Democratically yours

Twenty years after his letters, Screwtape is guest of honor at the graduation banquet of the school for tempters. His speech is a fierce satire of education and a misunderstood democracy. The setting: a gala dinner in hell, where mediocre damned souls are being served. Screwtape complains about the poor quality of the menu: great sinners are rare, modern souls are lukewarm. Then he lays out his grand strategy. It is not about fighting democracy, but about corrupting the word itself: making people believe that equality before the law means that no one should stand out, that all excellence is suspect, that school should level down. Thus will a society of individuals be born who distrust anyone better than themselves. The text is short, biting, and poses a question that has not aged a day. **Original title** **First published** **Genre** **First English edition** **Available in bookstores** **Reading level** **For whom** **Year** **Other French titles** Screwtape Proposes a Toast **[{title, publisher, year, translator?, note?, source?}]** Demo(n)cratically yours — EBV (Brunnen Editions), collection EBV No. 612 — Basel — 1985 — Étienne Huser — 123 p.; eight texts: Demo(n)cratically Yours; The Little Circle; Is Theology Poetry?; Faith and Stubbornness; Transposition; The Weight of Glory; Good Work and Good Deeds; A Slip Demo(n)cratically Yours. Screwtape Proposes a Toast… and Other Texts — Empreinte temps présent — 2025 — release on April 24, 2025; "followed by 7 other texts"; ISBN 978-2-35614-243-6 **Themes** Envy disguised as equality. Education and the refusal of excellence. The meaning of words and their corruption. **Family** Novels and stories **Other names** Screwtape Proposes a Toast Screwtape Proposes a Toast Satire (speech), collection Fiction **Quick facts**## Par où l'aborder

Level: Easy. For those who enjoyed The Screwtape Letters. One hour of reading.

## Le livre en quelques lignes

The setting: a gala dinner in hell, where mediocre souls are served. Screwtape complains about the poor quality of the menu: the great sinners are rare, modern souls are lukewarm. Then he reveals his grand strategy. It’s not about fighting democracy, but about twisting its meaning: making people believe that equality before the law means that no one should surpass the others, that excellence is suspicious, and that schools should level down. Thus will a society of individuals be born who distrust anyone better than themselves. The text is short, biting, and raises a question that has not aged a bit.

## Dans l'atelier de Lewis

Lewis had sworn never to write another Screwtape letter again. Yet he wrote this speech for an American magazine. He later included it in the 1961 reissue of The Screwtape Letters, with a new preface. The 1985 French collection, translated by Étienne Huser, brings together the title essay and seven other texts: “The Little Circle,” “Is Theology Poetry?”, “Faith and Clowning,” “Transposition,” “The Weight of Glory,” “Good Work and Good Works,” and “A Slip of the Pen.”

## Ce qui y annonce Narnia

One thinks of the experimental school of Eustace and Jill in The Silver Chair, which Lewis mocks.

## Ce qu'en retient un lecteur d'aujourd'hui

The text still sparks debates: some read it as a defense of excellence, others as a contempt for educational reforms. All the more reason to read it yourself. Its question (how to prevent equality before the law from becoming distrust of all that is excellent?) remains relevant in today’s schools.

## La trace qu'il a laissée

Often cited in debates about school. Lewis himself saw it more as a critique of the English and American school systems of his time than of democracy, which he otherwise defended.

## Les idées à retenir

• The envy disguised as equality.
• Education and the refusal of excellence.
• The meaning of words and their twisting.

## Le lire en français

• Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre, EBV (Éditions Brunnen), coll. EBV n° 612, Bâle, 1985, trad. Étienne Huser — 123 p. ; eight texts: Démo(n)cratiquement vôtre ; Le petit cercle ; La théologie est-elle de la poésie ? ; Foi et obstination ; Transposition ; Le poids de gloire ; Bon travail et bonnes œuvres ; Un lapsus
• Démo[n]cratiquement vôtre. Screwtape porte un toast… et autres textes, Empreinte temps présent, 2025 — release on April 24, 2025 ; “followed by 7 other texts” ; ISBN 978-2-35614-243-6

## Going further

• The Screwtape Letters
• God in the Dock
• What to read after Narnia
• The Weight of Glory
• Other essay collections

## Sources

• https://www.editions-empreinte.com/tous-nos-ouvrages/demoncratiquement-votre
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screwtape_Letters