Monthly Archives: February 2018

“Arthurian Literature and the Old Everyman’s Library” by Dale Nelson

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

The young future Inklings were among the first – though by no means the last – generation of readers to be able to take advantage of, and benefit immensely from, the inexpensive Everyman’s Library. This series of classic volumes shaped … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Inklings and Arthur | Tagged Arthuriana, Boswell, Dale Nelson, Everyman Library, Inklings and Arthur, J.R.R. Tolkien, Life of Samuel Johnson, Morte Darthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Surprised by Joy, The Return of Arthur | 52 Comments

That Hideous Graph: Joe Hoffman Enhances the Data from my C.S. Lewis Writing Schedule Cheatsheet

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Over the last couple of years, I have been slowly applying lessons from the Digital Humanities to my work. Part of that project has been rethinking C.S. Lewis’ bibliography. Specifically, I wanted to shift my thinking from when a book … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Data, Digital Humanities, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, statistical analysis, stats, The Discarded Image, The Pilgrim's Progress | 30 Comments

Thesis Theater Monday, Feb 26: Rob Gosselin on Tolkien’s Sub-creative Vision

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

It is my pleasure to announce that my student, Rob Gosselin, has completed his thesis at Signum University. Rob’s topic is both fascinating and personal, where he explores how J.R.R. Tolkien’s idea of “subcreation” works when we move outside of … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged J.R.R. Tolkien, Leaf by Niggle, Malcolm Guite, Mark Wolf, mythopoiea, On Fairy-Stories, research, Signum University, subcreation, The Silmarillion, Tree and Leaf, Verlyn Flieger | 8 Comments

Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, and Me

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

On Wednesday we all received news of Billy Graham’s passing. There were few figures my mother loathed more than the Rev. Billy Graham. It was the politics that she couldn’t stand, taking the position that given his public support of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged American evangelicalism, Barack Obama, Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, Cambridge, evangelical, evangelicalism, Joy Davidman, Just As I Am, Martin Luther King Jr., Mere Christianity, Mitt Romney, Political Theology, Richard Nixon, Smoke on the Mountain, Winston Churchill | 32 Comments

“Inklings and Arthur: An Artist’s Perspective” by Emily Austin

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

As guest editor I can freely say, one of the many delights of this blog is Brenton’s brilliance in finding and selecting examples of book covers of works under discussion, post after post. But today we have the exceptional delight … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Inklings and Arthur | Tagged art, Arthuriana, C.S. Lewis, Emily Austin, Inklings, Inklings and Arthur, J.R.R. Tolkien, Morte Darthur, Sorina Higgins, The Eagle and Child, The Inklings and King Arthur | 34 Comments

Leatherhead and Literary Coincidence, with C.S. Lewis and H.G. Wells

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I encountered the town of Leatherhead first in H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds (1897). It is one of a dozen or so English place names that meant nothing to me as a young reader. As an adult, armed with an … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Original Research | Tagged George MacDonald, George Tomkyns Chesney, H.G. Wells, intertextuality, Leatherhead, Phantastes, Science Fiction, SF, Surprised by Joy, Surrey, The Battle of Dorking, The Quest of Bleheris, The War of the Worlds | 25 Comments

“Wood-Woses: Tolkien’s Wild Men and the Green Knight” by Ethan Campbell

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

In his poem, ‘The Son of Lancelot’, Charles Williams imagines a year when ‘Quinquagesima’ Sunday, the last before Lent, coincides with the pagan Lupercalia (15 February). This year, Ash Wednesday falls on the Feast of St. Valentine. And, by good … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Inklings and Arthur | Tagged A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Arthuriana, C.S. Lewis, Chaucer, Inklings, Inklings and Arthur, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Middle English, Old English, The Hobbit | 42 Comments

Joan Slonczewski’s “A Door Into Ocean” and C.S. Lewis’ “Out of the Silent Planet”

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

On the face of it, Joan Slonczewski and C.S. Lewis make an odd pair. The first is a living American microbiologist writing highly technical science fiction in environmental, feminist, lesbian, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged A Door Into Ocean, books, C.S. Lewis, creation care, environmentalism, feminism, Joan Slonczewski, LGBTQ Issues, literature, Out of the Silent Planet, Science Fiction, SciFi, SF, Theology of Culture, Theology of Literature | 13 Comments

“The Inklings & King Arthur Roundtable” with Corey Olsen, Malcolm Guite, Sørina Higgins, and Brenton Dickieson

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
This past Monday, Signum University hosted a Signum Symposium roundtable discussion celebrating the release of The Inklings and King Arthur. You can watch the recording of the event here: Promo for the Book: Will King…

Posted in Feature Friday, Inklings and Arthur | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Corey Olsen, Inklings, Inklings and Arthur, Inklings and King Arthur, J.R.R. Tolkien, Malcolm Guite, owen barfield, Signum University, Sorina Higgins, That Hideous Strength | 8 Comments

“An ‘Easy to Read’ Modern Arthurian Epic” by Dale Nelson

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Two years after his Arthurian novel, That Hideous Strength, was published, and a year before he was discussing Arthur’s multiple “disqualifications” to be a “hero” with Dorothy L. Sayers, Lewis did not allow the complexities of his thoughts about King … Continue reading →