Monthly Archives: May 2021

“The Personal Heresy” and C.S. Lewis’ Autoethnographic Instinct: An Invitation to Intimacy in Literature and Theology (Congress2021 Paper)

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

As I noted yesterday, this week is Canada’s annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Congress2021. In the same morning, I am presenting twice, at two different societies–at the Canadian-American Theological Association with a paper on C.S. Lewis’ spiritual theology, … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, Autobiography, autoethnography, C.S. Lewis, Congress2021, De Descriptione Temporum, Heather Walton, Literary Theory, new criticism, Surprised by Joy, The Personal Heresy, theology and literature | 14 Comments

Michael Gorman’s Narrative Spiritual Theology and C.S. Lewis’ Logic of Cruciformity: A Conversation Across Generations and Disciplines (Congress2021 Paper)

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

This week is Canada’s annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Congress2021–what scholarly Canadians used to call “the Learneds,” I believe, a short form of “the Learned Societies” that make up the conference. I am presenting twice, at two … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research | Tagged biblical theology, C.S. Lewis, Christian spirituality, Congress2021, cruciformity, Michael J. Gorman, spiritual theology, spirituality, St. Paul, The Shape of the Cross in C.S. Lewis’ Spiritual Theology | 7 Comments

“Gilbert and Jack: What C.S. Lewis Found Reading G.K. Chesterton”: Audio Drama by Alan C. Duncan

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I am sometimes asked to provide a blurb for an upcoming book, usually something to do with C.S. Lewis and the Inklings. I rarely get the book read in time to meet a publisher’s schedule, so don’t bother heading to … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged Alan C. Duncan, American evangelicalism, C.S. Lewis, conservativism, g k chesterton, The Inklings, Till We Have Faces | 16 Comments

“Just Enough Light: Some Thoughts on Fantasy and Literature,” the 2021 Tolkien Lecture by Guy Gavriel Kay

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I was pleased last week to watch the 8th annual J.R.R Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature, an annual lecture on fantasy literature held at Pembroke College, Oxford, this year broadcast online. The Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature was established in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian literature, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Adam Roberts, fantasy literature, Guy Gavriel Kay, J.R.R. Tolkien, Kij Johnson, Lev Grossman, Marlon James., speculative fiction, Susan Cooper, Terri Windling, The Tolkien Lecture, V.E. Schwab | 16 Comments

“Inventing a Universe is a Complicated Business”: Ursula K. Le Guin’s Introduction to the Hainish Cycle

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I have always loved Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Earthsea Cycle and have mused once about whether I liked Ged or Arha better. Though Earthsea suits me as a fantasy reader, I recognize that Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged fantasy, Rocannon's World, Science Fiction, The Dispossessed, The Earthsea Cycle, The Hainish Cycle, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Tombs of Atuan, The Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin | 11 Comments

Novels by Christians Worth Reading

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on G. Connor Salter:
Some time ago I started a list of (mostly) nonfiction books that described the evangelical struggle with the arts or how to do art well from a Christian perspective. Since I recently did a…

Posted in Reflections | 20 Comments

Experimenting on Students: A Thought about Playfulness and Personal Connection in Teaching

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I recently recorded a couple of lectures in my role as “Distinguished Lecturer in Romantic Theology” in the innovative Doctor in Theology and Ministry at Northwind Seminary. A heady title! I wanted to take the role seriously and do something … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Narnia, online teaching, Ransom Cycle, spiritual theology, Teaching, theology and literature, Theology of Culture, Theology of the Small, Till We Have Faces | 9 Comments

Have an extra $30,000/£22,000? 1st Edition of That Hideous Strength signed by C.S. Lewis for George Orwell–With Some Notes on Collecting C.S. Lewis

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Does anyone have $30,000 USD they’d like to donate to a good cause? That’s $36,373.00 Canadian, if you are keeping track, or £22,006.50 if you are from that original land of story. If you do, you might want to consider … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged book collecting, C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Narnia, Pauline Baynes, Ransom Cycle, That Hideous Strength, The Screwtape Letters | 19 Comments

An Old Pictorial Map of Central Oxford (Are There Links to C.S. Lewis’ Fiction?)

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

A couple of months ago, I wrote about “‘The Country Around Edgestow’: A Map from C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength by Tim Kirk.” Tim Kirk’s fantasy map was part of an early Mythlore article, “Arthurian & Cosmic Myth in That … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Fantasy Maps, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Garth, Mythlore, Oxford, Perelandra, Ransom Cycle, speculative geography, That Hideous Strength, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Worcester | 14 Comments

Why Did Star Wars Stick? #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

As much as we wonder about it, it’s a question that is not perfectly easy to answer. Cheesy lines, over-the-top acting, zippers up the back of the monster’s costume–how many films just like it have found their way into the … Continue reading →