Category Archives: On Writing

C.S. Lewis’ Teenage Bookshelf, and Other Lessons on Reading

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

The Beowulf author, Sir Thomas Malory, Jane Austen, William Morris, Charlotte Brontë, and Shakespeare. With the exception of Morris, who is merely an important author of his period, these are all canonical authors. Notably, though, these are all authors that Lewis … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Letters, On Writing, Original Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 54 Comments

“A Novelist’s Business is Lying”: A Farewell to Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018)

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I have just heard that Ursula K. Le Guin has passed away. I could be humble about my opinion, but I want to impress upon you that she is one of our very greatest imaginative writers of the last 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, On Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

The Top 6 New Posts of 2017

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

In 2017, A Pilgrim in Narnia passed a number of milestones. We passed the 700-post threshold, had our 500,000th hit, were shared for the 10,000th time, and are nearing in on 7,000 followers. We had our seven biggest months this year, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, On Writing, Studies in Words | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A Lament for the Loss of Young Teachers (A Feature Friday Post from the Vault)

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I am doing work in the statistical analysis division of our labour market research unit in government. Of course, I am. After all, I’m doing a PhD in fantasy literature. I wrote this piece a couple of years ago, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, On Writing, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Fantastic Imagination: An Essay on Fantasy Theory by George MacDonald

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

This essay is a great find, originally an introduction to the collection of The Light Princess and Other Fairy Tales. With George MacDonald’s characteristic wit, it forms a nice partnership with C.S. Lewis’ “On Stories” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “On Fairy-stories“–and indeed … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, On Writing, Original Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments