J.R.R. Tolkien: The Influence of Catholicism and Religious Symbolism in The Lord of the Rings When examining literary works, especially more popular literature, there tends to be story that surrounds the author and their intended purpose for writing the book. Tolkien’s writings may have been so widely received due to the saga’s fantastical and magical attributes. As a result, Tolkien’s audience enjoyed the emotional connection they could make to escape their own mundane world into a world which is familiar yet fundamentally different in respect to the mythical creatures which mingle with the human world. Tolkien’s fantasy creates a nation through mythology. Mystical creatures are flesh and blood; thriving in their foreign lands. Each of these creatures have adapted to their own environment. They have their own culture. Tolkien attempts to reincarnate our own world and transforms it into an allegory. Tolkien creates a framework which echoes the ideals of the Holy Bible. Explicitly becoming engrossed with Tolkien’s readings and religious readings it is convincing that “the Gospel(s) contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essences of fairy stories. This is different from all the others because it has "entered history." Unlike the …show more content…
In order to build a case around this theory, one must understand how religion impacted Tolkien’s life. Through exploring Tolkien’s life, we find that he was a devout Catholic. In an essay by Alina Corday titled Master of Middle Earth, Corday talks about Tolkien’s life by giving the reader a timeline of historical events which influenced the young author. Tolkien began his life in Africa. But after the sudden passing of his father, his mother packed the family up and moved to England. It was this opportunity which afforded Tolkien to develop his linguistic
Thomas Foster claims that in most cases, the values of a writer’s dominant religion will in some way impact the literature they write (118). Many readers have found that when they returned to Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, the Christian undertones were much more recognizable, and for some that was a negative experience. “There’s nothing like a flaming sword to separate you from something…in this case that something is former innocence” (Foster 50).
Race has similar influence in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit which features a variety of different creatures and beliefs. Although the book features many different races, the majority of characters from the same race all act the same
J.R.R. Tolkien developed the departure, initiation, and the return of The Hobbit using steps
Bryce’s book talk project on, “Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers” by J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates an understanding of the elements in a narrative. His work was organized and he was able
It is filled to the brim with figurative language. This is what helps make it so easy to tell good from bad. Tolkien uses this to straightforwardly show the book as if it was in black and white. He even uses it to show how strong and weak the characters of good and bad are. “You thought I remained in Meduseld bent like an old tree under the winter snow” (527.)
Howard Shore’s use of leitmotifs in his movie score composition in the Lord of the Rings provides for a foundational basis of emotion and character narrative. His complex integration of leitmotifs in the trilogy is considered to be among the most extensive in terms of the sheer number of motifs and themes accounted for, as well as it’s multifaceted composition. Many composers of movie scores will often fall into the pattern of minimizing the usage of leitmotifs and instead score based on momental romanticization. Shore does not fall into this category. The intentionality and strategy placed in each score and harmony is a direct emotional reflection of character development and plot progression.
In a perfect world, there would be no source of greed, no desire for things that have no true value on their own. However, in Arda, just as in our world, greed will always exist because of a desire for power coupled with outside forces of corruption: notably, Morgoth and Sauron. As a result of the lies of these two characters, the Silmarils and the One Ring became the cause of corruption, betrayal, and death. With the creation of the Silmarils, Elves began to love “too well the work of [their] hands and the devices of [their hearts]” and forgo their loyalty to the Valar.
Joshua Ancrum, English 4 2/23/23 Throughout all information included in text, I’ve concluded that JR R Tolkien is a creative, dark minded, smart, scholar of an Englishman, he inputs his war experiences onto paper in a more magical and fantastical way and is debated to be one of the best illustrators of all time. Tolkien was a distinguished, scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature and Englishman caught by youth during WWI. His love for fairy tales were quickly brought to life after joining the war. He often spent his time working on his elvish languages and fantasy plots during lectures, and even while under enemy fire in dugouts. Fairy stories actually help us rediscover the world in different ways we haven’t perceived before.
Tom Bombadil was a character portrayed as both a god-like figure, and a man who deeply cared for the Earth. Lady Galadriel is another character in The Lord of the Rings that also possesses god-like characteristics while simultaneously living a sustainable life. Both Tom and Galadriel are examples of powerful creatures living a balanced life, therefore portraying Tolkien’s respect for nature and strong spirituality. Religion was a very important part of Tolkien’s life. He was a Christian and religions allegory appears in much of his writing.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole… it was a hobbit-hole, and that meant comfort.” ( Tolkien 3) The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, takes place in many locations amongst Middle Earth. Our main character is a creature called Bilbo Baggins, he is a stranger in the group of 13 Dwarves.
Tolkien—The Mind of a Genius. By Alicia Kort of the Newsweek magazine “a smooth, pale fluent little chap—no harm in him: only needs a smack or so.”.this give a sense of how he was and as I mentioned before one personality and then the things they love can be an impactful thing in one work. All that I have mentioned in this paper, for example, the events and people that inspired and influenced J.R.R Tolkien to write his mind-blowing stories that eventual inspire other as well that's the beauty of it, it's a cycle of inspiration.and it will never end everyone can take inspiration from
On January 3rd, 1892, in Bloemfontein S.A., John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, “Ronald” to family and early friends was born (Doughan). Though the name Tolkien is German in origin, and scholars believed Tolkien’s ancestors migrated from Saxony, Tolkien’s family became “thoroughly Anglicised” (Doughan). Tolkien’s father, Arthur Reuel Tolkien, considered himself “nothing if not English” (Doughan). Arthur was a bank clerk, in the 1890s he and his bride, Mabel
When adapting pop culture into different forms of media, it is necessary to change a variety of aspects to fit individualized nuances of each medium. The transformation of The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R.Tolkien, from a novel onto the screen is not an exception to this notion. However, Peter Jackson, the director of the popular film series, is known for staying fairly accurate to the original plot of the book. After all, when creating a film based off a novel, the director is not creating something completely his own, rather, he must stay accurate to the plot, in order to observe the wishes of the author and the expectation of his fans. While for the most part Jackson succeeds in his mission to fortify the narrative, rather than stray from
The Lord of the Rings is a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien that tells the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who is tasked with destroying the One Ring, a powerful artifact created by the evil Sauron. The characters in The Lord of the Rings are also experiencing internal conflicts in various ways. Frodo, the main character, is struggling with the burden of carrying the ring and the responsibility of saving Middle Earth. He is torn between his desire to fulfill his mission and his fear of the dangers that lie ahead. The novel explores themes of power, corruption, and the nature of good and evil, as well as the importance of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice.
Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic poem, has been recognized as one of the most important works of Old English literature. It deals with battles, warrior culture, and redemption in a Germanic society. Many writers have analyzed the relationship between Christianity and Paganism in Beowulf, and how these were a depiction of an early medieval Scandinavian society. J. R. R. Tolkien, renowned author of the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, presented his view on the Pagan and Christian elements found in early medieval societies, as shown in the poem Beowulf. Tolkien explained that the poem shows “the nearness of a pagan time,” and with it “the shadow of its despair, as an intense emotion of regret” is conveyed throughout the poem (Tolkien).