Monthly Archives: November 2020

“A Sense of the Season”: C.S. Lewis’ Birthday Pivot and the Cambridge Inaugural Address (Updated)

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

In the autumn of 1954 at the age of 56, C.S. Lewis was at the height of his academic career. After nearly two decades of research and writing English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama, this magnum opus intensified … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged anthropology, autoethnography, BBC Talks, C.S. Lewis, De Descriptione Temporum, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, F.R. Leavis, I.A. Richards, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Mere Christianity, Narnia, OHEL, Reflections on the Psalms, Surprised by Joy, The Discarded Image, theology, WWI | 12 Comments

Studying Online with Regent College

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Hi friends. As some of you know, I do a lot of teaching online. I have been a “distance education instructor” in a variety of forms for 16 years now. Continuing a series from earlier in the year, I want … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Bible, graduate school, Iain Provan, Regent College, seminary, theology | 2 Comments

A Prison of the Mind: The Skeptical Dwarfs, Conspiracy Theory Thinking, and C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

The infamy of the Narnian dwarfs is great in C.S. Lewis’ conclusion to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle. In a scene filled with much terror and courage and empathy, a group of dwarfs rain down arrows upon some … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Breitbart, Chronicles of Narnia, CNN, conspiracy theory, Fox News, Jordan Peterson, Narnia, QAnon, The Horse and His Boy, The Last Battle | 47 Comments

An Obituary of C.S. Lewis’ Life as an Oxford Don, by John Wain (The 57th Anniversary of Lewis’ Death)

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Today is the 57th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’ death. In past years, I have reflected upon Lewis dying in the shadows of great men like JFK and Aldous Huxley on 11/22/63. This year, I wanted to share an obituary of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Memorable Quotes | Tagged 11/22/63, A Grief Observed, books, C.S. Lewis, Inklings, Is Theology Poetry, John Wain, Joy Davidman, obituary, OHEL, Oxford, Reflections on the Psalms, The Personal Heresy, The Screwtape Letters, The Waste Land, They Asked for a Paper | 19 Comments

A Pilgrim in Narnia Mid-Stride: Looking Both Ways with Brenton Dickieson (InklingFolkFellowship Guest Talk, Fri, Nov 20, 4pm ET)

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I am pleased to be hosting a conversation about my blogging here at A Pilgrim in Narnia on Friday, hosted by Dr. Joe Ricke. All are welcome to join in. I have gone to about a dozen of these Friday … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research | Tagged Blogging, essay writing, Joe Ricke, On Writing, writing | 3 Comments

Celebrating the Centenary of A Voyage to Arcturus: Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic at the University of Glasgow Event (Thurs, Nov 19, 1pm ET, 6pm GMT)

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Celebrating the Centenary of A Voyage to Arcturus 2020 marks 100 years since the publication of A Voyage to Arcturus, a science fiction (or perhaps science fantasy) novel by Scottish author David Lindsay. We will celebrate the centenary of this Scottish … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged A Voyage to Arcturus, C.S. Lewis, Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic, David Lindsay, Dimitra Fimi, Douglas A. Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Philip Pullman, University of Glasgow | Leave a comment

The Ant and the Grasshopper: A Revolting Rhyme

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

This semester, I have been teaching “Folkloric Transformations” at Signum University. In the first half of the class, we talked about vampires and I offered my “open class” on the anatomy of the vampire myth. In the second half of … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing | Tagged Folkloric Transformations, Revolting Rhymes, Roald Dahl | 5 Comments

The Poets Behind C.S. Lewis’ Paragraph about WWI, with Wilfred Owen

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I have struggled in the past to understand C.S. Lewis’ complicated relationship with WWI–the Great War, as they called it. In my piece, “Marching as to War: C.S. Lewis on His Way to the Front Line,” I tried to show … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Canada, Götterdämmerung, In Flanders Fields, L.M. Montgomery, Narnia, Ragnarök, Remembrance Day, Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon, Spirits in Bondage, Surprised by Joy, Tennyson, The Chronicles of Narnia, The War Poets, Wilfred Owen, WWI, WWII | 30 Comments

Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers (InklingsFolk Online Discussion)

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I am a big fan of Crystal Downing’s work, and I love the figure of Dorothy L. Sayers. I am pleased, then, to share this event! I also look forward to reading Crystal’s new book, Subversive. Subversive Sayers: A Conversation … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Crystal Downing, Dorothy L. Sayers, Marion E. Wade Center, The Inklings | 4 Comments

“War! What is it Good For?” Guest Co-Host Session on “Pints with Jack” about the Fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters on Extremism and Spiritual Life during a Pandemic

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Recently, I had a great sit-down with Matt from the Pints with Jack podcast to talk about the fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters. I love doing this show–not just because I get to talk about great books, but because the … Continue reading →