Trinity Western University will host author and scholar Matthew Dickerson, Ph.D., on October 19 and 20, 2011, as part of the University Distinguished Lecture Series. The Series is designed to introduce students and the general public to some of the most profound Christian thinkers of our time.
Dickerson will give two talks in TWU chapel services: Three Faces of Evil in the Lord of the Rings on October 19th, and Merlin & the N.I.C.E.: Environmental Implications of C. S. Lewis' Response to Naturalism on October 20th. These talks are open to the public.On October 19, Dickerson will give an evening lecture in the Northwest auditorium about Wendell Berry, C. S. Lewis, & J. R. R. Tolkien: The Dangers of a Technological Mindset.
About Matthew Dickerson, Ph.D.
Dickerson discovered The Hobbit in 7th grade and devoured it. Other early and formative books and albums in his life were Walter Wangerin's The Book of the Dun Cow, the writings of Madeleine L'Engle, and the early albums of Larry Norman. He studied computer science and mathematics at Dartmouth College. During his senior year he took more classes in English than in computer science, including a course in creative writing and Dartmouth's first ever course on Fantasy Literature taught by Marion Singleton—another influential figure in his life.
Dickerson went to graduate school at Cornell University. Though admitted into the Ph.D. program in computer science, he also did graduate work in medieval studies and in Old English language and literature primarily under Robert Farrell (who himself had studied at Oxford under J.R.R.Tolkien). Dickerson learned to read and write Old English, translated much of Beowulf (and many other Old English poems) and eventually wrote and published The Finnsburg Encounter (Crossway Books, 1991), a novel based on the tragedy of Finn and Hildeburh told by the poet within the poem of Beowulf. This novel was also published in Germany under the title Licht über Friesland. Dickerson came very close to abandoning his studies in computer science and simply earning his Ph.D. in English instead, but was advised by Prof. Farrell that the job market for faculty in Old English was likely to be very poor for a long time, and that it might be better to study language and literature out of love than in hopes of making a career out of it.
In the fall of 1989, he began teaching computer science at Middlebury College in Vermont, but during his second year, he was offered an opportunity to teach a first-year seminar on fairy-tale—an opportunity he gladly accepted. Over twenty-plus years at Middlebury College, he has taught classes on fairy tale, “myth and heroic romance,” the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, the writings of C.S. Lewis, and creative writing. He also teaches a repeated class on “essay writing and the literature of fishing,” and recently has twice taught a class on “essay writing on nature and ecology.” In 2003, Dickerson was appointed the Director of the New England Young Writers Conference at Breadloaf.
His interest in Christian theology, in literature, and in ecology has also led Dickerson to a long-term study of the intersection of these three topics. He has published two books and numerous articles in this area and continues to explore the Christian underpinnings of the healthy ecological vision of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Both his computer science and his literature interests have led him to become a member of the program of environmental studies at Middlebury College, which has the oldest environmental studies major in the United States.
A selection of published works:
- Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2003).
- From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy, (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006). Matthew Dickerson and David O’Hara.
- Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R.Tolkien, (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2006). Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans.
- Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: the Environmental Vision of C.S.Lewis, (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2009). Matthew Dickerson and David O’Hara.
- The Mind and the Machine: What it Means to be Human and Why it Matters, (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006).
- His next book is scheduled for publication in 2012 by Brazos Press and is tentatively titled, Modern Hobbits in an Ancient World: the Uncommon Vision of J.R.R.Tolkien.
Events at a glance
Wednesday, October 19
11 a.m. | Chapel Talk
Three Faces of Evil in the Lord of the Rings
David E. Enarson Gym, TWU
7:30 p.m. | Community Lecture
Wendell Berry, C. S. Lewis, & J. R. R. Tolkien: The Dangers of a Technological Mindset
Devries Centre Auditorium, TWU
Thursday, October 20
11 a.m. | Chapel Talk
Merlin & the N.I.C.E.: Environmental Implications of C. S. Lewis' Response to Naturalism
David E. Enarson Gym, TWU
All events are open to the public
For further information on the Chapel Talks and public lecture, contact Bill Strom, Ph.D., at strom@twu.ca.