Tag Archives: The Lord of the Rings

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

Posted on September 23, 2021 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 Bilbo Baggins, books, Eucatastrophe, film adaptation, Gollum, Hobbit Day, Hobbit Read-Along, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, myth, Peter Jackson, Providence, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings | 14 Comments

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Manifesto Against Genre Snobbery

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

One of our greatest speculative fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin, has never been one to turn down a fight. A genius in two of my favourite genres, science fiction and fantasy–especially planetary SciFi and magic-world fantasy–Le Guin has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Memorable Quotes, On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged fantasy, Frankenstein, genre, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Atwood, Science Fiction, SF, speculative fiction, The Birthday of the World, The Hainish Cycle, The Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 8 Comments

The First Animated Hobbit, and Other Notes of Tolkienish Nonsense

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I have had a wonderful and difficult and exceptionally busy week, preparing for Mythmoot and then attending live online. I have so much I would like to say, but I thought, for now, and for a smile, I would simply … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings | 4 Comments

Lewis and Tolkien among American Evangelicals: Guest Post by G. Connor Salter (Lewis Scholarship Series)

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

This guest blog by G. Connor Salter is a response to a series of pieces called “Why is Tolkien Scholarship Stronger than Lewis Scholarship?” (see parts 1, 2, and 3). There are some deep conversations within the comments section of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged American evangelicalism, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Christian Smith, Dune, evangelicalism, Frank Herbert, Frank Peretti, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Noll, Narnia, Sørina Higgins, The Lord of the Rings, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind | 48 Comments

Affirming Creation in the Lord of the Rings #earthday

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

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 creation, creation care, Earth Day, environment, fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Legolas, literature, Lord of the Rings, Matthew Dickerson, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Treebeard, WWI | 6 Comments

Why is Tolkien Scholarship Stronger than Lewis Scholarship? Part 2: Literary Breadth and Depth

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

For the last couple of weeks I have been looking at questions of C.S. Lewis scholarship, beginning with my own journey. As I am deep in a scholarly study, I decided to design a thought experiment. By creating a sort … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Ransom Cycle, The Hobbit, The Last Battle, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Till We Have Faces | 24 Comments

Why is Tolkien Scholarship Stronger than Lewis Scholarship? Part 1: Creative Breaks that Inspired Tolkien Readers

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

It is a question that has been nagging me for some time: Why is Tolkien Scholarship Stronger than Lewis Scholarship? By this, I do not mean any particular insult to Lewis scholars. I am one, in fact. As I note … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Garth, Narnia, Splintered Light, Stephanie Derrick, The Fame of C.S. Lewis, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Tolkien and the Great War, Verlyn Flieger | 64 Comments

Reading J.R.R. Tolkien by Audiobook and Adaptation: Thoughts on a Portland Discovery

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

It was pouring rain in Portland as Nicolas and I wove our way through the artisan-filled streets of this renewed East Coast City. I love Portland, though we were not visiting on the best of circumstances. Just a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Andy Serkis, Beren and Lúthien, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mr. Bliss, Nicol Williamson, Peter Jackson, Philip K. Dick, Portland Maine, Stephen King, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Gondolin, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Tolkien Reading Day, Unfinished Tales | 14 Comments

“The Lady and Our Lady: Galadriel as a ‘Reflexion’ of Mary,” A Signum Thesis Theatre on Tolkien and Catholicism by Mickey Corso (Full Video)

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Recently, Signum University MA student Mickey Corso presented his thesis “The Lady and Our Lady: Galadriel as a ‘Reflexion’ of Mary” to the public, which we were able to record for posterity. You can see the abstract and full discussion … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Galadriel, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mickey Corso, research, Roman Catholicism, Signum University, The Lord of the Rings | 7 Comments

Christopher Tolkien, Curator of Middle-earth, Has Died, and a Letter from His Father

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

As last evening tilted towards nighttime in my part of the world, my social media feeds began filling with the news that Christopher Tolkien had died. The last living Inkling, Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 Nov 1924 to 15 Jan … Continue reading →