Monthly Archives: January 2013

A Ham of Note in the History of Literature

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I suppose there is a tendency to imagine C.S. Lewis as an introspective, brooding sort of fellow. A friend of mine recently pointed out that this image may be because of Anthony Hopkins’ interpretation of Lewis in Shadowlands–a performance that … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Memorable Quotes | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, ham, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord David Cecil, rationing | 17 Comments

Khazâd Part I: Aulë

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on jubilare:
And now I will begin to explain my take on J. R. R. Tolkien’s Dwarves, or the Khazâd, as they call themselves. It has taken me this long to gather my thoughts, dig up my evidence…

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged books, Dwarves, faerie, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, myth, The Hobbit | 17 Comments

A Bargain at Twice the Price

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I have blogged before about my problematic love for books, especially the need to own books, to have them around me as a I live and move and have my being. It’s okay: I am working through it. And confederates … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, coffee lovers, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, letters, literature, Out of Print Books, Walter Hooper | 30 Comments

Reconsidering Apologetics

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

Besides being a children’s author, essayist, fantasy writer, and literary critic, C.S. Lewis was also a Christian apologist. “Apologetics,” as the discipline is called, is the artistic science of logically defending belief. Lewis was doing apologetics on the BBC during … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged Antony Flew, apologetics, C.S. Lewis, Jocelyn Gibb, Light on C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters | 39 Comments

Cosmo’s Story Within a Story by George MacDonald

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I am not certain why—perhaps because of my years watching Itchy and Scratchy on The Simpsons—but I have always been attracted to the Story Within a Story technique. I’ve never been a fan of flashbacks, but film has recently taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Film Within a Film, George MacDonald, Horton Hears a Who, j j abrams, literature, Phantastes, Story Within a Story, The Grand Inquisitor, The Simpsons | 20 Comments

Little Rooms with Windows that Don’t Open; or, When We are Old Enough Again

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I tell my student often enough to read the fore-matter in their textbooks. “That’s where the good stuff is,” I argue. “That’s where the author shares his or her vision for writing.” Now, I suspect that students rarely heed my … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged A Swiftly Tilting Planet, A Wrinkle in Time, books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, fairy tales, fantasy, imagination, lion the witch and the wardrobe, literature, Madeleine L'Engle, wardrobe, writing | 30 Comments

Not All Adventures Begin Well: My Review of Peter Jackson’s Adaptation of The Hobbit

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

Not all adventures begin well. Certainly, as we have it in Tolkien’s The Hobbit, a hapless Bilbo Baggins all but stumbles into his first adventure, racing off toward the Lonely Mountain without his handkerchief or his pocketbook. Practically naked without … Continue reading →