Monthly Archives: September 2012

The Many Names of The Great Divorce: Finding that Elusive Title

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I recently competed in the 3 Day Novel Contest, a literary marathon where one writes for 72 hours, hoping to finish an entire novel in that time. As midnight on the last day approached, I had completed my 150 page … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged 3 Day Novel Contest, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Sorina Higgins, The Great Divorce, The Guardian, The Screwtape Letters, writing | 8 Comments

50 Shades of Bad Writing

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I understand that this will strike regular readers as a bit of a departure. This blog covers a lot of areas—children’s writing, fantasy, myth, theology and philosophy—and Fifty Shades of Grey is none of those. Not even close. And no, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged 50 Shades of Grey, bad writing, books, E.L. James, erotic, love, medulla oblongata, The Four Loves, writing | 79 Comments

Lessons from Childhood Reading, Or Living Life Like Melinda Mae

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I always have the temptation, perhaps, to look back a little too fondly at my childhood. I remember especially those sunny summer days on the farm: our backyard was the universe, an adventure waiting every time I left the breakfast … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged books, children's literature, lion the witch and the wardrobe, literature, Madeleine L'Engle, Melinda Mae, myth, Shel Silverstein, Slaying Dragons, The Lion, The Tyranny of the Incalculable | 11 Comments

Great Links: Joel Heck’s C.S. Lewis Site

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

As part of my Great Links occasional feature, Joel Heck’s website is certainly worth highlighting. Dr. Heck is a theology and Bible professor at the Concordia University of Texas and a long time reader of C.S. Lewis. I have reviewed … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis Bibliography, Great Links, History, Irrigating Deserts, Joel D. Heck, research | 3 Comments

A Prophecy After it Happened; Or, How Children Shape the Future

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

While reading The Magician’s Nephew to my son, I blogged a couple of weeks ago about how “What We Believe is What We Become.” I don’t believe it is an absolute rule of human life–all of us change paths from … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Dufflepud, Hitler, Jadis, lion the witch and the wardrobe, nuclear bomb, science, Screwtape, The Last Battle, The Lion, the Witch, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, war | 5 Comments

C.S. Lewis Wasn’t Just Smarter Than Me… Hints on Education from a Remarkable Letter

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

There is some irony in the fact that I’m working hard to get a PhD in C.S. Lewis so that I can teach at a university, when Lewis himself—Professor at Cambridge for nine years and Don at Oxford for thirty—never … Continue reading →

Posted in Letters, Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Education, joel heck, Leo Baker, literature, Oxford, phd students, Poetry, writing | 12 Comments

On a Love for Books; or, An Apology to My Patient Wife

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I am, alas, a frequenter of used bookstores. While I like new bookstores, I find them too bright, too organized, almost clinical. They are garish and ostentatious, and all of them share the great sin of not selling my own … Continue reading →