Monthly Archives: August 2021

Great and Little Men: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Letter about C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

For much of the last week, I have been fighting through the relationship between C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot. In my 2015 post about Eliot’s striking lyrical poem, “…In the Vacant Places,” I was more than a bit optimistic when … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, A Preface to Paradise Lost, An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, E.M.W. Tillyard, F.R. Leavis, I.A. Richards, J.R.R. Tolkien, Reflections on the Psalms, T.S. Eliot, The Inklings, The Personal Heresy, The Waste Land | 29 Comments

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Manifesto Against Genre Snobbery

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

One of our greatest speculative fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin, has never been one to turn down a fight. A genius in two of my favourite genres, science fiction and fantasy–especially planetary SciFi and magic-world fantasy–Le Guin has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Memorable Quotes, On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged fantasy, Frankenstein, genre, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Atwood, Science Fiction, SF, speculative fiction, The Birthday of the World, The Hainish Cycle, The Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 17 Comments

Marsha Daigle-Williamson’s Reflecting the Eternal and Dante in the Work of C.S. Lewis, with Thoughts about Intertextuality (Good C.S. Lewis Studies Books That Did Not Win the Mythopoeic Award Series Insert)

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Intertextuality: The Books Inside the Books We Love to Read I am very much interested in the books that sit behind the books we read, or the idea of “Intertextuality.” I have tackled this topic before (see the list at … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Dante, intertextuality, Marion E. Wade Center, Marsha Daigle-Williamson, Narnia, Reflecting the Eternal: Dante’s Divine Comedy in the Novels of C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 21 Comments

John Garth, Maximilian Hart, Kris Swank, and Myself on Ursula K. Le Guin, Language, Tolkien, and World-building (Friday Feature)

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Happy Friday everyone! I am preparing for the upcoming Signum University Ursula K. Le Guin course that I am precepting (for which there may be a spot or two open, and you can see a second invite here). Elbow-deep in … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Signum University, The Earthsea Cycle, The Inklings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 10 Comments

Good C.S. Lewis Studies Books That Did Not Win the Mythopoeic Award: Part 2: C.S. Lewis Biographies

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that “Tolkien Studies Projects Sweep the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Shortlist in Inklings Studies.” This was a double-edged post that congratulated the authors of editors of five great Tolkien books while noting that, once … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged Abigail Santamaria, C.S. Lewis, Devin Brown, Harry Lee Poe, James Como, Joel D. Heck, Patti Callahan | 25 Comments

Thesis Theater: Maximilian Hart, “Draconic Diction: Truth and Lies in Le Guin’s Old Speech” (Mon, Aug 16, 6pm Eastern)

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I was pleased this summer to be the second reader for an exciting project by one of Signum University’s bright MA students. Beginning with curiosity about “Old Speech” in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Earthsea series, Maximilian Hart has pulled together … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Signum University, The Earthsea Cycle, The Inklings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 3 Comments

“The Once and Forgotten T.H. White: Lessons from Obscurity” by G. Connor Salter

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Terence Hanbury White was one of the founding fathers of fantasy in the twentieth century, producing nearly twenty-five novels, including the beloved modern Arthurian retelling, The Once and Future King. Still, much of T.H. White’s life remains a mystery and … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Imaginary Worlds, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lev Grossman, Lin Carter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Neil Gaiman, T.H. White, The Inklings, The Once and Future King | 46 Comments

Good C.S. Lewis Studies Books That Did Not Win the Mythopoeic Award: Part 1: C.S. Lewis on Theology, Philosophy, and Spiritual Life

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Last week I wrote that “Tolkien Studies Projects Sweep the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Shortlist in Inklings Studies“–a double-edged sword post that congratulated the authors of editors of five great books while noting that, once again, C.S. Lewis studies projects have … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reviews | Tagged academic, C.S. Lewis, Chris Armstrong, Christian spirituality, david downing, Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith, Humphrey, Into the Region of Awe, Lyle W. Dorsett, Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians, spiritual theology, The Hidden Story of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Will Vaus | 8 Comments

Your Invitation to Epic Fantasy in Everyday Living: Ursula K. Le Guin: Worldbuilder by Signum University’s Bronwyn Rivera (Reblog)

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I am pleased to announce that I am part of a team delivering a course at Signum University this fall on Ursula K. Le Guin: Worldbuilder. Prof. Kris Swank, PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow, is delivering a series … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Signum University, speculative fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin, world-building | 4 Comments

Tolkien Studies Projects Sweep the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Shortlist in Inklings Studies (Trying Not To Say “I Told You So”)

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I just spent the weekend at Mythcon–a short, digital version of the normally weird and wonderful long weekend of scholarship and fan fun. Many of the parts of Mythcon that I love were still featured, including thoughtful and engaging panels, … Continue reading →