Tag Archives: literature

A Rationale for Teaching C.S. Lewis’ Fiction in The Wrong Order

I am in my sixth year of teaching “The Fantasy and Science Fiction of C.S. Lewis” at The King’s College in New York City. I inherited this online course from Dr. Sørina Higgins, who followed the original mind behind the … Continue reading

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A Brace of Tolkien Posts for his 131st Birthday (#TolkienBirthdayToast)

As J.R.R. Tolkien was born about 68,899,680 minutes ago, the Tolkien Society is once again raising a toast to the Professor on his birthday, 3 January 2022 (see here). After Bilbo left the Shire on his eleventy-first birthday in The … Continue reading

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“A Sense of the Season”: C.S. Lewis’ Birthday Pivot and the Cambridge Inaugural Address (Updated 2022)

In the autumn of 1954 at the age of 56, C.S. Lewis was at the height of his academic career. With a chance to speak to the academic community at Cambridge and the listening world on the BBC, Lewis used … Continue reading

Posted in Lewis Biography, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

CFP: TexMoot 2022: Starships, Stewards, and Storytellers (Mar 22nd 2022, Call for Papers)

TexMoot 2022: Signum University’s Fourth Annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium 26 March 2022 at the Norris Conference Center 2525 W. Anderson Ln Austin, TX 78757 and online What is a “Moot”?  The word “moot” refers to a meeting or … Continue reading

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A Brace of Tolkien Posts for his 130th Birthday (#TolkienBirthdayToast)

As J.R.R. Tolkien was born about 68,374,080 minutes ago, the Tolkien Society is once again raising a toast to the Professor on his birthday, 3 January 2022 (see here). After Bilbo left the Shire on his eleventy-first birthday in The … Continue reading

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Christmas With J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father Christmas Letters

My little 2015 piece on J.R.R. Tolkien’s funny and endearing Father Christmas Letters has had quite a spin around the internet this week. I cannot think of a better Christmas note for you, dear readers of A Pilgrim in Narnia, … Continue reading

Posted in Letters, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

“A Sense of the Season”: C.S. Lewis’ Birthday Pivot and the Cambridge Inaugural Address (Updated 2021)

In the autumn of 1954 at the age of 56, C.S. Lewis was at the height of his academic career. With a chance to speak to the academic community at Cambridge and the listening world on the BBC, Lewis used … Continue reading

Posted in Lewis Biography, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Accidental Riddles in the Invisible Dark (Throwback Thursday, and The Hobbit Read-Along, and Hobbit Day)

At A Pilgrim in Narnia, we have an occasional feature called “Throwback Thursday.” By raiding either my own blog-hoard or someone else’s, I find a blog post from the past and throw it back out into the digital world. This … Continue reading

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“The Poetry of Lucy Maud Montgomery” and the Critical Virtue and Vice of Editors

One of the earlier biographers of C.S. Lewis, Chad Walsh once said that although Lewis was not a poet of greatness, he was (and remains) an interesting poet. This observation is relevant for many of the early-to-mid-20th century authors I … Continue reading

Posted in L.M. Montgomery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Affirming Creation in the Lord of the Rings

Perhaps it isn’t that surprising that J.R.R. Tolkien’s books are so environmentally sensitive. Like Sam Gamgee, Tolkien loved things that grow and good tilled earth. He loved walks–long walks beyond his garden through English towns and villages and vast, untouched … Continue reading

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments