Through the years I picked up other works of J.R.R. Tolkien along the way and began to realize this was a vast mythology. I found myself longing to gain a big picture idea of the Story taking place in Middle-earth. Hence the desire to read through Tolkien's works in a chronological fashion. By that I mean chronologically ordered through Middle-earth timelines not necessarily the order in which the books were written. As I have sought to create a reading schedule I've found additional bits and pieces, flotsam and jetsam if you will, that I will incorporate into my readings as well. I look forward to laying out the story on this blog. A couple of other quick items about me that help further explain what you will read here. Context is important to me. I took the Strengthsfinder test a few years back and my number one strength was context; basically a strong desire to know the past as a guide for the future. It seemed odd at the time but I realize now how true it is. A couple of suggested action points for folks with this strength include: keeping a journal (hello blog!), reading much history (while not true history Tolkien's work is written as such), teaching others about history (hence the blog), and using history as analogy to illuminate various principles--a chief theme I think you'll see on here.
The other main item that you should know about yours truly is that I am a Christian. I seek to learn and follow Jesus. This will inevitably find it's way into this blog due to the applicability of Tolkien's writing (more on that in just a bit). The main rationale for this blog is to provide chronological context for Tolkien's Middle-earth and when so moved describes the emotions, applications, and analogies to my life. There are many points in Tolkien's work where I am move to tears, my breath is taken away, or I find some illustrated principle applicable to my life (and spiritual life). That's more than enough about me. Let's turn now to the author and creator of Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy story, or as Tolkien would have called it: a faerie-story. "Faerie is a perilous land, and in it are pitfalls for the unwary and dungeons for the overbold" (p. 33, The Tolkien Reader). Indeed, I feel a bit overbold publishing this blog. In a beautiful essay concerning such stories Tolkien explores their origins and purposes. One of his main points to tackle the question of what is the use of such stories. For those that write fantasy, Tolkien names them "sub-creators". These sub-creators give us glimpses of other places, which is at the heart of fantasy. "Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker" (p. 75, The Tolkien Reader). Besides fantasy Tolkien names three other functions of faerie-stories: recovery, escape, and consolation.
Tolkien defines recovery as regaining a clear view; perhaps better stated seeing things as they were meant to be. The example is given of Pegasus in which horses are again crowned with nobility, as they have always possessed. Do the wings bestow nobility? Not in the least, but perhaps reading about a horse with wings will give us fresh eyes to see those we encounter beyond fantasy. Escapism, to some degree, means a flight from things such as poverty, pain, injustice, and death. Desire can also be a fruit of escapism, for example: "Beasts and birds and other creatures often talk like men in real fairy-stories. In some small part (often small) this marvel derives from one of the primal "desires" that lie near the heart of Faerie: the desire of men to hold communion with other living things" (p. 43, The Tolkien Reader).
The chief function of fairy-stories according to Tolkien is that of the consolation of a happy ending. He coined the term eucatastrophe described as follows: "The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous "turn" (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale)...giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief" (p. 85-86, The Tolkien Reader). In the epilogue of his essay on fairy-stories Tolkien applies his thoughts to his faith. "I would venture to say that approaching the Christian story from this direction, it has long been my feeling (a joyous feeling) that God redeemed the corrupt making-creatures, men, in a way fitting to this aspect, as to others, of their strange nature. The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or story of larger kind which embraces all the essences of fairy-stories" (p. 88, The Tolkien Reader). I think this is a really helpful insight towards the Story of Jesus. The story of Man rebelling against God and how God redeems and rescues His enemies through the invasion of Deity clothed in humanity. It is epic in nature and perhaps should be approached from a fantasy perspective.
Tolkien states it as such: "The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man's history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy...There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many sceptical men have accepted as true on its own merits...But this story is supreme; and it is true...Legend and History have met and fused" (p. 88-89, The Tolkien Reader). Do you love Tolkien's Middle-earth as I do? Do these types of stories stir your soul and leave you pondering life in deeper more meaningful ways? Perhaps if you are not familiar with the Biblical story you could approach it as you would fantasy albeit it a True Fantasy? After all, as Tolkien states: "God is the Lord, of angels, and of men--and of elves" (p. 89, The Tolkien Reader).
Now this logically begs the question did Tolkien write The Lord of the Rings as an allegory to the Christian story (as Lewis did with The Chronicles of Narnia)? The answer is unequivocally no. "But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in purposed domination by the author" (p. 7, The Fellowship of the Ring). Tolkien admits that any author will be influenced by his experience and while his faith would have influenced his writings there are no one-to-one Aragorn to Jesus ratios in the story of Middle-earth. Though I appreciate Tolkien's freedom of applicability to the reader, which opens to the door for many of my thoughts on his writings.
"The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of the readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them...as for the inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical or topical" (p. 6, The Fellowship of the Ring). I want to be absolutely clear on this point because many of my thoughts will relate to the Christian Story and my journey in it--that is my applicability and not Tolkien's allegory. For Tolkien it was his hand at fantasy. "This tale grew in the telling, until it became a history of the Great War of the Ring and included many glimpses of the yet more ancient history that preceded it" (p. 5, The Fellowship of the Ring). I hope to connect some of the dots of that more ancient history in my mind as I read and blog through Tolkien's works.
I'll note which of Tolkien's works each reading comes from as I move along. Some entries will be jam-packed with details that stood out to me. However, my plea to you is if you've not read Tolkien before please do so. If this blog could influence a few readers out there to invest in Tolkien's work, much like Peter Jackson's movie influenced me, I'd be thrilled. For this is a great story that has influenced my life. Tolkien defined a good fairy-story and being a harsh critic of his own work I don't know that he would have said The Lord of the Rings would meet this mark. I think it's rather spot on: "It is the mark of a good fairy-story, of the higher or more complete kind, that however wild its events, however fantastic or terrible the adventures, it can give to child or man that hears it, when the "turn" comes, a catch of breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to (or indeed accompanied by) tears, as keen as that given by any form of literary art, and having a peculiar quality" (p. 86, The Tolkien Reader).
Lastly, a very special and heartfelt thanks to Larry King who's extensive work on ordering chronologically Tolkien's work made this blog a reality. I've modified my reading schedule slightly from his but without his hard work I would not have known where to begin (or end as it were). Happy New Year! May 2013 bring peace, joy, and hobbity goodness to all.
Middle-earth timeline: Introduction (not set in Middle-earth)
Todays reading comes from: The Tolkien Reader, pages 33-90; The Fellowship of the Ring. pages 5-10
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