Monthly Archives: March 2015

“Screwtape Proposes a Toast”: A Discussion on All About Jack

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Nearly two decades after the work that secured his fame as a public Christian intellectual, C.S. Lewis wrote a follow up to The Screwtape Letters. Lewis never thought Screwtape was worth the fuss, and he struggled to write from the demonic perspective in the … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged abolition of man, America, C.S. Lewis, Education, Men Without Chests, Screwtape Proposes a Toast, The Screwtape Letters, Theology of Culture | 13 Comments

Is Nicolas Old Enough for “The Maze Runner”?

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

This was our family discussion this morning–a good thing, since our family discussion is usually filled we these phrases: “Where are my mitts?” “Shoot, I forgot to make lunches.” “We’re late!” “Oh, I forgot! I need a scale-sized model of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, film adaptation, Harry Potter, Jason Mraz, Kit Pearson, Lord of the Rings, parenting, Pride and Prejudice, Reading, sex, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, violence | 18 Comments

The Tolkien Letters that Changed C.S. Lewis’ Life

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

This actually happened three times, though we don’t have most of the letters that J.R.R. Tolkien sent to his friend C.S. Lewis over the years. The first letters that changed Lewis’ life were more than letters. Throughout the 1920s Lewis … Continue reading →

Posted in Letters, Lewis Biography | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Conversion, Humphrey Carpenter, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Middle Earth, myth, mythopoiea, Out of the Silent Planet, Poetry, Ransom Trilogy, Spiritual Autobiography | 50 Comments

A Catalogue of Tolkien Posts

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Tomorrow is J.R.R. Tolkien Reading Day (Mar 25, 2015)! I’m still working out what it is I’m going to read and write about. As I prepare this post–and as you tuck yourselves in to a great book tonight and tomorrow–I … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reviews | Tagged art, Bilbo, Blogging, books, C.S. Lewis, film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, trolls | 8 Comments

The Heavenly Horses of C. S. Lewis: A Guest Blog by Leslie Baynes

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the most memorable scenes in The Great Divorce, and the only one where a shade accepts grace and enters heaven, features a horse. At the end of chapter 11, the Ghost enslaved to the lizard Lust desperately desires … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Douglas Gresham, equestrian, equine, horses, mythology, Narnia, Sarah Smith, The Great Divorce, The Horse and His Boy, The Kilns, WWI | 28 Comments

C.S. Lewis’ Accidental Autobiography

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Lewis tried a number of times to write his spiritual autobiography. When in 1930 he had come to a philosophical belief in God, but was not yet a Christian, he gave a start to the story. It has finally been … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Alan Jacobs, books, C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Pilgrim's Regress, Spiritual Autobiography, Surprised by Joy, the Narnian, The Problem of Pain, theology, writing | 19 Comments

“Sarah Smith, of Golders Green” by Hannah Eagleson

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

In the ongoing series on The Great Divorce we come to Sarah Smith–certainly one of the more intriguing, engaging, troubling, and freeing characters in C.S. Lewis’ fiction. In this week’s guest post, poet Hannah Eagleson gives us a glimpse into … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sarah Smith, The Great Divorce | 5 Comments

Farewell Terry Pratchett

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

To say that I’m a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is an understatement. Among the humorous fantasy writers, Terry Pratchett has pride of place. At his right and left hand are Douglas Adams in sheer satiric glory, and Neil Gaiman, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged Death, Discworld, Douglas Adams, fantasy, Fictional Universes, fictional worlds, Multiverse, Neil Gaiman, Reaper Man, speculative fiction, Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic, threshold | 26 Comments

On Being a Digital Leopard Frog

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Imagine digital technologies in the Reptile Room at your local zoo or aquarium. I think there are three types of technology creatures in our culture zoo. Technology Turtles are our reptilian luddites. They withdraw from technological advancements into their hard shells … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged culture, frogs, leopard frog, luddites, philosophy, social media, technology, Theology of Culture | 14 Comments

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

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

I am about 50/50 when it comes to titling my own work. Sometimes the title is patently obvious; other times it is a struggle to come up with a pithy phrase that captures what I’ve just written. I have one … Continue reading →