Tolkien

The Purpose of Art & My Struggle to Write: A Reflexion on J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘Leaf by Niggle’

Last Sunday I was getting ready to head home from Mass, which takes a little under an hour, and was wondering whether I might listen to an audiobook or pray a Rosary on the way home when a wonderful and providential thought came into my head. I had just finished J. R. R. Tolkien’s TheContinue reading “The Purpose of Art & My Struggle to Write: A Reflexion on J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘Leaf by Niggle’”

The Glory of Repentance: Learning Courage and Hope from The Lord of the Rings

The following contains spoilers for those who have neither read nor seen The Lord of the Rings (specifically The Two Towers book, chapter one, or the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring). Several weeks ago, some friends and I were talking about our favourite books, and the topic turned (as it often doesContinue reading “The Glory of Repentance: Learning Courage and Hope from The Lord of the Rings”

Sharing Sorrow: Why We Read Sad Literature

The other night some friends and I were discussing sorrowful literature—why we read it and so often cherish it. Even if a book is mostly not sad, the parts of it that inspired sorrow in us remain in our minds, provoking a continued and deep reflexion in us, and very often they hold a specialContinue reading “Sharing Sorrow: Why We Read Sad Literature”

The Gifts of the Lady Galadriel: A Meditation on Pentecost

Here follows a meditation on Pentecost, when God bestowed the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, through the lens of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings—in particular the chapter of the Lady Galadriel’s giving of gifts to the Fellowship of the Ring. This I began with ardour and undertook with caution in mind,Continue reading “The Gifts of the Lady Galadriel: A Meditation on Pentecost”