About Brenton Dickieson
“A Pilgrim in Narnia” is a blog project in reading and talking about the work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Inklings, L.M. Montgomery, and the worlds they created. As a "Faith, Fantasy, and Fiction" blog, we cover topics like children’s literature, myths and mythology, fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, poetry, theology, cultural criticism, art and writing.
This blog includes my thoughts as I read through my favourite writings and reflect on my own life and culture. In this sense, I am a Pilgrim in Narnia--or Middle Earth, or Fairyland, or Avonlea. I am often peeking inside of wardrobes, looking for magic bricks in urban alleys, or rooting through yard sale boxes for old rings. If something here captures your imagination, leave a comment, “like” a post, share with your friends, or sign up to receive Narnian Pilgrim posts in your email box.
Brenton Dickieson (PhD, Chester) is a father, husband, friend, university lecturer, and freelance writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. You can follow him:
www.aPilgrimInNarnia.com
Twitter (X) @BrentonDana
Instagram @bdickieson
Facebook @aPilgrimInNarnia
Happy New Year everyone! I will have some fun putting together the data in an upcoming post, including some new date charts. It’s not often I get to play with graphs and charts, so I’m looking forward to it. Meanwhile, I wanted to share the Goodreads “My Year in Books” infographic. I’m pleased to say that I met my goals this year, and exceeded them to a startling degree. I took great comfort in reading this year. Make sure you share your own reading journeys in the comments or on twitter for others to follow along. You can see the online infographic here.
I’ve just begun to read Flannery O’Connor. A year ago I was able to be in Savannah, and I visited her childhood home, where she lived when Pathe News filmed her and her chicken she taught to walk backwards (as part of an otherwise very silly newsreel). Also on YouTube, there’s a 2-part lecture she gave; the first part is her talk on the Grotesque in Southern fiction, and the second part is her reading “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”. The dry humor in her voice is priceless. I like to be able to hear the voices of authors, if possible; hearing their speech helps me to better understand their writing.
Dana
Hi Dana! Flannery O’Connor terrifies me a bit. Her stories hurt my heart. It is the essence of your realism. I didn’t know about her lecture, but I have assigned my students the “Good Man” reading, in her voice. She also seems so happy for such a dark artist.
I get the terror, I really do. I have to steel myself before picking up her work, just like I do to prepare to watch a Holocaust movie. The darkness reflects reality as it really is, and it gets pretty dark. I think her deep faith, above all, and her close family helped her find contentment. Her birds brought her a lot of joy. Read her piece on peacocks – not somber at all!
Dana
It’s amazing that you mention Holocaust films. I did a master’s thesis on antisemitism and have never had the courage to watch Schindler’s List!
A piece on peacocks is more up my alley!
Pingback: 2019: A Year of Reading: The Nerd Bit, with Charts | A Pilgrim in Narnia