Tag Archives: epistolary fiction

C.S. Lewis’ Book that Is Not a Book: Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I am writing an article for Touchstone Journal in Canada about C.S. Lewis’ Letters to Malcolm. In 1949, an American reader suggested his next book should be on prayer. Lewis declined, saying “I don’t feel I could write a book on … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis, epistolary fiction, Letters to Malcolm, Mere Christianity, owen barfield, prayer, Sr. Penelope, Surprised by Joy, The Four Loves, The Lord's Prayer, The Screwtape Letters | 9 Comments

A Fatal Flaw in Contemporary Writing: Thinking About Identity in Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (Part 2)

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Earlier this week I put a review up of what I think to be a strong, engaging literary sf book, skillfully written to accomplish two things that many authors could not do. First, Emily St. John Mandel has created in Station Eleven … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian literature, On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Canadian literature, Emily St. John Mandel, epistolary fiction, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Station Eleven, Trump | 4 Comments

Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven: A Brilliant Apocalypse with an Almost Fatal Flaw (Part 1)

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

From Mary Shelley to Margaret Atwood, I have a deep interest in women’s sf and speculative fiction. It is not just a question of perspective and hearing other voices. Rather, it simply that some of my favourite writers are in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian literature, On Writing, Reviews | Tagged Canadian literature, Emily St. John Mandel, epistolary fiction, J.K. Rowling, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Atwood, Nalo Hopkinson, Octavia Butler, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Station Eleven, Ursula K. Le Guin | 5 Comments

The Sorrows of Young Goethe

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Let me tell you a story. In the summer of 1772, 245 years ago, a young Johann Wolfgang von Goethe took a position articling in Wetzlar, Germany. He wasn’t a very good lawyer, however, and spent most of his time … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged canon, epistolary fiction, European Literature, Faust, German Literature, Goethe, love, Napoleon, Reading, Romance, Romanticism, suicide, the Romantic Movement, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Werther Fever, writing | 13 Comments

Mark Twain’s Letters from Earth: A Pre-/Post-Screwtapian Discovery

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the readers of A Pilgrim in Narnia tipped me off to a lost-but-found work by Mark Twain. Letters from Earth was written in 1909 but not published until long after his death in 1962. This little book, incomplete … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged atheism, C.S. Lewis, demonic epistolary fiction, epistolary fiction, Letters from Earth, Mark Twain, Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters, Voltaire | 24 Comments

What if Journalism Was Like This? “The Whitby Storm” in Dracula

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t know what we’ll end up having faith in, when it’s all said and done. Our collapse of faith in religion, democratic government, education, the university, the police force, the justice system, and many community leaders has come slowly … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Bram Stoker, Dracula, epistolary fiction, fantasy, journalism, Mythgard Academy, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire | 11 Comments

Screwtape Musical Fan Fiction

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

This week is the 75th anniversary of the first Screwtape letter. I thought for today’s Friday Feature we could use a little fan fiction. I don’t mean all the Screwtape copycats, like Dorothy L. Sayers, Charles Williams, or all the great … Continue reading →