Monthly Archives: March 2015

Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson: A Review

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Wow. What a book. I’m absolutely blown away. I haven’t read a story so elegantly written and yet so homely and comfortable. Gilead is theologically rich and so very personal and simple. It tugs the heart and helps the imagination find new … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged American Fiction, books, Contemporary Fiction, fiction, Gilead, Marilynne Robinson, Reading, religion, reviews, theology, theology and art, Theology of Culture | 23 Comments

The Stereotype of the Hypocritical Clergyman: Chaucer and Modern Film

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

“Of his appearance I have said enough”: so Chaucer concludes one of his pictorial caricatures of the pilgrims on the road in the Prologue of Canterbury Tales. These are playful, quick, and satirical descriptions of the “faithful” on the way. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Angel & Demons, Ben Stiller, Canterbury Tales, Chaucer, Dan Brown, Edward Norton, Ewan McGregor, film criticism, hypocrisy, literary criticism, Nevill Coghill, On Writing, St. Francis, stereotypes, tropes | 35 Comments

Love That Is Not Love: The Character of Pam in The Great Divorce

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

The Great Divorce begins not with characters but with caricatures. We begin with cartoons of a short man with a superiority complex, a cheated hysterical woman, a vacant liberal clergyman, a unisex couple–“both so trousered , slender, giggly and falsetto … Continue reading →