Tag Archives: literature

A Brace of Tolkien Posts for his 128th Birthday #TolkienBirthdayToast

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

To celebrate Tolkien’s twelfthty-eighth (or eleventy-eighteenth) birthday on 3 January 2020, the Tolkien Society is once again raising a toast to the Professor (see here). After Bilbo left the Shire on his eleventy-first birthday in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reviews | Tagged art, Bilbo, Blogging, books, Digital Humanities, film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leaf by Niggle, literature, Lord of the Rings, Mythopoeia, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, Tolkien BIrthday Toast, Tolkien Society | 7 Comments

The Inside is Bigger than the Outside: A Christmas Thought from Narnia for Our World Too

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I worked this older blog post into a short children’s sermon on Sunday, on the shortest day of the year, following the children’s Christmas concert. I think this moment in Narnia is always worth sharing this time of year. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged Aslan, Bible, books, chocolate peanut butter balls, Christmas, God in Flesh, lion the witch and the wardrobe, literature, myth, Narnia, The Last Battle | 8 Comments

What is Signum Culture? A Signum Symposium hosted by Brenton Dickieson (Thursday, 2pm EST)

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Signum University is a unique institution of learning. Beginning with the Mythgard Academy and a model of diving deep into some of our most engaging books, Signum University has developed an online, low-cost MA programme with majors in Tolkien Studies, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged academia, British Literature, Corey Olsen, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Mythgard Academy, Signum University, speculative fiction, University | Leave a comment

“A Sense of the Season”: C.S. Lewis’ Birthday Pivot and the Cambridge Inaugural Address

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

In the autumn of 1954 at the age of 56, C.S. Lewis was at the height of his academic career. After nearly two decades of research and writing English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama, this magnum opus intensified … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged anthropology, autoethnography, BBC Talks, C.S. Lewis, De Descriptione Temporum, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, F.R. Leavis, I.A. Richards, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Mere Christianity, Narnia, OHEL, Reflections on the Psalms, Surprised by Joy, The Discarded Image, theology, WWII | 2 Comments

C.S. Lewis, Gender, and The Four Loves: An Open Class

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves is a book that is building in popularity nearly 60 years after it was originally published. My original review of the book 8 years ago remains one of the top posts on this blog, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, gender, higher education, Lewis and Gender, literature, love, myth, Mythgard Academy, mythology, mythopoiea, sex, Signum University, The Four Loves, The Great Divorce | 13 Comments

C.S. Lewis, Gender, and The Four Loves: An Open Class (Tues, Sep 17, 7pm Eastern)

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves is a book that is building in popularity. My original review of the book 8 years ago remains one of the top posts on this blog, and I have returned to the ideas again and again. … Continue reading →

The Screwtape Letters Special Illustrated Edition by Artist Wayland Moore (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on July 25, 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 Reviews, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, james thurber, literature, religion, Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters, Used Bookstores, Walter Hooper, Wayland Moore | 9 Comments

Master’s Class Announcement: C.S. Lewis and Mythologies of Love and Sex (Signum University Class)

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I am truly pleased to be re-offering my course at Signum University this coming Fall, “C.S. Lewis and Mythologies of Love and Sex.” In this masters-level course, I use C.S. Lewis’ concept of four loves to structure a course about … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, higher education, literature, love, myth, Mythgard Academy, mythology, mythopoiea, sex, Signum University | 9 Comments

“Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to be Said” by C.S. Lewis (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Last year I introduced an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday.” This is 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 … Continue reading →