Monthly Archives: October 2018

Is Saint Denys in the Headless Hunt? Martyr Legends and Nearly Headless Nick’s Fate

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

In the great Cathedrals, art is hidden everywhere in plain sight. At the Chester Cathedral yesterday morning, I was able find tiny busts and secret gargoyles and subtle shades of art in every alcove. Even below my feet in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged cephalophores, Chester, Chester Cathedral, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Headless Hunt, J.K. Rowling, John Cleese, martyrdom, martyrology, Nearly Headless Nick, Saint Denis | 43 Comments

A Place for “Till We Have Faces,” by David C. Downing, Wade Center Co-Director

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on Off the Shelf:
Recently the Wade Center unveiled a new display in its museum space, recounting the story of C. S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces (1956) and how it came to be written. The exhibit features…

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, david downing, Marion E. Wade Center, Till We Have Faces | 37 Comments

The Sea a Sham Born of Uniformity: On Subverting the Normal with Gene Wolfe (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

This year I introduced an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday.” This is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own vault or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, On Writing, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged Anne McCaffrey, books, fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Harry Potter, literature, myth, Science Fiction, The Shadow of The Torturer, Ursula K. Le Guin, ursula le guin, writing, Writing Wednesdays | 16 Comments

Peruse Some More Old Books with C. S. Lewis: Guest Post by Dale Nelson

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I want to welcome back Prof. Dale Nelson. Dale has written for us before (see here and here and here), and he is following up his great Peruse Some Old Books With C.S. Lewis post with some more! Drawing on … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Reviews | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Frank Frankfort Moore, Guy Mannering, H. Rider Haggard, James Thomson, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, Montezuma’s Daughter, Reading, Selected Literary Essays, She, Sir Walter Scott, The Lion | 12 Comments

L.M. Montgomery’s Portrait of the Artist as a Ridiculous Young Man

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

While there is humour and light and poetry in Mongomery’s prose style, I suspect that most of L.M. Montgomery’s readers are first captured by her characters. Absolutely there is Anne Shirley of Green Gables: impetuous, magical, an invitation to wild … Continue reading →