Close Reads and The Lord of the Rings

I've been listening to the Close Reads podcast for several years off and on, depending on what they're reading. They discuss books indepth from a classical education perspective which feeds into a homeschooling, Christian audience. That is reflected in their Facebook page which has varied and lively discussions and I regularly check in there too. I especially enjoyed their discussions of True Grit, Death Comes for the Archbishop, Anne of Green Gables, Frankenstein, and Rebecca (a book I detest but which they loved — the discussion was so interesting I just kept listening). They've covered a lot more ground than that so definitely check them out.

Their Patreon subscriber episodes got me through Crime and Punishment, for which I am duly grateful. Russian novels and I don't mix, but the Close Reads conversation pulled me into mostly enjoying that book. 

When they announced they were going to read The Lord of the Rings  I was planning on skipping it. I've read many commentaries on the book and have never found anything that I liked better than Corey Olsen's masterful classes at Mythgard Academy (free!). After all, Olsen's original Tolkien Professor classes were the ones that made me pick up LOTR for a fourth time and finally get through it. Now I consider LOTR the best book ever written, so that's a debt I will never forget. Naturally, I figured between all those other references I'd heard most of the takes on it. 

Then I started seeing outbursts of praise in the Facebook group which piqued my interest so I bit. Finishing up their six-episode discussion of The Fellowship of the Ring, I must add to that outburst of praise. Their conversation is not afraid to dip into Christian viewpoints which resonate with my own take and deepen it considerably. The classical viewpoint also adds richness to appreciating the wisdom J.R.R. Tolkien has woven into the story. The Close Reads discussions equal and complement the Mythgard classes in the best possible way.

Mostly, I thrill to the love and admiration for this work which so clearly emanates from Heidi White and Ian Andrews. They have enhanced my own love of the book which I already thought was the best book ever written. (The host, David Kern, clearly likes the book but he doesn't match the geeking out and love that Heidi and Ian show).

If you're a Tolkien fan and a Christian you're going to want to try this out. The $5 Patreon subscription gets you access to both the LOTR and Crime and Punishment series. They are over halfway through The Two Towers and I look forward to having my mind blown regularly as I journey alongside.

Lord of the Rings — Resources for Digging Deeper

Some of my favorite resources for opening up the Lord of the Rings. (For resources on The Hobbit, look here.)

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AUDIOBOOKS
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Listening to the audiobooks along with the Tolkien Professor (below) is what helped me get through The Lord of the Rings the first time. At that time the only option were the Rob Inglis recordings. They are beloved by many although I never felt they were more than serviceable. 

Much more recently Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the movies, demonstrated his other talents by recording The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These are masterful readings and I highly recommend them.

Listen to both and you'll find your own perfect audio entry into The Lord of the Rings.

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MY ESSENTIALS
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These are the resources that brought the book alive for me
Your milage may vary. (Which is why I have plenty of other options below!)

The Tolkien Professor

Undergraduate Tolkien Survey

This is what began opening up The Lord of the Rings for me. After listening to these recordings of Corey Olsen's class, I was determined to read the book, despite having failed several times to get further than The Fellowship of the Ring. Thanks to the audiobooks and these classes, I did it! I've now read it over 10 times.

Download the classes from the link above. They are clearly labeled and if you only want Lord of the Rings, begin with week 8.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: 

Understanding Middle-Earth

by Bradley J. Birzer

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

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LISTENING
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Mythgard Academy

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Two Towers

The Return of the King

The Tolkien Professor was so popular that Corey Olsen was able to begin Mythgard Academy, offering free on-line book courses and later branching out into an actual on-line university. If you like the Tolkien Professor's classes, these are essentially the same but more in-depth. I love them. Scroll down at the link to see all the past classes, beginning with the LOTR ones. There are links for different ways to get them - watching or listening.

 

Close Reads

Their conversation is not afraid to dip into Christian viewpoints which resonate with my own take and deepen it considerably. The classical viewpoint also adds richness to appreciating the wisdom J.R.R. Tolkien has woven into the story. The Close Reads discussions equal and complement the Mythgard classes in the best possible way. If you're a Tolkien fan and a Christian you're going to want to try this out. The $5 Patreon subscription gets you access to the LOTR discussions. My full commentary of their series is here.

 

A Good Story is Hard to Find

Scott and I did a two-part series on the book. Part 1, Part 2.

(We also discussed the movies in this episode. Because, you know, we're completists.)

SFFaudio Podcast

Because one set of discussions was not enough (when is it ever?) ... I also joined this discussion with Jesse, Seth, and Maissa at SFFaudio.

This is a 6-part series as we talked about LOTR following the way Tolkien divided the books up in sections.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

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READING

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The Gospel According to Tolkien: 
Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth

by Ralph C. Wood

The Gospel According to Tolkien examines biblical and Christian themes that are found in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Some of the insights I already knew, but others are from things I didn't know referencing a larger literary view, Tolkien's past, history, and Christianity. Wood is a graceful and interesting writer. I bought this one.

Lord of the Elves and Eldils: 
Fantasy and Philosophy in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

by Richard L. Purtill

I was surprised to see that quite a bit of this winds up addressing Tolkien's critics. I had no idea how many people, both positively and negatively inclined, have tried to shove The Lord of the Rings into their own narrow worldview. It is really interesting to see how much broader Tolkien, with his devout Catholic worldview, has managed to be simply because he himself wanted to write a story that was pre-Christian. I bought this one. My full review here.

The Power of the Ring:
The Spiritual Vision Behind the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
Stratford Caldecott

A great book looking under the surface of The Lord of the Rings and, indeed, all of Tolkien's writing through the lens of his devout Catholicism. This book impressed and inspired me so much that I began reading more of Caldecott's books including All Things Made New, The Radiance of Being, and Fruits of the Spirit — all of which I highly recommend.

 

The Battle for Middle Earth:
Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings
by Fleming Rutledge

Instead of zeroing in on themes and then pulling examples from throughout the text, Rutledge takes the unusual tactic of working her way through the book from beginning to end, commenting along the way on the links between the book and Christian themes. It is very effective because we can see the themes develop and grow as the story itself grows in complexity. There are many good insights that open up the book even further for the attentive reader. My full review is here.

The Philosophy of Tolkien: 
The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings

by Peter Kreeft 

 

This was like a class in applied philosophy. Peter Kreeft looks at the philosophies embodied in The Lord of the Rings and also explains basic philosophical concepts along the way. It is obvious that Kreeft just loves The Lord of the Rings and it is hard not to join in with that enthusiasm. I was able to grasp the philosophical concepts with an ease that I usually don't feel.

My full review here.

 

 

On the Shoulders of Hobbits: 

The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis

 by Louis Markos

I've read several other books looking deeper into The Lord of the Rings, in particular, and this book still managed to provide new ideas for reflection. Markos really does a fantastic job of revealing the characteristics of various characters in Middle-Earth and Narnia and the virtues we can see in them. This is a thoughtful and thought provoking book which I can't recommend highly enough. My full review here.

 

The Fellowship: 
The Literary Lives of the Inklings 
by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski

I've read enough about Tolkien, Lewis, and the Inklings that I resisted this behemoth of a book at first. What hooked me was that the authors delve into both their faith and their literary works more deeply than the other things I've read. I read slowly, just picking it up here and there, and it was oh so satisfying. My full review is here.

J.R.R. Tolkien: 
A Biography 
by Humphrey Carpenter

Like Dr. Who's TARDIS, we're all bigger on the inside and Tolkien's inner landscape held a vast imagination coupled with interest in so many topics that he was sometimes unable to finish a project unless prodded by deadlines or friends. It is Humphrey Carpenter's ability to reconcile Tolkien's inner and outer man, while including his popular fiction in the timeline, that make this book so riveting. We feel we truly know J.R.R. Tolkien by the end. My full review here.

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