The aim of the author is to help a reader understand the philosophical underpinnings of the world(s) Tolkien created. He does this by using a tremendous amount of sources (a quarter of the books is the appendix in the back listing all of them) and is clearly very familiar with more of Tolkien's writing than just the the popular Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and the Simarillion.

The author delves into Tolkien's past and faith and genuflects in depth on the way these inform the philosophy of the Lord of the Rings world. His explanation of the difference between true myth and allegory in the writings of Tolkien is one of the clearest I have run across. If you recall Tolkien was very specific that his work was in no way allegory. Yet, it reflected his faith very deeply and at times very clearly. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and his world has many reflections of the religious way Tolkien saw our world. I was very interested in the different biblical arch types represented by the characters Tolkien wrote and how Tolkien described how he came up with characters.

This books also deals (lightly) with some of the different movements that have adopted Tolkien's writing, the hippies, environmentalists, and even an effort by Italian fascists to use his works to support their aims. How Tolkien felt or would be likely to feel about these sorts of attempted usage is briefly discussed.

While this volume contains a biography of sorts of Tolkien this was not written to tell the story of his life but as the title tells you, to help readers understand the philosophy of Middle Earth. Probably not for the causal reader or someone who is looking for Tolkien's story.

Summarizes much of Tolkien's themes and legacy while cutting through assumptions and erroneous thinking that Tolkien himself attempted to dissuade. Also offered some insight onto Tolkien's life, relationships, and how he managed his fame after the Hobbit and LOTR were published.

tolkien believed that myth can teach men and women to be fully and truly men and women, not mere cogs in the vast machine of modern technological society.

for tolkien, even pagan myths attempted to express God's greater truths. True myth has the power to revive us, to serve as a way of bringing to conscious experience ancietn experiences with transcendence...myth could be perilous if it remained pagan...one must sanctify it...make it Christian and put it in God's service .this anamnesis is a way for peole to recall encounters with transcendence that had helped to order their souls and their society...it could offer a "sudden glimpse of truth", a brief view of heaven. At the very least, sanctified myth revealed the life humans were meant to have prior to the fall.

tolkien gave us a glimpse of the truth, beauty, and excellence that lies beyond and behind our tangible world. That glimpse, which leads to real joy, tolkien labeled the euchatrastrophe. In fantasy, one gains a "fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world...the ultimate fairy story, or true myth then is the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ...the heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact

tolkien wrote a piece in morgoth's ring to exlpain the reason for evil and the fall...men are both flesh and spirit but they often remember one at the exclusion of another...Illuvatar gave this restlessness to men so they would desire a return to their true home, heaven. Melkor precipitated the restlessness, lying that death was punishment, not a gift. men believed melkor, and they grew to resent illuvatar...evil labous with vast power and perpetual success--in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.
tolkien explains that god allowed the fall so that he could manifest his own sovereignty over Satan all the more, of Christ's incarnation, the spread of his light from one person to another, and the final consummation at Christ's return

frodo thinks that to be a true here he must sacrifice himself-but when he is still alive after the ring is destroyed he is stunned. he failed to realize his task was over. The divine economy is limited to what is sufficient for the accomplishment of the task appointed to one instrument in a pattern of circumstances and other instruments. to claim more, would be to claim the sole right of Jesus Christ, as the savior of mankind. Mercy belongs to God

tolkien hoped his myth would serve as an anamnesis, a return to right reason. he viewed this world and its history as irredemable through sheer human will or reason...in the end, though, evil will fail to corrupt the good, which to tolkien meant those saved and sanctified through Christ...this does not mean one should despair and abandon the world to the enemy or isolate oneself. on the contrary, one of the most important themes in tolkien is heroism as a result of grace. through his mystery, majesty, and grace, god allows evil to happen to that the good may do good.
frodos journey as the suffering servant-only at the last moments does the weight of the ring-symbolizing the weight of sin and temptation-become too great. even at the cracks of doom he has merely played out God's role for him. Carrying the cross changes him permanently

on religion in tolkien: the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism...one may find God in the plot itself. elements of true Christian herorism are represented by the 4 major characters: gandalf, the prophet; Aragorn, the kind; frodo, the priest; Same, the common man and servant...Middle earth is saved through the priestly self-sacrifice of the hobbit Frodo, thru wisdom and guidance of Gandalf and masery of Aragorn, heir of kinds. Also forces beyond these. As eash agent responds to his calling he grows in power and grace. each becomes increasingly christian...tolkien's myth echoes christian teaching in that once one accepts one's specific calling or vocation and employes one's gifts for the good of the body of Christ, the journey of sanctification begins.

the desctruction of the ring represents the victory of "christ's army" allowing persons like Sam to lead the peaceful lives they were meant to lead, and to thus freely enjoy the gifts that God gave them and intended them to use

Eternity beckons sam. he too will one day depart from the Grey Havens to the Blessed Realm and experiences, like Frodo, a purgatorial rest. But until then, Sam will enjoy his family and his garden

like a true prophet, Gandalf, the servant of the Flame Imperishable, inspires men to use their gifts for the greater good of society, to live up to the best of the past, and to transmit this tradition to future generations

in essence, the king and the prophet do what is demanded of them by providence. they willingly place themselves and their forces in a position that may prove their undoing and their death. as true servants of Illuvatar, they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the opportunity to serve the greater good.

"it is in making the good interesting that the inklings may have made their greatest contribution"

if we are profoundly moved by tolkien what are we to do? we as human persons are to sanctify our own gifts by putting them to the service of the betterment of ourselves, our community, our society, the Church, and the world...All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

tolkien wanted to teach his readers that God's grace, like faerie is everywhere. but we must be open to it, willing to accept it as freely given gift and realize, as Frodo did not when he desired martydrom at the cracks of mount doom, that we are given just enough to achieve our given task, an no more. tolkien's myth calls us to embrace that sanctity of each human person and our obligation to act as faithful stewards of creation. we are also called, like beowulf or aragon, to fight for the protection of the good and the oppressed, even to the point of self-sacrifice.

" i do so clearly believe that no half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly."

Simply excellent overview that ties together Tolkien's underlying worldview from both his life and from his literature.

We underestimate the power of myth and stories. Myths provide meaning through the beauty it communicates. Cultures are shaped by the legends, epics, and myths we tell.

One of the reasons I love Tolkien's legendarium is because it is full of truth, goodness, and beauty. Bradley Birzer's book shows you the wonder of Tolkien's work and how it shapes us.

He gives you an excellent mini biography of Tolkien, explains the importance of myth and subcreation, shows the nature of evil, what heroism looks like, and how we can escape modernity.

His footnotes and citations are like a 1/4 of the book showing that this is well researched. You get to see Tolkien's humanity yet also his love for God.

There is much to meditate and think on in this book.

Such a delightful read!

This is an astonishingly good book, due mainly to the fact that Birzer has done his homework better than many of the more recent works on the Inklings. I wish we could have induced him to write a full biography of Tolkien. This is the first book I've read, for example, that uses quotes from Tolkien's many interviews and personal friendships.

The book is the best single-volume introduction to Tolkien, his world, and the theology at work in LOTR. The book begins with a biography of Tolkien (one chapter so as not to bore the reader), and it then moves seemlessly through discussions on C.S. Lewis, mythopoeia, explanations of Tolkien's legerdemain, Catholic-Protestant relations, England, Anglo-Saxon history, etc.--and it does all of this in 137 pages, even though it saves a few pages to give an initial impression of Peter Jacksonn's "Fellowship of the Ring". I was dubious at first that a book this short would provide any real insights into Tolkien, but I would dub it a poor-man's version of the deeper analysis done by Kreeft and Thomas Howard. His philosophical musings are not as lengthy, but they get the reader moving down the right path.

Above all Birzer is careful with his language, speaking matter-of-factly about complex debates involving Tolkien's works, and yet he has cobbled together material in such a way as to answer a number of questions simply and effectively.

Case in point: the ongoing strain on the relationship between Tolkien and Lewis. English wonks and literary historians tend to treat this with a shrug and a passing comment that Tolkien was jealous of the relationship between Lewis and Charles Williams, or they offer an obligatory send-up to the fact that Lewis was Ulster Protestant and Tolkien Roman Catholic. Birzer navigates this relationship exceedingly well, giving us more personal insights as to the hurt Tolkien suffered at the hands of Lewis and others for his Roman Catholic beliefs. What emerges is an intuitive sense as to how the relationship drifted apart, though it never fully ruptured, and it later provoked Tolkien to mourn the fact that he never healed their relationship once Lewis had died.

A very cool look at Tolkien's personal story, worldview, and writing. This book took me back to my Literature classes in college. A very cool read.

My favorite take away: Tolkien believed that Christians should "sanctify the pagan" which means to utilize that which is within the culture to serve Christ's kingdom. Although Tolkien hated modernity, he still believed we should engage it and take the broken things of this world and renew them. I feel exactly that way about technology. We can't change that it's a part of our world, but we can decide how will we utilize it. Tolkien says, "Sanctify it".

Extremely interesting, I would never notice the more subtle inspirations and symbolisms without reading this.

Another aspect is how Catholic faith served as inspiration, but not as a way to have a preaching allegory. After all, most people can read/watch the series without really ever noticing or bothering with such aspects, while they provide deeper layers for those who delve into it.

“Our time, sick nigh unto death of utilitarianism and literalness, cries out for myth and parable. Great myths are not merely susceptible of rational interpretation: they are truth, transcendent truth.” - Russell Kirk

“He who has no sympathy with myths has no sympathy with men.” - G.K. Chesterton

Bradley Birzer’s book was published in 2003, a couple years after Peter Jackson’s LOTR movies hit the big screen and the world was hungry (once again) for insight about Tolkien’s world. A Catholic Christian and a professor at Hillsdale College, Birzer's voice is valuable for bringing forth the contours of mind that made the beloved Professor unique among 20th century novelists. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth paints an inspiring and detailed portrait of Tolkien as Christian humanist and subcreator. Placing JRRT the company of figures such as Russell Kirk, Christopher Dawson, Romano Guardini, G.K. Chesterton, and of course C.S. Lewis, Birzer skillfully shows how those two categories can help us understand Tolkien’s mind, the better to enjoy his works. And ultimately, to become more human.

This is a fantastic introduction, and yet, the waters are deep. To any interested, I’d recommend starting here, and if you want more pick up Tom Shippey’s The Road to Middle Earth, which, so far in my reading list, can’t be beat for making out the meaning of Tolkien’s legendarium. That book is less Catholic however, and so Birzer’s complements it well.

A must-read for even the mild Tolkien appreciater. 4-stars instead of 5 because not everyone spends their day-to-day life alongside walking, talking Tolkien encyclopedias, and so probably hasn't grown an interest in the spiritual biography of the books. Also, the author was just a tad too keen on defending Tolkien against Lewis. Otherwise, fantastic.

There's some fantastic quotes in here, particularly in the Introduction. Birzer's writing is excellent: wide vocabulary, nuanced, doesn't over-explain, and yet is easy to follow. You can feel he writes from a Catholic perspective, which makes sense for Tolkien.

The idea of the "true myth" in Lewis's and Tolkien's writing is one of my favorite topics. The only problem is that I wanted even more! He barely scratches the surface, and I wish Birzer would have gone even further. What is the next step for this thesis?

[Rounding up from 3.5]

This book is an insightful and helpful exposition of the message and themes of Tolkien’s life work. At a brief 137 pages (subtracting the endnotes), it’s just too short, but it’s remarkable how much useful analysis Birzer is able to pack in. I might have been more satisfied had he elaborated for another 100 pages.


Here’s an excerpt:

“The lessons of Tolkien mythology, finally, are simple, straightforward, old-fashioned, and hence, unfashionable. For one, Tolkien wanted to teach his readers that God‘s grace, like faerie, is everywhere. But we must be open to it, willing to accept it as a freely given gift, and realize, as Frodo did not when he desired martyrdom at the Cracks of Mount Doom, that we are given just enough to achieve our given task, and no more. Tolkien’s myth calls us to embrace the sanctity of each human person and our obligation to act as faithful stewards of creation. We are also called, like Beowulf or Aragorn, to fight for the protection of the good and the oppressed, even to the point of self-sacrifice. And we must not shy from doing the right thing, regardless of what those around us may think as a result… And finally, we must expect dark ages, as man is fallen and easily succumbs to sin. ‘The evil of Sauron,’ Gandolf laments, ‘cannot be wholly cured.’ The gulags, holocaust camps, and killing fields of the 20th century refute utopian optimism.

“And yet, Tolkien believed just as firmly that there is always hope. Even deep in Mordor…that hope and especially the grace imparted by the incarnation, reminds us that we must sanctify the world and “redeem the time.”

Catholic theology in the LOTR? Yes, Birzer gives the worldview that helped shape Tolkien's mythology.
Tolkien wrote that the chief purpose of life, for any one of us, is to increase according to our capacity our knowledge of God by all the means we have, and to be moved by it to praise and thanks. To do as we say in the Gloria in Excelsis... We praise you, we call you holy, we worship you, we proclaim your glory, we thank you for the greatness of your splendour. And in moments of exaltation we may call on all created things to join in our chorus, speaking on their behalf... all mountains and forests, all things that creep and birds on the wing."