Tag Archives: J.R.R. Tolkien

The Words C.S. Lewis Made Up: Part 1: Bulverism

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As far as I know, Lewis never used the phrase, “wordsmith.” When it comes to writing, he preferred images of stone, greenery, and song to metaphors of fire and steel. Yet there were times that Lewis turned to the forge … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Studies in Words | Tagged Bulverism, C.S. Lewis, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Eucatastrophe, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, neologism, OHEL, philology, Studies in Words, Trump | 8 Comments

Elf compounds

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on wordsthatyouweresaying:
In comparing the hyphenated words, I have reached the elf compounds. OED attests all of the words below. Only “elf-fire” and “elf-friend” overlap with the elf compounds of The Hobbit! I am particularly intrigued by words of…

Posted in Feature Friday, Reflections | Tagged Data, Digital Humanities, J.R.R. Tolkien, lexinomics, Signum University, stats, The Hobbit | 3 Comments

Tolkien’s “I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size)” in Context

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t know that there is any more famous Tolkien quote than his claim to, in fact, be a hobbit. It’s really quite a delightful statement and worth quoting more fully: I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Charles Williams, Franz Kafka, Harry Potter, Hobbit Day, I.A. Richards, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, literary criticism, literature, Lord of the Rings, new criticism, practical criticism, Stephen King, The Hobbit, Ursula K. LeGuin | 17 Comments

The Fantastic Imagination: An Essay on Fantasy Theory by George MacDonald

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

This essay is a great find, originally an introduction to the collection of The Light Princess and Other Fairy Tales. With George MacDonald’s characteristic wit, it forms a nice partnership with C.S. Lewis’ “On Stories” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “On Fairy-stories“–and indeed … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, On Writing, Original Research | Tagged allegory, books, C.S. Lewis, faerie, fantasy, Fictional Universes, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Donne, literature, On Fairy-Stories, On Stories, Reader Response Theory, The Light Princess | 11 Comments

Is Narnia an Allegory? (A Friday Feature from the Vault)

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

No. It’s not. While tempted to leave it at that and produce the shortest blog of history, I think it is important to let the Narnian himself address the question. C.S. Lewis was, after all, a literary scholar who … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Fictional Worlds, On Writing | Tagged allegory, books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Narnia, Ransom Trilogy, Reading, Science Fiction, The Fellowship of the Ring, writing | 9 Comments

When Sam Gamgee Wrote to J.R.R. Tolkien

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As far as I know, no one named Puddleglum or any Pevensie has ever written to C.S. Lewis. Has anyone named Ged or Arha ever written to Ursula K. Le Guin, if there is anyone with those names? Among the various Potter … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Arha, C.S. Lewis, Ged, Harry Potter, Humphrey Carpenter, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Patrick Rothfuss, Puddleglum, Samwise Gamgee, Ursula K. Le Guin | 9 Comments

2017 Mythopoeic Awards Finalists and A Review of “The Chapel of the Thorn” by Charles Williams

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

The Mythopoeic Award shortlist is out (see here). I’m not often at the same table as the cool kids on the newest and hottest fantasy lit–I’m just now reading Patrick Rothfuss, and wondering what I have done with my life … Continue reading →