Tag Archives: The Lord of the Rings

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 | 6 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 | 42 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 | 12 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 →

Posted in Letters, News & Links | Tagged archival research, Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Middle Earth, The History of Middle-earth, The Hobbit, The Inklings, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Tale of Beren and Lúthien | 43 Comments

An Open Class on Narnia and Friendship with Brenton Dickieson, Jason Lepojärvi, and Diana Pavlac Glyer (Full Video from Signum University)

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Friendship was an absolutely critical part of C.S. Lewis’ life. His lifelong friendship with his brother created a literary household. Lewis’ childhood and university friendships helped him renegotiate his core values and his life philosophy. The Oxford Inklings, the main … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links | Tagged A Grief Observed, Bandersnatch, C.S. Lewis, Christian apologetics, Diana Pavlac Glyer, friendship, Inklings, Jason Lepojärvi, Joy Davidman, linguistic history, literary criticism, literary history, Narnia, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Company They Keep, The Four Loves, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Till We Have Faces, Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 10 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

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

A Secret Vice by J.R.R. Tolkien My rating: 5 of 5 stars It was the fall of 2001. I was rereading The Lord of the Rings in anticipation of the film, which I was sure would be screened even in … 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, language, Song of Ice and Fire, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, The Art of Language Invention, The Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings | 17 Comments

An Open Class on Narnia and Friendship with Brenton Dickieson, Jason Lepojärvi, and Diana Pavlac Glyer

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Posted in News & Links | Tagged A Grief Observed, Bandersnatch, C.S. Lewis, Christian apologetics, Diana Pavlac Glyer, friendship, Inklings, Jason Lepojärvi, Joy Davidman, linguistic history, literary criticism, literary history, Narnia, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Company They Keep, The Four Loves, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Till We Have Faces, Voyage of the Dawn Treader | 2 Comments

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the UK’s Favourite Book

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

According to a OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is Britain’s most popular book. It is an intriguing find, but not inconsistent with other surveys and with research by people like Stephanie Derrick (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Anne of Green Gables, Arthur Conan Doyle, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Bronte, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Life of Pi, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Stephen King, The Da Vinci Code, The Handmaid's Tale, The Hobbit, The Lion, The Lord of the Rings | 30 Comments

Getting Ready for TOLKIEN: John Garth and Other Resources

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t know if it is rumour or just the coolness of the social media age, but über Tolkien fan Stephen Colbert has been sent a copy of John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth. I … Continue reading →