Lecture 3: Myth and Reality Introduction: Both Lewis and Tolkien have been greatly misunderstood because people have assumed that they know what the men were attempting to do. But if you put a work of fiction into the wrong category, a lot of confusion can result, and in this case, has. The Problem of Allegory: …
Northernness
Lecture 4: Northernness Northernness: C.S. Lewis described this as a longing or Sehnsucht (Surprised by Joy, p. 7) – as he develops it, it should be understood as a creaturely longing for eternity. Considered from another angle it is autumn as an idea (p. 16). A third term for it is northernness, and this may …
The Lord of the Rings
Lecture 5: The Lord of the Rings Introduction: An initial Christian understanding of The Lord of the Rings should be structured around certain key concepts in the Christian faith. God: Part of the problem that Tolkien had with the Arthurian stories is that they were explicitly set within the Christian era, and this made the …
The Lord of the Rings II
Lecture 6: The Lord of the Rings Introduction: In conclusion, we can look to some of the larger themes, as well as perhaps some of the lesser. Escapism: No virtue (or fault) is found in a transitive verb. We do not know if someone is virtuous simply because they “love.” What do they love? Or …
The Lord of the Rings: The Movies
#Lecture 7: The Lord of the Rings: The Movies Introduction: Of course, we cannot really talk about the Lord of the Rings anymore without talking about the movies. Irritations: Maybe it was because they couldn’t find the appropriate place in New Zealand, but the plains of Rohan were way too rocky. Many of you who …