That Hideous Strength Literary Elements

Science fiction, fantasy, dystopian

Modern-day (20th century) Edgestow, a fictional town in England, after the interplanetary events of Malacandra and Perelandra

3rd person POV, following the adventures of Mark and Jane Studdock, a young married couple, as they interact with characters far more important and interesting than themselves.

Straightforward, tense, anxious

Protagonist: Dr. Ransom and the forces of good, which include the two main characters, Mark and Jane. Antagonist: Alcasan and the N.I.C.E., a progressive scientific organization that plans to take over the world.

The N.I.C.E. is attempting to expand and amass power for the eventual takeover of the world, presumably. They seek to find and recruit Merlin to their cause. Dr. Ransom and his organization at St. Anne's oppose this evil force, seeking to retake the dark and broken world for Maleldil and banish the Black Archon (Satan).

Merlin, controlled by the Oyéresu, curses the N.I.C.E. and incites animal havoc that ends in the massacre of Alcasan and most of the organization. Edgestow is utterly destroyed, and the forces of good prevail.

Jane's dream of the execution of Alcasan and the exhumation of Merlin foreshadows these events in the real world, as well as her discovery that she has the power to see visions of real events.

“I mightn’t put it exactly as you do, James——” - Curry (Ch. 2)

This novel heavily alludes to the Bible, from which it draws its primary conflict, as well as to Arthurian legend, including elements such as Merlin, King Arthur, the title of Fisher-King, and others.

Descriptions of color vary dramatically between the two opposing factions, the N.I.C.E. and St. Anne's. The N.I.C.E. is almost monochrome in its impersonal sterility: most descriptions seem to describe it as various shades of a depressing gray. St. Anne's, by contrast, is full of light and color and creatures of all kinds. This imagery of color reflects the state of each organization's relationship with life and nature; St. Anne's embraces and celebrates it, while the N.I.C.E. exploits it in the name of "progress."

Mark spends his entire life in pursuit of inclusion in an elite social inner ring. He thinks he will find happiness there, but in actuality he will find only disappointment, as the reader sees when he finally becomes a member of the N.I.C.E.'s inner ring only to discover that it's evil and miserable.

Jane's process of accepting the Gospel and the message of Dr. Ransom, going through denial, doubt, and finally acceptance, mirrors that of Mark's parallel conversion later in the novel.

“In order to keep the place going as a learned society, all the best brains in it have to give up doing anything about learning.” - Feverstone, Ch. 2

In this quote, "brains" is metonymic for "smart people."

“The good wine was beginning to do its good office.” (Ch. 2)