Monthly Archives: February 2017

“In and Out of the Moon” by Jeff McInnis

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who has spent any amount of time haunting coffee shops or pubs with academics knows that many scholars have a novel or two in their desk drawer. This is especially true of scholars who study imaginative writers or speculative fiction, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, fantasy, George MacDonald, Harry Potter, Light, literature, Lord of the Rings, Madeleine L'Engle, Meditation in a Toolshed, Mythopoeia, Theology of the Small, writing | 7 Comments

George Watson’s Provocative Comments on C.S. Lewis as Literary Critic

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the advantages of finding new libraries is that the librarian’s skill of book-buying is more art than science. The librarians I know, despite their adept use of analytics, have as much curator or architect in them as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, F.R. Leavis, g k chesterton, George Watson, Inklings, Jacques Derrida, Joy Davidman, librarians, literary criticism, myth, Narnia, Postmodernism, Reader Response Criticism, Reading, Roland Barthes, Samuel Johnson, Sherlock Holmes, Socratic Club, Studies in Words, The Allegory of Love, The Discarded Image, The Personal Heresy, Till We Have Faces, William Empson | 28 Comments

In Memory of Stuart McLean (Friday Feature)

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

My family was saddened to learn of the passing of Stuart McLean. You probably don’t know him. Canadian actors and comedians do well in New York and Hollywood. We, like the Brits, enjoy dry wit and satire, but our radio … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Guest Blogs, News & Links | Tagged Canada, CBC, humour, Stuart McLean, Vinyl Cafe | 3 Comments

Spiritual Dynamics in The OA

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the hottest new shows on Netflix is The OA. A genre-bending serial of 8 rough-hewn episodes, it has the transdimensional framework and Scoobie gang dynamics of Stranger Things, but a much more adult narrative. While Stranger Things uses … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, apologetics, Brit Marling, Buddhism, cruciformity, Doctor Strange, Empire Records, fantasy, Fictional Universes, Netflix, Paschal Mystery, pop culture, Reality Bites, self-death, Story Within a Story, Stranger Things, surrender, The OA | Leave a comment

A Snow Day in Prince Edward Island

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

It’s Snow Day #2 on Prince Edward Island. Since yesterday at noon, PEI has been buffeted by a blizzard. While only a foot of snow came down, 40-60 mph winds make it a mess. Most of us are content to stay … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Canada, farming, Prince Edward Island, Reading, research, Snow Day, Teaching, Valentine's Day | 19 Comments

For My Mother

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

You may have noticed that my posting has hardly been personal over the past couple of weeks. It is a week of difficult anniversaries. February 4th is the day my father and little brother perished in a fire, and last … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Death, feminism, memorial, obituary | 12 Comments

C.S. Lewis’ “Till We Have Faces” is Today’s Daily Deal on Audible

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Just a quick note. C.S. Lewis’ classical myth retold, Till We Have Faces, is the Audible.com “Daily Deal.” Most audiobooks run between $10 and $20, but Audible has a membership system. The gold level runs $15 a book, while the platinum … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 1984, 50 Shades of Grey, audiobooks, C.S. Lewis, Donald Trump, dystopia, essay writing, George Orwell, Joy Davidman, myth, mythopoiea, Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters, Till We Have Faces | 4 Comments

Brooke Fraser on C.S. Lewis (Friday Feature)

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I have talked before about how musicians are influenced by C.S. Lewis (here, here, here, and here). Another one of these is New Zealand superstar Brooke Fraser. Church folk might know Fraser from her role in the Hillsong United music ministry. “Desert Song” … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday | Tagged Brooke Fraser, C.S. Lewis, Hillsong United, Homer, music, New Zealand, Odyssey, pop culture, Rwanda | 13 Comments

How to Read All of C.S. Lewis’ Essays

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

A prodigious essayist, it is this area of C.S. Lewis’ work that I find the most provocative—even more so than the fiction and apologetics books (though there is overlap in the latter category). Whether inspirational or controversial, his brevity, clarity … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Lewis' Essays | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, Christian Reunion, essay writing, God in the Dock, Image and Imagination, Of Other Worlds, Of This and Other Worlds, Present Concerns, Selected Literary Essays, Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, The Weight of Glory, The World's Last Night, writing | 62 Comments

C.S. Lewis on “Christian Reunion”

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Subtitled “An Anglican speaks to Roman Catholics,” the essay first published in 1990 as “Christian Reunion” is one of the hardest C.S. Lewis short pieces to get your hands on. Editor Walter Hooper notes that this is one of the only … Continue reading →