Tag Archives: Tolkien

The Unpayable Debt of Writing Friends

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I have just read The Hobbit again and am about to finish The Fellowship of the Ring, reading aloud to my son. Again and again I am struck by how very good these books are. Not only are they wonderful … Continue reading →

Giving Voice to the Story: On Reading the Hobbit Aloud to my Son

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

This blog is part of The Hobbit Read-Along at The Warden’s Walk. I’ve been assigned Chapter 14: Fire and Water. Feel free to comment on any of the great blogs in the series. When I jumped into the Hobbit Read-Along, … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogs, Reflections | Tagged Brendan Fraser, dragon rider, E.B. White, Lemony Snicket, literature, memoirs of a geisha, Puddleglum, Reading, Reading Aloud to Children, Reepicheep, Roald Dahl, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, voice actors | 20 Comments

Prewriting for NaNoWriMo

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I think for most of us the appearance of books in a bookstore is a completely magical process. We know that somewhere—perhaps in a building behind the store, or on a fantasy island with high speed wireless internet—authors are suffering … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged 3 Day Novel Contest, Anne Lamott, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Exchange, faerie, fairy tale, fantasy, Holly Black, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, novel contest, Paulo Coehlo, prewriting stage, Stephen King, Tolkien, writing | 18 Comments

How I Learned to Speak British, or A Review of David Downing’s “Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel”

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I find myself in the rather delicate position of critiquing the personal work of one with whom I’ve supped—ah, there it is, I’ve caught myself speaking in 1940s Oxford English again. It has been slipping out lately, I’m afraid. Given … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Dan Brown, david downing, festival antigonish, Harry Potter, Inklings, literature, Madonna, Oxford, Ransom Trilogy, Space Trilogy, The Great Divorce, Tolkien | 37 Comments

The Road Goes Ever On: An Inklings Sermon

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I preached this sermon at Cornwall Christian Church on July 15, 2012. I am a leader at Cornwall Church and get to preach 2-3 times a year. I decided to take a risk with this one, and write a literary … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Abraham, Bible, Bilbo, C.S. Lewis, Frederick Buechner, Frodo, journey, Martin Luther, pilgrim, Pilgrim's Progress, pilgrimmage, road, St. Augustine, The Horse and His Boy, Tolkien | 11 Comments

Pilgrims and Slaves in the Valley of Contemporary Culture

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

To wander into C.S. Lewis’ fictional worlds is almost always to accompany characters on a journey in that world. All the Narnian stories, I think, have characters on long treks, moving from one place to another. It might be the … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Bilbo, C.S. Lewis, Frodo, journey, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, pilgrim, The Hobbit, The Horse and His Boy, Tolkien | 26 Comments

The Marion E. Wade Center: An Archive Review

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

Though I’ve written dozens of book and album reviews, I’m certain I’ve never reviewed a library before. The Marion E. Wade Center, however, is not just another library. Housed at Wheaton College in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, The Wade … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged archive, books, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Chicago, George MacDonald, library, literature, Marion E. Wade Center, The Screwtape Letters, Tolkien, Wheaton College | 47 Comments

C.S. Lewis “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Brenton Dickieson

I’m pleased to see this influential essay provided by CatholicCulture.org. Here, Lewis puts critiques authors who are trying to write in a condescending or market-driven way for children, and gives great advice about writing for children, specifically, as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis' Essays | Tagged C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Tolkien, writing, Writing for Children | 21 Comments

Love, Actually: Pat Robertson vs. C.S. Lewis on Real Love

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Brenton Dickieson

Recently Pat Robertson has hit the media with a crazy statement. Some of you may not be surprised. When he’s not calling on American military to perform an assassination or suggesting that the gay pride parade in Orlando might be … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged alzheimers, C.S. Lewis, conservative, controversy, culture, Death, evangelical, evangelical controversy, fundamentalist, gay pride parade, Letters to an America Lady, love, marriage, Pat Robertson, sacrifice, Tolkien | 9 Comments

Imaginary Worlds: A Review of Bridge to Terabithia

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Brenton Dickieson

Imaginary worlds are common trade now. Our world is linked to others through secret passages or magic portholes or, in the case of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass) the worlds are bridged by intricate tears in the … Continue reading →