Tag Archives: Sr. Penelope

C.S. Lewis’ Book that Is Not a Book: Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I am writing an article for Touchstone Journal in Canada about C.S. Lewis’ Letters to Malcolm. In 1949, an American reader suggested his next book should be on prayer. Lewis declined, saying “I don’t feel I could write a book on … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis, epistolary fiction, Letters to Malcolm, Mere Christianity, owen barfield, prayer, Sr. Penelope, Surprised by Joy, The Four Loves, The Lord's Prayer, The Screwtape Letters | 16 Comments

C.S. Lewis’ 1st SciFi Fan Letters, from Evelyn Underhill and Roger Lancelyn Green

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

As part of an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday,” I want to roll back the calendar almost six years, to my early days as a blogger. “Throwback Thursday” is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either … Continue reading →

Posted in Letters, Lewis Biography | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Evelyn Underhill, fan letters, fantasy, Geez, Obama, Out of the Silent Planet, Ransom Trilogy, Roger Lancelyn Green, Science Fiction, SciFi, Sr. Penelope, theology, Utne Reader, writing | 14 Comments

Reading and the Cultural Moment, with C.S. Lewis

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

So much of C.S. Lewis’ uniqueness comes down to his sheer love of diversity. He loved variability, colour, the exchange, the alienation of encounter and unity with others. His weird dystopia That Hideous Strength was, in many ways, a protest against … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, On the Reading of Old Books, Plato, Reading, Sr. Penelope, That Hideous Strength, The Screwtape Letters, The Symposium, Theology of Culture | 50 Comments

On Embracing my Inner Nerd, Or Erasing the Division between Head and Heart (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

This summer I introduced an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday.” This is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own vault or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be an … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged Anne Lamott, Athanasius, books, C.S. Lewis, Christian spirituality, Darwin, Marilynne Robinson, Old Books, On the Reading of Old Books, spiritual theology, Sr. Penelope, St. Augustine, Stephen King, theology | 21 Comments

The Top 6 New Posts of 2017

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

In 2017, A Pilgrim in Narnia passed a number of milestones. We passed the 700-post threshold, had our 500,000th hit, were shared for the 10,000th time, and are nearing in on 7,000 followers. We had our seven biggest months this year, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, On Writing, Studies in Words | Tagged Beren and Lúthien, Blogging, C.S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joy Davidman, Sr. Penelope, Studies in Words, The Silmarillion, The Tale of Beren and Lúthien, writing | 6 Comments

“I’m a Sad Ass at the Moment” C.S. Lewis’ Words with Sr. Penelope (From the Vault)

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I have had a terrible, horrible, awful week. Though it moved in and out relatively quickly, I had a version of the flu I would not wish on anyone, and now I have a week of catching up to do. … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged Balaam's Ass, C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, depression, letters, literature, spiritual dryness, Sr. Penelope, The Screwtape Letters | 9 Comments

On the Deaths of Charles Williams and Harold Ladoo

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

On this day, 70 years ago, Charles Williams passed away in hospital. His death came as a shock to his family, his closest friends, and his many followers. This enigmatic figure had a galvanizing effect, attracting so many to his … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Canadian literature, Charles Williams, Death, Dennis Lee, Dorothy L. Sayers, elegy, Fraggle Rock, Harold Ladoo, No Pain Like This Body, Poetry, Sr. Penelope | 13 Comments

On the Death of a Friend

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

May 15 marks the death of Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis’ good friend and literary inspiration. He is certainly the Oddest Inkling, and you can follow much of his work at Sørina Higgins’ blog. Lewis and Williams met through a providential … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Death, Dorothy L. Sayers, owen barfield, Sr. Penelope, T.S. Eliot | 9 Comments

“I’m a Sad Ass at the Moment” Words with Sr. Penelope

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who experiences the ebb and flow of spirit, the up and down of the mental life, will be sensitive to that vibration in the lives of others. Setting aside for a moment the oft-misunderstood realities of mental illness, for … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Balaam's Ass, C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, depression, letters, literature, spiritual dryness, Sr. Penelope, The Screwtape Letters | 8 Comments

C.S. Lewis’ 1st SciFi Fan Letters, from Evelyn Underhill and Roger Lancelyn Green

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I have received two fan letters in my writing life thus far. I know! Impressive, isn’t it? I had published a little piece called “On Being Fat and Running” in Geez, a socially-engaged Christian magazine in the tradition of Adbusters. … Continue reading →