Tag Archives: owen barfield

Wherever I Go, That’s Where the Party’s At: Prince Corin as C.S. Lewis’ Harbinger of Joy, Guest Essay by Daniel Whyte IV

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Once again, we are pleased to publish a Narnia essay by Daniel Whyte IV. Daniel is a fantasy and speculative fiction writer whose essays on culture and faith have been published in Relevant, Fathom Magazine, Arc Digital, Tor.com, Speculative Faith, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Ecclesiastes, friendship, Hugo Dyson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Narnia, owen barfield, Roger Lancelyn Green, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Four Loves, The Horse and His Boy, The Inklings, The Inner Ring, the lion the witch and the wardrobe | 13 Comments

My Conference Papers this Week in Canada and K’zoo on C.S. Lewis’ Constructed Language and Intertextuality, with a Note on the Impostor Syndrome

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

In an intriguing confluence of events, this week is Canada’s annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Congress2022–what scholarly Canadians used to call “the Learneds”–and is at the same time as the International Congress on Medieval Studies, hosted by … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Original Research, Studies in Words | Tagged C.S. Lewis, conlangs, Constructed Languages, Dante, Imposter Syndrome, intertextuality, Literary Theory, Marsha Daigle-Williamson, owen barfield, philology, Ransom Cycle, Reflecting the Eternal: Dante’s Divine Comedy in the Novels of C.S. Lewis, The Personal Heresy, The Screwtape Letters, world-building | 8 Comments

J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Secret Vice” and My Secret Love: Thoughts on Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins’ Critical Edition of A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Language (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

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 →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged A Secret Vice, Andrew Higgins, conlangs, Constructed Languages, David J. Peterson, Dimitra Fimi, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, The Art of Language Invention, The Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings | 8 Comments

Which Image Triggered C. S. Lewis’ Enthusiasm for Wagner’s Ring Cycle? A Proposal by Norbert Feinendegen

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Since the first time I read C.S. Lewis’ peculiar and beautiful memoir, Surprised by Joy, I have been fascinated by Lewis’ numinous experience of joy that came with his encounter between a moment in Wagner’s Ring Cycle and one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged Arthur Rackham, C.S. Lewis, friendship, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, J.R.R. Tolkien, Norbert Feinendegen, Norse Mythology, northernness, owen barfield, Richard Wagner, Ring des Nibelungen, Sigurd and Gudrún, Surprised by Joy, Tegner's Drapa, The Inklings, The Ring Cycle, Wagner | 13 Comments

“Can C.S. Lewis and L.M. Montgomery be Kindred Spirits?” My Talk for the 2021 C.S. Lewis & Kindred Spirits Society Conference (Nov 18-20) and How You Can Go to Romania With Me

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Alas, when I say that “I am speaking in Romania this weekend”–I am, in fact, speaking at this Romanian C.S. Lewis conference–I must admit that am doing so from my desk in Prince Edward Island. While pre-flight check-in is quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Alan Snyder, Anne of Green Gables, Anne With an E, Anne's House of Dreams, C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis & Kindred Spirits Society, Dorothy L. Sayers, Emily of New Moon, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Como, Jerry Root, Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson, L.M. Montgomery, Malcolm Guite, owen barfield, Rainbow Valley, That Hideous Strength, The Inklings, The Lion, The Screwtape Letters, the Witch and the Wardrobe | 18 Comments

Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Relentless Moon and the Lady Astronaut Universe (Blogging the Hugos 2021)

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

If the history of Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut Universe were the same as the one that you and I share, I would be writing to you as a dead man. I suppose, even in terms of timeline, I might … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Reviews | Tagged Black Sun, Hugo Awards, Lady Astronaut Universe, Martha Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, N.K. Jemisin, Network Effect, owen barfield, Piranesi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Susanna Clarke, Tamsyn Muir, The City We Became, The Relentless Moon | 16 Comments

John Garth, Maximilian Hart, Kris Swank, and Myself on Ursula K. Le Guin, Language, Tolkien, and World-building (Friday Feature)

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Happy Friday everyone! I am preparing for the upcoming Signum University Ursula K. Le Guin course that I am precepting (for which there may be a spot or two open, and you can see a second invite here). Elbow-deep in … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Signum University, The Earthsea Cycle, The Inklings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 10 Comments

Thesis Theater: Maximilian Hart, “Draconic Diction: Truth and Lies in Le Guin’s Old Speech” (Mon, Aug 16, 6pm Eastern)

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I was pleased this summer to be the second reader for an exciting project by one of Signum University’s bright MA students. Beginning with curiosity about “Old Speech” in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Earthsea series, Maximilian Hart has pulled together … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Earthsea, J.R.R. Tolkien, owen barfield, Signum University, The Earthsea Cycle, The Inklings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 3 Comments

Tolkien Studies Projects Sweep the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Shortlist in Inklings Studies (Trying Not To Say “I Told You So”)

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I just spent the weekend at Mythcon–a short, digital version of the normally weird and wonderful long weekend of scholarship and fan fun. Many of the parts of Mythcon that I love were still featured, including thoughtful and engaging panels, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Huttar, Charles Williams, Christopher Tolkien, Clyde Kilby, david downing, Diana Glyer, Dimitra Fimi, Dorothy L. Sayers, Doug Anderson, George Sayer, Grevel Lindop, Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien, Janet Brennan Croft, Joe Christopher, John Garth, Kathryn Lindskoog, Michael Drout, Michael Ward, Mythcon, owen barfield, Paul Ford, Peter Schakel, The Inklings, Tom Shippey, Verlyn Flieger, Walter Hooper | 25 Comments

Why is Tolkien Scholarship Stronger than Lewis Scholarship? Part 3: Other Factors

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

As I have been chest-deep in academic works about C.S. Lewis and at least knee-deep in the same kinds of J.R.R. Tolkien books and articles, I conceived of a thought experiment. Without even glancing at my bookshelf, I can name … Continue reading →