Category Archives: Original Research

A Pilgrim in Narnia Mid-Stride: Looking Both Ways with Brenton Dickieson (InklingFolkFellowship Guest Talk, Fri, Nov 20, 4pm ET)

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I am pleased to be hosting a conversation about my blogging here at A Pilgrim in Narnia on Friday, hosted by Dr. Joe Ricke. All are welcome to join in. I have gone to about a dozen of these Friday … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research | Tagged Blogging, essay writing, Joe Ricke, On Writing, writing | 2 Comments

“War! What is it Good For?” Guest Co-Host Session on “Pints with Jack” about the Fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters on Extremism and Spiritual Life during a Pandemic

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Recently, I had a great sit-down with Matt from the Pints with Jack podcast to talk about the fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters. I love doing this show–not just because I get to talk about great books, but because the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet, Pints with Jack, Ransom Cycle, Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters | Leave a comment

My Paper, “A Cosmic Shift in The Screwtape Letters,” Published in Mythlore

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

My Dear Friends, I am pleased to announce the publication of my paper “A Cosmic Shift in The Screwtape Letters.” This paper is the close-reading analysis of the “The Unpublished Preface to C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters.” Many readers will know–and … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research | Tagged archival research, C.S. Lewis, Charlie Starr, epistolary fiction, Mythcon, Mythlore, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, Ransom Cycle, The Archangel Fragment, The Cosmic Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters | 10 Comments

“The Cosmic Preface,” Guest Skype Session on “Pints with Jack” about the Ransom-Screwtape Preface

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I’m pleased to announce that I recently joined David Bates on the Pints with Jack podcast. I love doing this show–not just because I get to talk about great books, but because the hosts have managed to produce a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet, Pints with Jack, Ransom Cycle, Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters | 2 Comments

An Essential Reading List from C.S. Lewis: An Experiment on An Experiment in Criticism (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on August 13, 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. … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, books, C.S. Lewis, canon, Deconstructionism, George R.R. Martin, literary criticism, literary history, Margaret Atwood, Marilynne Robinson, Narnia, Reader Response Criticism, Reading, Sherlock Holmes, The Western Canon, writing | 23 Comments

Nolloquium 2020: Remembering the Vision, Looking to the Future (Free Online Colloquium at the Center for the Study of C.S. Lewis and Friends)

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had four conferences, including six talks, cancelled or postponed this year–as well as a research trip to the Marion E. Wade Inklings archive in Wheaton, IL. Thanks to some creative work of … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research | Tagged Arend Smilde, C.S. Lewis, Charlie Starr, Crystal Hurd, Taylor University, The Archangel Fragment | 2 Comments

“C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: Friendship, True Myth, And Platonism,” a Paper by Justin Keena

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

There is doubtless a significant amount of interest in the friendship of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis–both in the more formal setting of the Inklings and in their own literary and personal paths. I’ve written here and here about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, friendship, J.R.R. Tolkien, myth, Oxford, The Silmarillion, Walter Hooper | 7 Comments

Free Event Today: A Sehnsucht Digital Tea at the C. S. Lewis and Friends Center

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

This summer, my punk rockstar teen and I were planning to go to an epic concert–perhaps one of the biggest of our lives–in the Northeast US. We just got word that the entire tour is postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Original Research | Tagged Arend Smilde, C.S. Lewis, Charlie Starr, Crystal Hurd, Joel D. Heck, Taylor University, The Archangel Fragment, The Screwtape Letters | 3 Comments

The Living Lie, But Dead Men Tell the Truth: The Screwtape Letters and Ivan Ilych

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

In Leo Tolstoy’s brilliant novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886), there is a curious pun in the English translation I use (Aylmer Maude): “The dead man lay, as dead men always lie” (96). As the title suggests, The Death of Ivan … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Ars moriendi, C.S. Lewis, cruciformity, Death, Leo Tolstoy, Memento Mori, Nicholas Lezard, The Art of Dying Well, The Death of Ivan Ilych, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters | 12 Comments

The C.S. Lewis & Friends Conference: A Final Call and My Paper Proposal

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I wanted to re-share the Call for Papers for one of my favourite conferences (which I describe here and here). If you are thinking of proposing a paper or creative piece, get that proposal in! They are especially interested in having … Continue reading →