Tag Archives: war

Jacob R. Schreiner Thesis Theatre, “The Logos of Faith: Sub-Creation through Speech-Acts in Tolkien’s Legendarium” (free online event Wednesday, June 1st, 12noon Eastern)

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Following a successful event last week–a great conversation with Miriam Davidson on “nonviolence” in The Lord of the Rings–I wanted to send a quick update on the three Signum University Thesis Theatres on The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged J.L. Austin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Literary Theory, pacifism, research, Shakespeare, Signum University, Speech-Act Theory, subcreation, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, war | Leave a comment

Miriam Davidson Thesis Theatre, “The Sword Not for its Sharpness: Nonviolent countercurrents in Tolkien’s Epic of War” (free online event Thurs, May 26th, 3pm ET)

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

I wanted to send a quick update on the three Signum University Thesis Theatres on The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s Legendarium that I announced last week. Our Signum University master’s students have the opportunity to write a thesis … Continue reading →

3 Upcoming Signum University Thesis Theatres on The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s Legendarium

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

I’m pleased as the week closes to offer a rich set of opportunities to dive meaningfully into Tolkien’s imaginative worlds. There are three upcoming Signum University Thesis Theatres on The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s Legendarium (all times Eastern): … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links | Tagged J.L. Austin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Literary Theory, pacifism, research, Shakespeare, Signum University, Speech-Act Theory, subcreation, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, war | 4 Comments

A Head Full of Homer, A Trench Full of Blood (Remembrance Day Reblog from Tom at Alas Not Me)

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Last year I followed a link from Tom Hillman (@alas_not_me) on Twitter to one of his 2017 reflections on war and reading. At the Alas, Not Me blog, Tom consistently writes thoughtful reading reflections and books studies, often connected to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Homer, Reading, Shakespeare, war, WWI, WWII | 5 Comments

“This Year of the Atom”: A Poem on the Anniversary of Hiroshima, by Joy Davidman

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

At 8:15 local time on Aug 6, 1945, American airship Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing about 100,000 people, most of them civilians. On Aug 9th, the American military would reassert their ability to waste the countryside by … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Naked Tree, American politics, Animal Farm, Anna Santamaria, Atomic Bomb, C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, Hiroshima, Japan, Joy Davidman, Nagasaki, That Hideous Strength, war, WWII | 7 Comments

Good Political Leadership According to Narnia

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I made the statement almost by accident to some of my grad students: Narnia has a pretty sophisticated political philosophy, especially when you consider it is written for children. As soon as I said it, I knew it to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged American politics, books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, fantasy, Narnia, Political Theology, Politics, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, Trudeau, Trump, UK Politics, war, WWI, WWII | 76 Comments

A Psalm for this New Year

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

If there is a theme that has emerged over this past weekend, it is the theme of relief. Many of the bloggers I follow and friends I connect with seem glad to put 2016 behind them. Globally speaking, 2016 has … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged New Years, New Years Resolution, Politics, Providence, Psalm 65, Syrian Refugees, theology, war | 12 Comments

The Transformative Power of Memory: Lewis and the World Wars

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

The first reader of C.S. Lewis’ autobiography, Surprised by Joy, might be puzzled by the fact that WWI—the catastrophe that decided the fate of so many of Europe’s great thinkers and artists and inventors—makes up very little of Lewis’ narrative. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, environment, ethnic cleansing, global warming, Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters, Walter Hooper, war, writing, WWI, WWII | 34 Comments

“Tolkien’s Great War”: A Film by Elliot Weaver & Zander Weaver

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

As we sit on the centennial of the Great War, WWI, we find ourselves in a moment of cultural reflection. It really was a brutal conflict: 35-40 million casualties, followed by the Spanish flu and its 50-100 million deaths. The war … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged documentary, fellowship, film, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Garth, Middle Earth, mythopoiea, PTSD, TCBS, Tea Club and Barrovian Society, war, writing, WWI, WWII | 27 Comments

David Foster Wallace’s Parody of Donald Trump’s Presidential Run

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

True, David Foster Wallace died in 2008, long before the Donald even considered running. It is also true that Infinite Jest–the impossibly long and challenging masterpiece by Wallace that I have committed to read this spring–was written in 1996. Usually parodies are … Continue reading →