The Thomistic Institute

The Catholic Vision Of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings | Professor Paul Gondreau

Jul 7, 2023
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ANECDOTE

Tolkien's Own Claim About His Work

  • Gondreau notes Tolkien taught a colloquium on Tolkien and focused on its Catholic dimension.
  • He cites Tolkien's own letters claiming the work is 'fundamentally religious and Catholic.'
INSIGHT

Christian Story As Supreme Myth

  • Tolkien saw Christian myth as the 'supreme fairy-story' because it actually happened and hallowed other legends.
  • Gondreau uses this to explain why Tolkien's myths echo biblical patterns.
ADVICE

Read For Echoes, Not Strict Allegory

  • Read Tolkien's work as allowing applicability rather than forcing allegory; seek echoes not fixed meanings.
  • Gondreau advises caution and nuance when mapping Catholic elements onto the text.
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