Monthly Archives: March 2017

“The Givenness of Things”: Marilynne Robinson’s Wide-Ranging Collection of Essays

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on On Art and Aesthetics:
Marilynne Robinson speaking at the Covenant Fine Arts Center during an interview at the 2012 Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College by User “Christian Scott Heinen Bell”, Wikipedia [Public Domain] Marilynne…

Posted in Reflections | 15 Comments

Of Beren and Lúthien, Of Myth and the Worlds We Love

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t think I have ever read anything better than the tale of Beren and Lúthien. It is a bold statement, so allow me to give some context. One of the things that readers love about The Lord of the Rings … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Beowulf, Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Arthur, The Hobbit, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, The Legend of Sigurn and Gudrún, The Silmarillion, The Story of Kullervo, writing | 34 Comments

The Tolkien Letter that Every Lover of Middle-earth Must Read

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

It is sort of a trick, isn’t it? Any true Tolkien fan will say that every page in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is essential. However, not everyone enjoys letters as much as I do. Some might absolutely love The Lord of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, J.B.S. Haldane, J.R.R. Tolkien, letters, Lord of the Rings, Naomi Mitchison, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion | 56 Comments

A Brace of Tolkien Posts #TolkienReadingDay

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day! I have just hit the halfway point of The Silmarillion–my first time successfully reading it all the way through. Often I would start, enjoy the mythic material, then as the legendary stories of the … 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, Tolkien Reading Day, trolls | 12 Comments

An Embarrassing Confession: I Liked The Shack

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I have an allergy to evangelical pop culture art. It is not anaphylactic, but if I get too close to the fiction section in a Christian bookstore, I tend to break out in … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged art, Audio Adrenaline, Blue Like Jazz, CCM, Contemporary Christian Music, DC Talk, evangelicalism, Gilead, Lecrae, Marilynne Robinson, Steve Taylor, Switchfoot, The Four Loves, The Shack, Twenty One Pilots, William Paul Young | 20 Comments

“I’m a Sad Ass at the Moment” C.S. Lewis’ Words with Sr. Penelope (From the Vault)

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I have had a terrible, horrible, awful week. Though it moved in and out relatively quickly, I had a version of the flu I would not wish on anyone, and now I have a week of catching up to do. … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged Balaam's Ass, C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, depression, letters, literature, spiritual dryness, Sr. Penelope, The Screwtape Letters | 11 Comments

The 5 Most Common Mistakes Bloggers Make

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Great blogs are based on great content–good design, creative network capability, and, especially, great writing. When bloggers get it right, it can be a beautiful thing. At the moment when an audience connects with great online writers and content curators, … Continue reading →

Posted in On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged BBC America, Blogging, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, C.S. Lewis, CMS, design, J.R.R. Tolkien, MTV, The New Yorker, wordpress, Wordpress Stats, writing | 35 Comments

Thesis Theatre event invitation! (Friday Feature)

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
You are invited to attend a “Thesis Theatre” event as part of the Signum Symposia. Join me on Thursday, March 23rd, 9:30 PM EST for a roundtable discussion with three recent Signum thesis grads. Here are the names…

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Ransom Trilogy, Signum University | Leave a comment

The Women That Changed C.S. Lewis’ Life

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

If your experience of C.S. Lewis is only Mere Christianity, Time magazine covers, or a struggle with Susan Pevensie in Narnia, no doubt your most striking image of Lewis will be that of the Oxford Don in shabby tweed surrounded by old books … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged A Grief Observed, Abigail Santamaria, C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Crystal Hurd, Elizabeth Anscombe, feminism, Flora Lewis, International Women's Day, Joy Davidman, Mary Neylan, Mere Christianity, Narnia, Perelandra, Ruth Pitter, Surprised by Joy, Till We Have Faces, Virginia Woolf | 20 Comments

Fun With Stats 2: Lessons on Connectivity from 5 Years of Blogging

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As I have confessed before, I love bar graphs and lists. I love data and spreadsheets and trying to read the data to see what trends emerge. As last month was the busiest month ever on A Pilgrim in Narnia, … Continue reading →