Tag Archives: On Fairy-Stories

“Joy Beyond the Walls of the World, Poignant as Grief,” with J.R.R. Tolkien and Frederick Buechner

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

This week, I have decided to share my thoughts about Frederick Buechner‘s recent book, The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop, Look, and Listen to Life (2017), and to share some highlights from the text. Drawing materials from his memoirs in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Update, with Fundraiser Link: L.M. Montgomery on the Love of Trees, and Hurricane Dorian

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I was inspired in reading L.M. Montgomery’s Kilmeny of the Orchard to provide a quick update to the tragic loss of so many of the trees at Montgomery’s homestead in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. I was reading a passage, which … Continue reading →

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L.M. Montgomery on the Love of Trees, and Hurricane Dorian

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

L.M. Montgomery simply loved trees. Her journals are filled with notes about trees–the beauty of landscape, like “the groves of maple and birch just turning to scarlet and gold” (Sep 25, 1889), or the desire to disappear and run “down … Continue reading →

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Mark Vernon’s “A Secret History of Christianity,” review by Wesley Schantz (On Owen Barfield)

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Review of A Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling, and the Evolution of Consciousness, by Mark Vernon A guest post from Wesley Schantz Rating: 4 out of 5 stars For purposes of calibration or, if you like, conversion, … Continue reading →

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“Tiny Fairies: J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Errantry” and Martyn Skinner’s Sir Elfadore and Mabyna” by Dale Nelson

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

Many will remember Sørina Higgins’ playfully entitled paper, ‘King Arthur was an Elf!’, which she has described as “the seed” of The Inklings and King Arthur. But how have various Arthurian writers down the ages envisaged elves – and other … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Inklings and Arthur | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Thesis Theater Monday, Feb 26: Rob Gosselin on Tolkien’s Sub-creative Vision

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

It is my pleasure to announce that my student, Rob Gosselin, has completed his thesis at Signum University. Rob’s topic is both fascinating and personal, where he explores how J.R.R. Tolkien’s idea of “subcreation” works when we move outside of … Continue reading →

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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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Approaching “The Silmarillion” for the First Time

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As brilliant as lovers of Middle Earth recognize that it is, there are few books as daunting as The Silmarillion. It is a dense and complex text of genealogies, places, and characters, each woven together with multiple names in multiple languages … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

2016: A Year of Reading

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

This time last year I had a sense of the kind of season that 2016 would be, but I did not know the how deeply the experiences of bereavement, family responsibility, and overwork would impact me. While my work has … Continue reading →

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“New Every Morning” by Jessica Shaver Renshaw, a Review

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I am at the point in my PhD on C.S. Lewis where everything is narrowing to a point. I have a number of canonical lists pinned up on a bulletin board next to my desk. These are lists of SF, … Continue reading →

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