Evil Labours in Vain

All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labours with vast power and perpetual success — in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.

J.R.R. Tolkien, 1944 letter to son Christopher

The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings by Peter Kreeft

Oh, no! Not another book on Tolkien!
Why should you read this one?

This is the opening to Peter Kreeft's introduction and it is a fair question. It is why I waited so long to try it. I've got a lot of excellent books about The Lord of the Rings and it was hard to see how this was going to add anything new. Except, of course, that Peter Kreeft is a philosopher and so he looks at everything a little differently than most other authors.

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.

I was startled by his idea that it is our generation's Divine Comedy. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. No wonder it has inspired so many and hung on so long as a great book. No wonder I have so many excellent commentaries. How did people feel when the Divine Comedy came out? Possibly just the same! I like that feeling of fellowship with long ago readers of another book that I really love (though I do not understand the Divine Comedy nearly as well as LOTR, but then LOTR is my age's great book so it is written for me).

Virtues can be classified in many ways. One is "hard" versus "soft." Our ancestors were better at the "hard" ones, like courage, duty, honor, chastity, and obedience. We are better at the "soft" ones, like pity, mercy, sensitivity, and humility. We are shocked at their cruelty; they would be equally shocked by our laxity.

Highly recommended.

Updated: The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again ... and Related Reading

I wrote this back in 2012 and was looking it over because my Catholic women's book club is going to read The Lord of the Rings. I've added a few new resources.

Man oh man. I reread this for an upcoming discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. The Hobbit is the flavor of the month just at present thanks to the upcoming movie, so I'm sure I'm not the only one rereading and finding new insights.

It was still really good even though this is the umpteenth time I've read this classic. I took the opportunity to get the audiobook from the library because I wanted to pay special attention to the songs and poems which were so important to Tolkien but which I always tended to skip right over. I enjoyed being forced, as it were, to listen to them line by line because each time it gave me insight into the singer (or singers, as the case may be).

And can I just mention that Bilbo's burgling career gave me courage for something that I was going to try for the first time? (Not burgling, by the way.) So it is inspirational too. No, I'm not telling. You'll have to listen to the podcast to hear that story.

We're not really surprised, are we, that I finished The Hobbit and then had to hurry right on to my favorite of The Lord of the Ring trilogy? Of course we're not.

Rob Inglis' narration in The Hobbit wasn't perfect (meaning that his interpretation of various voices was not as I "heard" them in my mind's ear), however it was good enough.

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.

Key to my renewed enjoyment of Tolkien is The Tolkien Professor's 8-part series on The Hobbit and the fact that he's posted his lectures on the Lord of the Rings trilogy from his Tolkien class. He has really helped me to see below the surface of these very enjoyable stories to the Catholic worldview that anchored Tolkien and his storytelling.

Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit by Corey Olsen
This is the book that Corey Olsen wrote after his Tolkien Professor classes (see above) got popular. I love this book a lot. If you want to skip the podcasts, read this.

As many others have commented, I agree that one of the great strengths of this book is that Olsen only discusses The Hobbit, not The Lord of the Rings. As well, he uses a professorial style in simply pointing out things instead of hammering home his own conclusions repeatedly. It is refreshing and thought provoking, just as the best teaching should be.

The Annotated Hobbit: The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
All right, I admit I looked through this quickly, stopping to read whenever the author was NOT giving the original text of the story in the sidebar. Although it is interesting that the original story was retooled to give it more links with The Lord of the Rings, once it became clear that Tolkien was writing something on a larger scale ... as I say, that is interesting but I don't care to read the original.

What this book did, though, was awaken my respect for Tolkien as an artist and illustrator. I had no idea that he was so good at that aspect of story telling. For example, that book cover for the Hobbit at the top of this post was done by Tolkien himself.

Lessons in Manliness: The Hobbit
I do love this blog and it often has some of the most insightful articles. This is one such which isn't long but makes good points.

When it was originally published, it was put into the children’s category and even won prizes for best juvenile fiction that year. Tolkien himself, however, said that a simple tale like The Hobbit can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, making it a great story to read with your kids. ...

There are many lessons we can glean from The Hobbit, but we’ll focus on just a few of this classic tale’s most salient takeaways.

My Tolkien resources: get 'em here!

What's It All Mean? - Patron Saints and Patron Saints for the Year

When I review a book, I don't just post it here. I share the wealth by putting it at Goodreads, over at Patheos, and to just about anywhere I've got access. Which is a lot of places, now that I think of it.

At any rate my review of A Song For Nagasaki brought up some questions over at Goodreads. I had casually mentioned that Takashi Nagai was my selected patron for 2014 and that I'd chosen J.R.R. Tolkien for 2013 (click through on the review for more).

I may have equally bewildered folks here. Just in case, I thought I'd share that conversation. Keep in mind that questions are always welcome and that these answers weren't meant to be a comprehensive treatment of the subject.

What does taking someone as your patron for the year mean?

A patron saint in general is someone who you choose to guide or support or protect you. Catholics choose a patron saint when they are confirmed into the Church. It is often because one relates to the saint's life in some way or they are examples of something one likes. I chose my patron, St. Martha, because she's the patron saint of homemakers and cooks. I like both of those things. Turned out that when I was learning more about her life that we are a lot alike in personality, both in strengths and weaknesses. It's kind of like having a best friend who's ahead of you in school and who helps you through some of the hard or confusing bits. (This may all be really obvious info but better to have too much background than too little...)

Choosing a special patron saint for a new year is an old custom that has found favor again in some spots. It can be a name drawn from a hat of potential saints (one is really leaning on divine inspiration at that point) and there are several Catholic blogs out there that facilitate such choices. The idea is that one is being directed (with help) to become more aware of specific areas in life where special guidance might be necessary. Last year I took the choice into my own hands, asking J.R.R. Tolkien to give me a hand, based on the spiritual insights I received from rereading The Hobbit. I think the choice was inspired because it was so amazing for me.

We'll see how this year turns out with Takashi Nagai helping guide me ... but so far I have already been greatly assisted with a couple of areas in my life where I've needed extra awareness.

Very interesting! So was this one out of a hat then? :)

And does a patron saint for the year have to be Catholic? Or even a saint? Was Tolkien Catholic?

Easiest answer first ... Tolkien was a devout Catholic. He was a major influence on C.S. Lewis's discarding his atheism for Christianity, but was always frustrated that he didn't become Catholic.

Neither Tolkien nor Nagai are saints as recognized by the Church, although I read in a few places that Nagai is given the title Servant of God, which is the first step on the road to canonization. However, I felt that both were inspirational enough Catholics (because of their lives and works) that they could give me good, solid guidance during the year. That certainly proved to be the case with Tolkien and, as I mentioned, Nagai has definitely inspired me already this year.

The Church canonizes saints but she readily acknowledges that there are many, many saints of which she knows nothing. The ones that are recognized enough for canonization are the really big, obvious ones such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta. There are many, such as my grandfather, whose saintly qualities were recognized by all those who knew him but who expressed them through living a very normal life. My grandfather wasn't Catholic, though he was Christian, but he was definitely saintly and beloved by all.

We are all called to become saints. That, in fact, is our calling in life if one is Catholic. It seems like an impossible goal but if we are all doing God's will to our utmost in daily life then that is all that is required. ("All" ... haha!). Mothers, fathers, children, business men and women, can all be saintly wherever they are put. God put us where we are to bring Him into the world in all parts of life.

Neither Tolkien or Nagai were out of a hat. I chose both based on particular circumstances of my life at the time.

Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!

In celebration, eat second breakfast. Then elevensies.

via ThinkGeek's Facebook page

Pick a Saint for 2013. J.R.R. Tolkien for me!

For a few years it was a thing around the Catholic internet to choose an extra saint (or have one drawn for you) when the new liturgical year began. I did that for a while but invariably would forget my "extra" saint, though I know they were so good as to remember me.

Brandon Vogt reminded me of this habit when he wrote about choosing a saint for 2013. You know, it seems easier when I think of the calendar year somehow. He linked to Jen Fulwiler's saint's name generator (a clever invention, to be sure ... she's into writing code to relax ... I also have a pal who enjoys reading math books to relax ... love 'em both but do NOT understand them).

So I gave it a whirl.

The results:

St. Vladimir I of Kiev

Feast: July 15

Patronage: Converts; Parents of Large Families; Reformed and Penitent Murderers

Eeek! I don't like what that last bit may imply ... but I'm going to ignore it and focus on the "converts" part.

============

What I really liked about Brandon's pick-a-saint post was that he chose C.S. Lewis as his patron last year. Not canonized, but Brandon gives his reasoning, which I fully agree with.

Here's the thing. Brandon's articulating something that I've been doing unconsciously, but didn't notice until his post helped me recognize the pattern.

Lately, I have been turning to my favorite author-mentors in the last few months with special petitions: Flannery O'Connor, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien.

It seems to be a natural outgrowth of my tendency to focus on one of those authors for about a year at a time.

First I read Habit of Being and fell in love with Flannery. Then I became attracted to C.S. Lewis, both due to my book club and many encounters online. Now, I am hip-deep in J.R.R. Tolkien's writing and yearning to read his letters. Now that I think of it, that began around the beginning of the liturgical year when I reread The Hobbit for A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. He's tricksy, that J.R.R.

Let's put a saver on Dorothy Day as I have been dipping into her letters and writing for Catholic Worker a little.

I like the idea that these authors who had saintly yearnings are looking out for those of us who noodle around with words.

At this point, I'm happy to hang with these authors in general, but it seems to me that my year is going to be under J.R.R. Tolkien's protection.

Thanks Brandon!

Tolkien and Evil

... this is a strain in Tolkien I don't quite trust. He seems to have greater confidence in evil than in good.

At the end of Lord of the Rings the triumph of good leads to the destruction of nearly everything good. Lothlorien is abandoned, the Shire is overrun with foulness, and the elves all leave Middle Earth.

It is naive to assume that the triumph of good means good results for all; however, it is equally naive to assume that evil consistently betters good.

Flos Carmeli

I think that this is a rather glum take on the end of Lord of the Rings. True, it is not the shiningly complete victory we would like but neither is it the practically complete triumph of evil that is presented above. Sam finds a good and happy life in the Shire as he helps return it to normalcy. Aaragorn rules with a fair and good hand in the lands over which he has sway. Indeed, it is sad that the Elvish folk leave Middle Earth but, as they themselves point out, it is their time to go. Nothing stays as it is forever. That doesn't mean it is a triumph of evil but merely that it is the way of the world for the order of things to change. It is reflecting the way the world really works in the story. We may not always like the change but we can't see the big picture either. I haven't read The Children of Hurin, in large part because I dislike reading others' attempts to finish deceased authors' unfinished works. There is never any telling where the original author might have taken the tale with further work.

It seems to me that perhaps the above comment is a misunderstanding of Tolkien's completely Catholic view of our world. Please pardon my sketchy theology, but if Satan is prince of this world, then we should not really expect a complete triumph here ... certainly not by our efforts, at any rate. Jesus' victory in procuring our salvation means that we will see triumph in the next world but we are not necessarily promised more here ... as Tolkien points out in the excerpt from a letter below.

I am a Christian, and indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect "history" to be anything but a long defeat -- though it contains (and in a legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or glimpses of final victory.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Obviously, this is not a comprehensive treatment of the question that Steven raised above ... just my overall view of it.