Monthly Archives: October 2012

The Society of Tim

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

Given the weightier matter of late–an academic review, a short story C.S. Lewis wrote that ends in a gruesome death, and Lewis’ strained relationship with his father–I thought it might be appropriate to lighten things up with some humour. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged C.S. Lewis, dog, dog lover, Irish Terrier, Surprised by Joy, Tim, writing | 12 Comments

Shedding Light on Lost Manuscripts: A Review of Charlie Starr’s “Light”

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

It was by instinct that I went to the Wade archive for C.S. Lewis this past summer. I didn’t know what I would find, and when I got there the project I had proposed pretty much fell flat. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis Hoax, Charlie Starr, Kathryn Lindskoog, Light, literature, manuscript history, Q, The Man Born Blind, Walter Hooper | 40 Comments

The Surprising Danger of Light

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

Years ago I remember watching the Val Kilmer film At First Sight. I’ve attached the trailer below; it is a basic boy-meets-girl story with an intriguing premise. A fifty-year-old man has been blind since childhood, but is offered sight through … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Charlie Starr, Death, Light, literature, neurologist oliver sacks, The Dark Tower, The Man Born Blind, Walter Hooper | 3 Comments

The Absence of Presence: C.S. Lewis’ Strained Relationship with his Father

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I have written another blog on the death of C.S. Lewis’ mother and the haunting role it played in his life. Quite apart from the absence of his mother, her dead led to an unexpected consequence: a strain in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged Albert Lewis, C.S. Lewis, Death, father, Surprised by Joy, Warren Lewis | 12 Comments

The Narnia Code: A Pre-Review to a Key Idea

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I know, I know: there is no such thing as a pre-review. But I’m stuck between two pressing realities. Facing me is the fact that Michael Ward’s argument in Planet Narnia and The Narnia Code is absolutely key to how … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reviews | Tagged All About Jack Podcast, C.S. Lewis, literature, Michael Ward, Narnia, Planet Narnia, Ransom Trilogy, research, The Narnia Code | 8 Comments

Friendship Facing Forward

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

Our national broadcaster recently had a show about colossally bad first dates. There were your classic stories, from the lack of a spark to the instantaneous stalker. One of the stories was of a guy who asked a girl out … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged awkward silences, bad date, books, C.S. Lewis, friendship, literature, love, Marion E. Wade Center, The Four Loves | 11 Comments

“Once Upon a Dreary Era”: A Review of Peter Kreeft’s Critical Essay On C.S. Lewis

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who has heard a lecture from the characteristic voice of Peter Kreeft—and there are a number available free on iTunesU—will hear his humour behind the words of his dozens of books. His books are typically serious. Kreeft is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged apologetics, C.S. Lewis, literary criticism, Narnia, Peter Kreeft, Ransom Trilogy, Rationalism, Romanticism, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters | 4 Comments

Accidental Riddles in the Invisible Dark (The Hobbit Read-Along, Chapter 5)

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

This blog is part of The Hobbit Read-Along at The Warden’s Walk. I’ve been assigned Chapter 5: Riddles in the Dark. Feel free to comment on any of the blogs in the series. Here is a riddle for you: Besides … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged Bilbo Baggins, books, Eucatastrophe, Gollum, Hobbit Read-Along, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, myth, Providence, The Hobbit, the Ring | 45 Comments

A Tribute to a Mentor

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

No one was more formative to the thinking of the young C.S. Lewis than William Thompson Kirkpatrick. Lovingly dubbed “The Great Knock” by the Lewis family, Kirkpatrick absolutely transformed Lewis’ way of thinking and set him on his academic trajectory. … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged apologetics, C.S. Lewis, conversion to Christianity, Digory Kirke, Kirk, lion the witch and the wardrobe, little bookham, logic, mentor, Narnia, The Great Knock, The Lion, The Magician's Nephew, The Pilgrim's Regress, The Screwtape Letters, William Kirkpatrick | 14 Comments

Hitlerian Haunting in Screwtapian Logic

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the fun things about working in The Screwtape Letters manuscript history–as I have been doing for the last few months–is that the story of Screwtape has so many interesting twists and turns. The Screwtape Letters was the book … Continue reading →