Tag Archives: Earthsea

John Garth, Maximilian Hart, Kris Swank, and Myself on Ursula K. Le Guin, Language, Tolkien, and World-building (Friday Feature)

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Happy Friday everyone! I am preparing for the upcoming Signum University Ursula K. Le Guin course that I am precepting (for which there may be a spot or two open, and you can see a second invite here). Elbow-deep in … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Signum University, The Earthsea Cycle, The Inklings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 4 Comments

Thesis Theater: Maximilian Hart, “Draconic Diction: Truth and Lies in Le Guin’s Old Speech” (Mon, Aug 16, 6pm Eastern)

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I was pleased this summer to be the second reader for an exciting project by one of Signum University’s bright MA students. Beginning with curiosity about “Old Speech” in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Earthsea series, Maximilian Hart has pulled together … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Signum University, The Earthsea Cycle, The Inklings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 2 Comments

1,000th Post Party!

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

It’s the 1,000th post on A Pilgrim in Narnia! Huzzah! I began this blog way back in 2011 as a sandbox project for thoughts about C.S. Lewis’ writings. “Pilgrimage” was a word-picture I was using a lot for my life … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Discworld, Earthsea, Field of Arbol, H.P. Lovecraft, Harry Potter, Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Lilliput, Middle Earth, Narnia, Númenor, Neil Gaiman, New Urth, Oz, Panem, Prince Edward Island, Ringworld, Stephen King, The Dark Tower, The Enderverse, The Great Divorce | 38 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 | 16 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 Arha, C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, fantasy, feminism, gender, Harry Potter, homosexuality, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Margaret Atwood, Narnia, Science Fiction, sex, The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin | 29 Comments

The Words C.S. Lewis Made Up: Grailologist

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

We all know C.S. Lewis as the Narnian, but behind the children’s work was his experience as a teacher of English literature, a writer about the history of literary movements, and a tinker in other forms of fiction. In that tinkering, … Continue reading →

Posted in Studies in Words | Tagged Arthuriana, books, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Earthsea, Harry Potter, Inklings and King Arthur, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jung, King Arthur, literature, Narnia, Ransom Cycle, Selected Literary Essays, Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Studies in Words, That Hideous Strength, The Lord of the Rings | 17 Comments

“A Novelist’s Business is Lying”: What SciFi Can Do by Ursula K. Le Guin

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

When a re-encountered the books as an adult, I was thoroughly won over by Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Earthsea Cycle. I tend to write about writers who are rooted in deep worldviews. It is not that every good book is … Continue reading →

O Foolish Writer: The Living Reality of an Author’s Work #WritingWednesdays

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This post is part of an ongoing series Called Writing Wednesdays. This is repost of an earlier blog for those of us foolish enough to walk down this path. Previous blogs include: The Writer’s Spidey Sense False Starts and Missteps: … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged beer, brewing, C.S. Lewis, Carrie, Chloe Moretz, Earthsea, fantasy, fictional worlds, Julianne Moore, Of Other Worlds, On Writing, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Stephen King, ursula le guin, writing | 11 Comments

O Foolish Writer: The Living Reality of an Author’s Work

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I think some people think writers, as they build their fictional worlds, simply sit down and invent the details, putting together characters and places and storylines like someone puts together IKEA furniture. We’ll call that the Allen Key Approach to … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged beer, brewing, C.S. Lewis, Carrie, Chloë Grace Moretz, Earthsea, fantasy, fictional worlds, Julianne Moore, Of Other Worlds, On Writing, Stephen King, ursula le guin, writing | 5 Comments

I Was Wrong: I like Ged Better than Arha

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I take it back. Recently, in a review of the children’s fantasy book, Wildwood, I noted that I had a preference for female protagonists. I typically find that, in fiction, men are flat, simple, non-complex, and incomplete. I don’t think … Continue reading →