Monthly Archives: May 2016

A Cosmic Find in The Screwtape Letters (Preparing for Taylor)

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I’m exciting to be presenting a paper next week at the 10th Frances White Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Lewis & Friends at Taylor University, in Indiana (see more here). I am talking about my “Cosmic Find” that links The Screwtape … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, literature, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, Ransom Trilogy, research, Science Fiction, SciFi, Screwtape, SF, The Screwtape Letters | 36 Comments

“Tolkien’s Great War”: A Film by Elliot Weaver & Zander Weaver

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

As we sit on the centennial of the Great War, WWI, we find ourselves in a moment of cultural reflection. It really was a brutal conflict: 35-40 million casualties, followed by the Spanish flu and its 50-100 million deaths. The war … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged documentary, fellowship, film, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Garth, Middle Earth, mythopoiea, PTSD, TCBS, Tea Club and Barrovian Society, war, writing, WWI, WWII | 25 Comments

Instructions for Avoiding God

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

On a global superpower scale, the 1960s were partially defined by the Space Race. In a strange twist on propaganda–or a poor twist in the tale–Lewis had heard that the Russians had announced that they had been to outer space … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged apologetics, C.S. Lewis, Cold War, God, sabbath, solitude, Space Race, tech sabbath, technology, Theology of Culture, USSR, vintage ads | 9 Comments

Simone de Beauvoir and the Keyspring of the Lord of the Rings

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

If I were to pick a public intellectual least likely to have influenced J.R.R. Tolkien, Simone de Beauvoir may not be the first person I would think of. There’s a good chance, though, that she would make the shortlist. French … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged Albert Camus, Betty Friedan, Death, existentialism, feminism, intertextuality, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, philosophy, Return of the King, Simone de Beauvoir, The Feminine Mystique | 51 Comments

You’ll Never Know What’s Inside this Wardrobe Until You Peek

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who has read the right books growing up will know that Wardrobes are magical places. Of the portkeys that transport us from our everyday little world into the unknown world of worlds beyond, the Wardrobe is the most famous. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged 3 Day Novel Contest, C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, fictional worlds, Harry Potter, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Narnia, portkey, wardrobe, writing | 21 Comments

Star Wars and the Sword in the Stone

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Once you say it aloud, you start to see all the medeival stones slide into place: In what ways does Star Wars echo the Arthuriad? Even early on, before I had a fancy word for this sort of thing (intertextuality), I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Force Awakens, Arthur, Arthuriana, Inklings and King Arthur, intertextuality, King Arthur, Star Wars | 9 Comments

A Toy Left on the Lawn: C.S. Lewis and the Controversy of The Four Loves

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Tonight I am teaching on C.S. Lewis’ classic treatment, The Four Loves. I read this early in my adult encounter with Lewis (see my old review here), and again this spring when preparing for the course. The Four Loves is probably the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged agape, Anglican, C.S. Lewis, Charles Colson, evangelical controversy, love, The Four Loves | 42 Comments

Screwtape Musical Fan Fiction

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

This week is the 75th anniversary of the first Screwtape letter. I thought for today’s Friday Feature we could use a little fan fiction. I don’t mean all the Screwtape copycats, like Dorothy L. Sayers, Charles Williams, or all the great … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, epistolary fiction, fan fiction, Patrick Rothfuss, Screwtape, The Name of the Wind, The Screwtape Letters | 12 Comments

On the Alberta Wildfires

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

What the news clips and youtube videos cannot capture for us is the smell. I watched my own home burn, my childhood home disappear to flames–and with it half of my family. There is heat that makes your skin pucker, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Alberta Wildfire, charity, fire, Fort McMurray FIre, refugees | 14 Comments

Why Did Star Wars Stick? #MayThe4thBeWithYou

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

It’s an interesting question. Cheesy lines, over-the-top acting, zippers up the back of the monster’s costume–how many films just like it have found their way into the Betamax bins of history? Yet, Star Wars lives–not only lives, but thrives, growing … Continue reading →