Wisdom forsaken and folly embraced, Folly conceives and bears idiot children, Stubborn in creed and in mulish confession, They cling to the death of their civilization. Staggering, falling and groping through dark, Her poets and sages and pundits declare Freedom as glory and freedom as nothing, Freedom as goodness, whatever that is. Wombs are a …
Descent
Descending out of heaven Into Minneapolis, I saw outside the plane A hard, bright autumn. Far below, a parking lot, Crammed with automobiles, Flared with momentary glory Like Hopkins’ shook foil.
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Reconciliation
Something glittered in the sandy bank. Gull circled noisily, but no one else was there. More than a breeze was off the bay, But the clouds were motionless, Unaware of the bite below. Scattered reeds bent back toward the cottages, The early sunlight was bitter still. Sand behind me, forgotten miles, The sand in front …
Overview of Tolkien’s Life
Lecture 1: Overview of Tolkien’s Life Introduction: Tolkien had a problem, along with Lewis, and as we should, with sentences that begin like this. But he also had a problem with people who tried to understand works of literature as simple extension of biography. At the same time, we cannot simply dismiss the outline of …
Tolkien and Lewis
Lecture 2: Tolkien and Lewis Introduction: Without a doubt, Lewis was Tolkien’s closest friend over the course of his lifetime. When they met, neither were strangers to the world of close emotional and intellectual friendships, but at the same time, they were particularly suited to one another. Because of this, we can learn a great …
Myth and Reality
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 …