Category Archives: Memorable Quotes

A Peculiar Dedication: C.S. Lewis’ Dedication of A Preface to Paradise Lost to Charles Williams (with a Note on Lewis Prefaces)

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

At A Pilgrim in Narnia we have an occasional feature called “Throwback Thursday.” This is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own blog-hoard or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Memorable Quotes | Tagged A Preface to Paradise Lost, Charles Williams, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Milton, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Lucy, Paradise Lost, Surprised by Joy, The Allegory of Love, The Discarded Image, The Place of the Lion, The Screwtape Letters, Till We Have Faces | 9 Comments

The Inside is Bigger than the Outside: A Christmas Thought from Narnia for Our World Too

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I worked this older blog post into a short children’s sermon on Sunday, on the shortest day of the year, following the children’s Christmas concert. I think this moment in Narnia is always worth sharing this time of year. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged Aslan, Bible, books, chocolate peanut butter balls, Christmas, God in Flesh, lion the witch and the wardrobe, literature, myth, Narnia, The Last Battle | 8 Comments

Can Cod-liver Oil Cure Us of Poetry? A Thought on the Uselessness of Poets in Today’s Economy from L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valley

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

It was probably unfair that I had this much fun in a government meeting, but it is even more unfair that the fun came at another’s expense. It is no secret that North American state, provincial, and federal governments view … Continue reading →

Posted in L.M. Montgomery, Memorable Quotes, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged academics, economics, fantasy literature, L.M. Montgomery, Milton, Poetry, Prince Edward Island, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, Ronald Reagan, Shakespeare, speculative fiction, University, utilitarianism | 9 Comments

The Shepherd’s Crown: Terry Pratchett’s Last Discworld Novel

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

It was six years ago, late summer in 2013, when I decided to read through Terry Pratchett‘s Discworld. At that point, the fortieth novel had been published and we already knew that Pratchett had a terminal illness. There might have … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Reviews | Tagged Anne McCaffrey, Discworld, Moist von Lipwig, Monstrous Regiment, Raising Steam, Seinfeld, Terry Pratchett, The Game of Thrones, The Shepherd's Crown, Tiffany Aching, Ursula K. Le Guin, Wee Free Men | 6 Comments

An Obituary of C.S. Lewis’ Life as an Oxford Don, by John Wain (The 56th Anniversary of Lewis’ Death)

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Today is the 56th 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 | 29 Comments

Robert Browning’s “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” read by George Guidall

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

There are few short pieces in literature that have generated as many new stories as Robert Browning’s 1855 poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” The story itself comes from an old folktale that inspired a moment in Shakespeare‘s King … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged A.S. Byatt, Alexander Theroux, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, George Guidall, Gordon R. Dickson, Harper Lee, John Connolly, King Lear, Neil Gaiman, P. G. Wodehouse, Robert Browning, Roger Zelazny, Shakespeare, Stephen King, The Dark Tower | 15 Comments

Writing Tips by Stephen King: Infographic and Video

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I know that this post is less than a year old, but I still think the infographic is pretty cool. Plus, I found a funny short video from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert that is worth sharing. No matter … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, On Writing | Tagged Danse Macabre, L.M. Montgomery, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Octavia Butler, On Writing, Robert Heinlein, Stephen Colbert, Stephen King, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, writing | 10 Comments

O Foolish Writer: The Living Reality of an Author’s Work, with C.S. Lewis, Stephen King, and Ursula K. Le Guin (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Throwback Thursdays are where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own blog-hoard or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be an idea or book that is now relevant again, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged brewing, C.S. Lewis, Carrie, Chloe Moretz, Earthsea, Eugene Peterson, fantasy, fictional worlds, Frederick Buechner, Julianne Moore, Of Other Worlds, On Writing, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, writing | 11 Comments

“Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to be Said” by C.S. Lewis (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Last year I introduced an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday.” This is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own blog-hoard or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be … Continue reading →