Monthly Archives: September 2016

Bandersnatch and Creative Collaboration by Diana Pavlac Glyer

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I am a rapid writer, someone who works in fits and starts. I benefit from binges of work, closeted away to get down what’s been rolling around my chest for hours or days. It took a decade for me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 49 Comments

A Normal Day in C.S. Lewis’ Life as a Student

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Though the halls of Oxford are not yet filled for Michaelmas term, University students and faculty are back to work here in North America. No doubt, students are already concerned about how much they can accomplish. As they hustle between … Continue reading →

Posted in Letters, Lewis Biography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

The PEI Bomb Threat and the Politics of Twitter

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Just a little while ago I was writing away in my campus office and a policeman tells me we are evacuating. This is a strange message to get in the land of Anne of Green Gables, this getaway Island of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 85 Comments

I Am Legend: Book vs. Film(s)

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Can a film be better than the book? It depends on how we define “better,” but book-lovers tend to say two sorts of things about adaptations: “The book was a richer experience.” “The film adaptation was not faithful to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mark Twain’s Letters from Earth: A Pre-/Post-Screwtapian Discovery

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the readers of A Pilgrim in Narnia tipped me off to a lost-but-found work by Mark Twain. Letters from Earth was written in 1909 but not published until long after his death in 1962. This little book, incomplete … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

What if Journalism Was Like This? “The Whitby Storm” in Dracula

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t know what we’ll end up having faith in, when it’s all said and done. Our collapse of faith in religion, democratic government, education, the university, the police force, the justice system, and many community leaders has come slowly … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Travels in Time: An Update from the UK

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

As I write this the English countryside is passing quickly by. I am on a train, which is a rare experience for a non-urban Canadian. Taking the train through England is like moving briskly in and out of time. Clay-roofed … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Reading Harry Potter in Oxford

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Back in the day, C.S. Lewis thought that industry and suburban sprawl was ruining Oxford. Decades later, industry has slid into the urban background and the suburbs are here to stay. If I had to say anything at all, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Friday Feature: “The Atlantis Theory” by David Russell Mosley

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

If you haven’t yet, it is time to head over to fellow Signum University faculty member David Russell Mosley’s blog on Patheos. I’ve been a long reader of his “Letters from Elfland,” which provides intelligent and accessible readings of J.R.R. … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Fictional Worlds | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments