Monthly Archives: October 2014

The Gates of Hell are Open… Want to Peek?

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

I have just finished preparing a class on Witches for my University of Prince Edward Island class today. It’s Hallowe’en, so evoking the Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Christian Studies department is not altogether unwelcome. It should … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

NaNoEdMo… I think. Maybe… No, I’m Pretty Sure.

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

I won’t be participating in this year’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)–at least not in the usual sense. I know my writing habits. To do 1667 words each day–or 2000 words a day to account for pattern-breaking days–I need 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Touching Noses, a Marriage Proposal

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

I have, without exaggeration, officiated at more than 200 weddings. It is is something I enjoy, an opportunity to bless a couple at a transformative moment in their lives. The profound reality of being the wedding minister is that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Reblog: C. S. Lewis on Sehnsucht (Longing and Desire in The Weight of Glory)

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

For this week’s “Feature Friday” I wanted to focus on Jennifer Neyhart’s blog. This veteran C.S. Lewis writer and social media wizard is in the midst of a C.S. Lewis blogging challenge. She is writing a C.S. Lewis blog every … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Thoughts and Prayers: The Ottawa Terror Attacks

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

A delightful little post on marriage that comes out of my reading of John Crowley’s Little, Big was scheduled to post this afternoon. With the Ottawa terror attacks in play, I decided it was time for a more sober reflection, … Continue reading →

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The Banality of Evil: A Thought by Terry Pratchett

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

“The Banality of Evil” is a phrase by Hannah Arendt in her book, Eichmann in Jerusalem. The idea emerged out of the aftermath of WWII, as the public slowly came to consciousness about the Holocaust. There were Nazi hunters in … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Why Poetry?

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

I am a fan of John Benjamin’s “The Bully Pulpit” page. Every couple of days he captures an intelligent, compassionate, witty, or startling quote from a leading author or historical figure. This quick response by Peter Hitchens on poetry is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Chance, Providence, and a Third Option: A Walter Mitty Reflection

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

It was my son’s night to pick our family film, and of all the superhero, gang-busting, technicolour films he could have chosen, he picked The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Granted, Ben Stiller is on our nine-year-old’s radar as a … Continue reading →

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The Heraldry of Heaven

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
On Tuesday, I gave a guest lecture at Signum University’s Mythgard Institute as a supplement to the course on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The talk was entitled “The Heraldry of Heaven: The Development…

Posted in Reflections | 3 Comments

A Guide to Doing C.S. Lewis Research at the Bodleian: From One Who Started Badly

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

I wrote here of the hectic chaos of arriving at the Bodleian. It was a combination of my unforeseen lack of preparation, and the fact that the Bodleian is under renovation. My hope is to provide a little detail about … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments