaves, and she expects (and receives) gratitude in return.

* CrossoverCosmology: Implied in the final chapters. (Not to the characters themselves, it should be noted. Modern readers, however, may be able to discern the connections.)

* TheDitz: Orual's other sister, Redival.

* {{God}}: The Divine Nature thought by Greek intellectuals (like Fox) to be a single, [[TheOmnipotent all-powerful]], and unemotional power who created all things and assigns their destinies. While Fox's logical proofs and scholarly arguments suit the needs of priests and politicians, the old Priest of Ungit maintain that gods must be found in darkness and sacrifice rather than writing and navel-gazing and every worshipper in the novel affirms his view.

* DeathByChildbirth: Istra/Psyche's mother.

* ExternalRetcon: Orual writes her book to set the record straight after hearing a priest's false story about Psyche. Eventually, [[spoiler: Orual retcons her own story when she comes to realize her true motivations were selfish.]] (Of course, ''Till We Have Faces'' functions as this in real life as well.)

* FlyingDutchman: [[spoiler: Istra, after disobeying her husband, is exiled to wander the earth until she can be reunited with the God of the Mountain.]]

-->Orual: He spoke it as kindly and heartily as could be; as if a man dashed a gallon of cold water in your broth and never doubted you'd like it all the better.

* MindScrew
* MyBelovedSmother: Orual, to Istra.

* PaintingTheMedium: The last paragraph of the book is in italics, signifying that it's in a different handwriting from the rest of the book, namely that of [[spoiler:Arnom, who found Orual dead, her head resting on the scroll she was writing the story on]].

* AbusiveParent: The King, particularly to Orual. He has no problem calling her ugly to her face and beats her several times.

* TitleDrop: "How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?"

* LadyOfWar: Orual.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's kept ambiguous whether the mysterious events attributed to the Gods actually ''are'' divine in nature. [[spoiler: Up until the moment that Orual sees the God of the Mountain with her own eyes.]]

* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Istra.

** In the early part of the book, between the Fox's Greek philosophy and the beliefs of Glome, which sanction the occasional human sacrifice, castration of a man who flirts with the King's daughter, among other [[SarcasmMode pleasant things]].

* OneOfTheBoys: Orual becomes this. She's not ''trying'' to appear more masculine, but her ugliness makes it hard for Glomish men to perceive her as a woman, and so they treat her more like a man. When she takes her veil people at least start to acknowledge her as a ''Queen'', but old acquaintances like Bardia still treat her more like they would a younger male relative than a woman. Orual has... mixed feelings about all this.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Fox is simply the Fox for nearly the entire novel, and is only once referred to by his real name, Lysias.

* AlwaysSecondBest: Redival is beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as Istra, which is a major source of bitterness for her. Towards the end, [[spoiler: it's revealed that Redival felt abandoned by Orual and the Fox after Psyche was born. Orual realizes it's a valid grievance, even if Redival was bratty about it]].

* AlwaysSecondBest: Redival is beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as Psyche, which is a major source of bitterness for her. Towards the end, [[spoiler: it's revealed that Redival felt abandoned by Orual and the Fox after Psyche was born. Orual realizes it's a valid grievance, even if Redival was bratty about it]].

* StarCrossedLovers: Orual and the married Bardia.

'''This novel provides examples of:'''

** Orual: He spoke it as kindly and heartily as could be; as if a man dashed a gallon of cold water in your broth and never doubted you'd like it all the better.

''Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold'' (1956) is Creator/CSLewis's last novel, the one he considered his best and most mature. It relates the myth of Cupid and Psyche (found in Apuleius' Latin novel ''The Golden Ass'') from a very different perspective than the original.

''Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold'' is Creator/CSLewis's last novel, the one he considered his best and most mature. It relates the myth of Cupid and Psyche (found in Apuleius' Latin novel ''The Golden Ass'') from a very different perspective than the original.

* ItsAllAboutMe: The king their father.

* MysteriousVeil: Orual's most noticeable wardrobe piece is a veil that covers her entire face, staring a number of rumors as to what she looks like underneath.