Tag Archives: A Grief Observed

A Grief Observed: A Talk on the Anniversary of My Parents’ Deaths, with C.S. Lewis

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Here is a little piece on a special day: the anniversary of the death of my father and brother on a villainously cold night when I was fourteen, and on the eve of the anniversary of my mother’s passing in … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, academics, C.S. Lewis, Death, Douglas Gresham, fatherhood, grief, love, Madeleine L'Engle, mourning, orpan tales, parenting, Teaching, The Problem of Pain, The Shape of Water | 6 Comments

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

“Is C.S. Lewis too Sexy for America?” TexMoot 2021 (Saturday, Feb 13th)

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I am pleased to be part of TexMoot 2021: Signum University’s Fourth Annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium. The Signum “moots”–from the Old English word for a meeting or assembly–are there to give a live, in-the-flesh connection for this international … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, Anthony Hopkins, C.S. Lewis, Debra Winger, Four Loves, Joy Davidman, Lewis and Gender, sex, Shadowlands, Signum University | 28 Comments

An Obituary of C.S. Lewis’ Life as an Oxford Don, by John Wain (The 57th Anniversary of Lewis’ Death)

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Today is the 57th 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 | 19 Comments

The World as a “Vale of Soul-Making”: A Brief Note on John Keats, C.S. Lewis, and L.M. Montgomery

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

There is a stunning moment in L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valley that continues to itch at my mind. I know that Anne of Green Gables is so filled with life and light that it is hard to ignore, and that Montgomery‘s Emily of New … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, Anne of Green Gables, Arend Smilde, C.S. Lewis, John Keats, Keats, L.M. Montgomery, Rainbow Valley, The Problem of Pain, theodicy | 19 Comments

Dance, Long, Leap, Speak, Conquer, Break: The Heart in C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

A friend of mine recently sent me a digital liturgy she had made for her church’s Zoom Vespers. As I typically haunt churches that look and feel more like small British rock revival concert, I am a bit of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis, grief, heart, Homer, kardia, love, The Four Loves, Till We Have Faces | 37 Comments

C.S. Lewis and Other Fantasy Books, Free Streaming in Audible

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

These are unusual times, and there is evidence that people are thinking in creative ways about how to live big in small spaces. J.K. Rowling, for example, has waived any licensing concerns that might arise by teachers reading her books … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, Aldous Huxley, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Brave New World, Edith Nesbit, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Franz Kafka, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, Scarlett Johansson, Surprised by Joy, The Enchanted Castle, The Metamorphosis, The Screwtape Letters, The Secret Garden | 4 Comments

An Open Class on Narnia and Friendship with Brenton Dickieson, Jason Lepojärvi, and Diana Pavlac Glyer (Full Video from Signum University)

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Friendship was an absolutely critical part of C.S. Lewis’ life. His lifelong friendship with his brother created a literary household. Lewis’ childhood and university friendships helped him renegotiate his core values and his life philosophy. The Oxford Inklings, the main … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links | Tagged A Grief Observed, Bandersnatch, C.S. Lewis, Christian apologetics, Diana Pavlac Glyer, friendship, Inklings, Jason Lepojärvi, Joy Davidman, linguistic history, literary criticism, literary history, Narnia, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Company They Keep, The Four Loves, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Till We Have Faces, Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 17 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 →