Tag Archives: Leo Tolstoy

The Sloo/Slow/Sluff of Despond: Today’s Word of the Day and a Spiritual Truth in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Today’s word of the day arrives as I am rereading John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress: I do not always find the Word of the Day terribly enlightening, in part because Merriam-Webster only gives a brief etymology. And it is the stories … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reflections | Tagged Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Harry Potter, John Bunyan, Leo Tolstoy, Perelandra, Prince Caspian, spiritual theology, The Great Divorce, The Pilgrim's Progress, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader | 23 Comments

The Living Lie, But Dead Men Tell the Truth: The Screwtape Letters and Ivan Ilych

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

In Leo Tolstoy’s brilliant novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886), there is a curious pun in the English translation I use (Aylmer Maude): “The dead man lay, as dead men always lie” (96). As the title suggests, The Death of Ivan … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Ars moriendi, C.S. Lewis, cruciformity, Death, Leo Tolstoy, Memento Mori, Nicholas Lezard, The Art of Dying Well, The Death of Ivan Ilych, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters | 17 Comments

Harold Bloom and “The Western Canon”: A Note on His Death

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I received news this week that Harold Bloom has died. Bloom (1930-2019) was an avid reader, a rapid writer, and a penetrating critic whose essays and books on literature are breathtaking in scope and exemplary in their attention to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, canon, Charles Dickens, Charles Williams, Dante, fantasy, feminism, Harold Bloom, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, literary criticism, literary history, Milton, mimesis, Reading, Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, The Western Canon, Ursula K. LeGuin | 20 Comments

A.N. Wilson’s C.S. Lewis: A Mythology

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

C.S. Lewis: A Biography by A.N. Wilson My rating: 2 of 5 stars If this were a drinking party instead of a book, A.N. Wilson‘s C.S. Lewis: A Biography would be a five-star story. Humorous, light in tone, deftly written, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged A.N. Wilson, C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis Studies, Kathryn Lindskoog, Leo Tolstoy, Reading, St. Paul | 52 Comments

Books Long Enough for Tea (a post about a lot of nothing)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the legendary sayings of C.S. Lewis is that he has never encountered a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit him. His brevity in writing is well known, yet his true love was … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, David Foster Wallace, Dorothy L. Sayers, fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, literature, Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, Narnia, Reading, Stephen King | 40 Comments

Harold Bloom’s Canon: The Essential List

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

On Monday I introduced Harold Bloom‘s 1994 bestseller, The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages. I decided to create a “canonical list” in today’s blog for those who are inclined to try to soak in this great radition. Taking … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged canon, Charles Dickens, Chaucer, Dante, Goethe, Harold Bloom, Jane Austen, John Milton, Leo Tolstoy, Reading, Shakespeare, The Western Canon, Virginia Woolf, writing | 33 Comments

Harold Bloom’s “The Western Canon”

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages was a sensation when it appeared in 1994. Harold Bloom, a curmudgeonly anti-academic ivy league scholar, fills this challenging read with fresh insights on every page. He … Continue reading →

12 Reasons not to Write Lord of the Rings, or an Ode Against the Muses

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I’ve never understood images of the Muses as seducers. Perhaps I am not truly inspired, but I get the same cold, clammy response from the Muses as I did from girls when I was in Junior High School. Fortunately, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged art, C.S. Lewis, Frank McCourt, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, literature, Lord of the Rings, mythology, Out of the Silent Planet, Stephen King, Steven Pressfield, The Hobbit, the muses, The Silmarillion, The War of Art, writing | 30 Comments

Tolstoy’s “Religion and Morality”

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

In a post responding to the firestorm or criticism in the America media regarding Kirk Cameron’s understanding of homosexuality, I offered a critique of the media’s simplistic response, but focused on a critique of Cameron. I argued, specifically, that he … Continue reading →