Tag Archives: Lemony Snicket

The Words C.S. Lewis Made Up: Jollification, Uglification, and the Miserific Vision

Posted on November 1, 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 A.A. Milne, E.B. White, J.K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Prince Caspian, Roald Dahl, Studies in Words, The Screwtape Letters, Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 21 Comments

Wormwood Reborn? A Screwtapian Look at The Gates by John Connolly (A Little Hallowe’en Demonic Lit)

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the great perks as a university teacher is that I am constantly in conversation with students about good books. While this occasionally gets me into conversations about Twilight (which I did read, but only with great commitment to my … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Dante, demons, Douglas Adams, fantasy, hell, John Connolly, Lemony Snicket, literature, Philip Pullman, Screwtape, Teaching, Terry Pratchett, The Gates, The Screwtape Letters, Twilight | 15 Comments

The Haunting Death: Lewis, Buechner, and Me on the Loss of my Parents

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

On Friday, February 12th, I watched my mother finally succumb to cancer. She was only 61. In her death she taught me a great deal about how to live. You can read a brief story of her life here. I am now … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged Bebb, C.S. Lewis, Frederick Buechner, Galatians 2:20, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Jane Austin, Lemony Snicket, Letters to an America Lady, Lois Lowry, orphan literature, Prince Caspian, The Giver, The Magician's Nephew, The Willoughbys, Watchman Nee | 30 Comments

I Need Help With “I,” Or Thoughts on Literary Segregation and the 1st Person Narrative

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This post is part of an ongoing series Called Writing Wednesdays. I would love your comments below! It’s hard to know where some prejudices develop. My bias against bad drivers—something we Prince Edward Islanders specialize in—came to me slowly. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in On Writing | Tagged 1st Person Narratives, 50 Shades of Grey, books, C.S. Lewis, Great Gatsby, Lemony Snicket, literature, Neil Gaiman, Roald Dahl, The Hunger Games, Twilight, writing, Writing Wednesdays | 45 Comments

Great First Lines

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who writes knows how hard we work on the first line. It’s not that we are trying to live up to all the great first lines. It doesn’t matter how many best of times-worst of times stories we write, … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, children's literature, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, kurt vonnegut jr, Lemony Snicket, literature, Narnia, Neil Gaiman, The Time Machine, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, writing | 23 Comments

The Personal Heresy and the Growth of a Person

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the books that cut C.S. Lewis’ critical teeth is The Personal Heresy: A Controversy. The book is a debate with Cambridge professor Dr. E.M.W. Tillyard over questions about the role of the poet in how the reader appreciates … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Reviews | Tagged academic, books, C.S. Lewis, controversy, debate, E.M.W. Tillyard, J.K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket, literary criticism, literature, Paulo Coelho, Poetry, The Personal Heresy | 34 Comments

A Read-Aloud Post for World Read Aloud Day: Reading the Hobbit

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

March 6th is World Read Aloud Day! I wrote a read-aloud post last fall for the Hobbit Read-Along, a merry fellowship of nine writers. When I began the blog project, I didn’t account for the fact that I would be reading … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, dragon rider, E.B. White, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lemony Snicket, literature, Puddleglum, Read Aloud, Reading Aloud to Children, Roald Dahl, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, World Read Aloud Day | 24 Comments

Wormwood Reborn? A Screwtapian Look at The Gates by John Connolly (Hell Series Part 1)

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the great perks as a university teacher is that I am constantly in conversation with students about good books. While this occasionally gets me into conversations about Twilight (which I read with great effort) and Hunger Games (which … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged Angel & Demons, books, British, British Literature, C.S. Lewis, Dan Brown, Dante, demons, Douglas Adams, End of the World, fantasy, hell, John Connolly, kurt vonnegut jr, Lemony Snicket, literature, Milton, Philip Pullman, Screwtape, Terry Pratchett, The Gates, The Gates of Hell, The Hunger Games, The Screwtape Letters, Twilight | 9 Comments

Giving Voice to the Story: On Reading the Hobbit Aloud to my Son

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

This blog is part of The Hobbit Read-Along at The Warden’s Walk. I’ve been assigned Chapter 14: Fire and Water. Feel free to comment on any of the great blogs in the series. When I jumped into the Hobbit Read-Along, … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Reflections | Tagged Brendan Fraser, dragon rider, E.B. White, Lemony Snicket, literature, memoirs of a geisha, Puddleglum, Reading, Reading Aloud to Children, Reepicheep, Roald Dahl, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, voice actors | 20 Comments

The Haunting Death: Lewis, Buechner, and Me on the Loss of a Parent

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Brenton Dickieson

Lewis in Letters I’ve read, now, about 200 pages of Lewis’ letters. This is just a small slice of the 2000 pages of his letters I have in my bookshelves. But it is enough to begin to see patterns and … Continue reading →