Search Results for: not all adventures begin well

Not All Adventures Begin Well: My Review of Peter Jackson’s Adaptation of The Hobbit

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

Not all adventures begin well. Certainly, as we have it in Tolkien’s The Hobbit, a hapless Bilbo Baggins all but stumbles into his first adventure, racing off toward the Lonely Mountain without his handkerchief or his pocketbook. Practically naked without … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged An Unexpected Journey, film, film review, Gollum, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, myth, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings | 39 Comments

Is Narnia an Allegory? (A Friday Feature from the Vault)

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

No. It’s not. While tempted to leave it at that and produce the shortest blog of history, I think it is important to let the Narnian himself address the question. C.S. Lewis was, after all, a literary scholar who … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Fictional Worlds, On Writing | Tagged allegory, books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Narnia, Ransom Trilogy, Reading, Science Fiction, The Fellowship of the Ring, writing | 19 Comments

Books Long Enough for Tea (a post about a lot of nothing)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the legendary sayings of C.S. Lewis is that he has never encountered a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit him. His brevity in writing is well known, yet his true love was … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, David Foster Wallace, Dorothy L. Sayers, fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, literature, Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, Narnia, Reading, Stephen King | 39 Comments

12 Reasons not to Write Lord of the Rings, or an Ode Against the Muses

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I’ve never understood images of the Muses as seducers. Perhaps I am not truly inspired, but I get the same cold, clammy response from the Muses as I did from girls when I was in Junior High School. Fortunately, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged art, C.S. Lewis, Frank McCourt, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, literature, Lord of the Rings, mythology, Out of the Silent Planet, Stephen King, Steven Pressfield, The Hobbit, the muses, The Silmarillion, The War of Art, writing | 27 Comments

Is Narnia an Allegory?

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Posted in Fictional Worlds, On Writing | Tagged allegory, books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Narnia, Ransom Trilogy, Reading, Science Fiction, The Fellowship of the Ring, writing | 63 Comments

Podcast Discussion on the Hobbit Film at All About Jack

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

I was thrilled to recently record a podcast on The Hobbit film trilogy. William O’Flaherty is producer and host of All About Jack, as well as the energy behind Essential C.S. Lewis, and a guest blogger here on A Pilgrim in Narnia. Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reviews | Tagged art, Bilbo, Blogging, books, C.S. Lewis, film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, trolls | 7 Comments

Is it Time for Radagast the Brown? (and a note on Middle Earth Wizards)

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

If you are anything like me, a lover of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth who has only slowly explored all the secrets behind The Lord of the Rings, you may have been surprised by Radagast the Brown. I knew he existed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged Christopher Tolkien, creation care, film adaptation, Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, Radagast the Brown, The Hobbit, The Unexpected Journey, Unfinished Tales, world-building | 10 Comments

Another Awesome Day at The Wade

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Two years ago I wrote a review of the Marion E. Wade Center. It is unusual, perhaps, to write a review about a library, but my 3-day visit in 2012 changed the course of my academic life. While my most … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged archive, books, C.S. Lewis, Chicago, fantasy, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Marion E. Wade Center, The Screwtape Letters | 13 Comments

Pilgrims and Slaves in the Valley of Contemporary Culture

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

To wander into C.S. Lewis’ fictional worlds is almost always to accompany characters on a journey in that world. All the Narnian stories, I think, have characters on long treks, moving from one place to another. It might be the … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Bilbo, C.S. Lewis, Frodo, journey, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, pilgrim, The Hobbit, The Horse and His Boy, Tolkien | 26 Comments

Worst Book Description Ever … And a Note on Cover Art for “Out of the Silent Planet”

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

After five years away from C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy–or, as I prefer to call it, his Ransom Trilogy, since not all the books occur in space–because of my current research I decided to pick it up again. Since I have … Continue reading →