Tag Archives: dystopia

Canadian Authors the Prime Minister Forgot to Read (a #canadareads post)

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Narcity did this little piece last week: “Justin Trudeau Wants Everyone To Read More Canadian Books & Here Are Some Options.” The Prime Minister mentions: Margaret Atwood L.M. Montgomery Douglas Coupland Robertson Davies Heather O’Neill This is all in celebration … Continue reading →

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George Orwell’s Review of C.S. Lewis’ “That Hideous Strength” (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on September 10, 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 →

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C.S. Lewis’ “Till We Have Faces” is Today’s Daily Deal on Audible

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Just a quick note. C.S. Lewis’ classical myth retold, Till We Have Faces, is the Audible.com “Daily Deal.” Most audiobooks run between $10 and $20, but Audible has a membership system. The gold level runs $15 a book, while the platinum … Continue reading →

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Losing the Safety of the Real in That Hideous Strength

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Though at times hauntingly realistic, scattered throughout C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy are moments where reality slides away from us. In the midst of the mundane—a walk at night, a conversation in a parlor, a sleepy, sunny afternoon on a hillside, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Orwellian Advice: A Guest Post by the Mere Inkling

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

The title of this post is slightly misleading. In truth, it does contains advice from Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950) whose pen name was George Orwell. However, because of the impact of his two dystopian classics, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, … Continue reading →

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Is Animal Farm Greater than 1984? C.S. Lewis’ Thoughts about George Orwell’s Work

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

On Dec 12th, 1954 there was a live BBC TV adaption of George Orwell’s chilling dystopia, 1984. Although it was voted one of the top 100 British TV events, it is doubtful that C.S. Lewis took the time to watch it. … Continue reading →

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George Orwell’s Review of C.S. Lewis’ “That Hideous Strength”

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

This week we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the publication of That Hideous Strength (THS). While George Orwell’s 1984 is considered among the great 20th c. dystopian novels and C.S. Lewis’  THS is read mostly by fans of dystopia or of Lewis’ work, … Continue reading →

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“Men Without Chests”: A C.S. Lewis Doodle

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

This is the 70th anniversary of the publication of C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength. While it remains an obscure book, it is an important dystopia from the WWII-era. In fact, it dropped the same week as Animal Farm by George Orwell. Over the next couple … Continue reading →

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On Trusting Your Audience: My Thoughts on “The Giver” on Film

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Lois Lowry’s The Giver was so transformational for me that it sits so far back in memory I can no longer remember when I first encountered it. It was, I think, the first dystopia I understood. Its post-apocalyptic calm is … Continue reading →

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