My dear friends, Know you what today is? It is September 24th, one year after I published Remembered Lore! I will reveal the significance of this date in a moment, but first let us toss some autumn leaves into the air to celebrate a year of myth re-found, words re-learned, and golden drafts of poetry … Continue reading A Light on the Road
Tag: J.R.R. Tolkien
My Stance on Introductions
It has been some time since I stopped reading introductions to works of fiction. My classmates and I were discouraged from doing so in completing our readings for classes using the Socratic method as class discussion depended upon students developing their own ideas of the text. Introductions are essay-like writings placed at the beginning of … Continue reading My Stance on Introductions
Rediscovering Reality
In his review of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis contemplates how stories assist in the rediscovery of reality. He says, The value of myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores them to the rich significance which has been hidden by “the veil of familiarity.” The child … Continue reading Rediscovering Reality
Similarities Between the Dissimilar, or What Happens When You Read Homer and Tolkien at the Same Time
Although J.R.R. Tolkien avoided taking inspiration from classical Greek mythology, there is one aspect of his writing which I cannot help but see as being influenced by Homer. Never yet in all my reading of mythology have I encountered an epic as vast and complete as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Many mythologies, though extensive … Continue reading Similarities Between the Dissimilar, or What Happens When You Read Homer and Tolkien at the Same Time
Exploring Tolkien’s Beowulf with Dr. Shippey
It was some time ago that I discovered this three-part lecture series by Dr. Tom Shippey on Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf, and it has been on my mind to share it with you. Dr. Shippey is a respected Tolkien scholar, specializing, like Tolkien, in Old and Middle English language and literature.1 His lectures are always … Continue reading Exploring Tolkien’s Beowulf with Dr. Shippey
Yet Another Translation of Beowulf
I very recently finished reading John Lesslie Hall’s translation of Beowulf. Several months ago I shared my reflections on Seamus Heaney’s and J.R.R. Tolkien’s translations of Beowulf in Beowulf: Seamus Heaney vs. J.R.R. Tolkien. It feels appropriate to share my thoughts on Hall’s translation as well. Hall’s translation is a verse translation which, to the … Continue reading Yet Another Translation of Beowulf
A Reflection on “Good Morning”
“Good morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat. “What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that … Continue reading A Reflection on “Good Morning”
Courage in Spite of Ignorance
As far as Middle-earth and our world are concerned, Hobbits are uneducated. They are the personification of country-bumpkins, with little or no knowledge of math and science (outside of what is required for farming and marketing), literature (save their own tales and ditties), or history. Yet in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the … Continue reading Courage in Spite of Ignorance
On “Skrike”
Here, friends, is the post on skriking, which I mentioned bore writing in Rereading The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings, Part 1. Prior to writing this post, I had not the faintest idea of what skrike meant, though I could glean a general sense from its context in The Hobbit. As for its etymology ...
Lake-town & Narrowhaven: Monetary Gain and Unbelief
In some ways, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien differ greatly in their approach to stories. However, in many other aspects the two share very similar ideas. One example is in their depictions of the towns of Narrowhaven in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Lake-town in The Hobbit. The leaders of both towns are … Continue reading Lake-town & Narrowhaven: Monetary Gain and Unbelief
