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.

cover begins here

The "Steadying Brakes" of God's Laws

A single novel — a single sentence! — unlocked a great truth for me. Man needed the "steadying brakes of God's laws and the sacrifice of One who stands in for all of history's victims and perpetrators. The old "thou shalts" and the heartbreaking sacrifice that I read about in Saint Matthew's Gospel were a bulwark against totalitarianism, perhaps the only durable ones. The God who revealed himself in the moral law, and who condescended to be scourged by his creation — this God was a liberator.

Sohab Amari; From Fire, By Water

Tuna Boat at Sea

Maxime Maufra, Tuna Boat, 1907
via Arts Everyday Living

So that you do and accomplish that which, at the hour of your death, you will wish to have done.

May our Lord increase the days of [your] life for many years, and may he grant you to feel, in this present life, his most holy will and the spiritual strength to fulfill it, so that you do and accomplish that which, at the hour of your death, you will wish to have done.”

St. Francis Xavier's letter to King John III of Portugal

from Malacca in Malaysia, June 23, 1549

via the Novena of Grace, Day 1

Yes, please. Going in my prayer journal.

Eega (Fly)

Totally amazing movie about a guy murdered by his rival in love ... who is reincarnated as a fly. And is still determined to take vengeance on his murderer and protect his love. No wonder this director got funding for the first Baahubali. Everyone had seen this heartwarming, thrilling story of the little fly that could.

We were particularly impressed (as was everyone else who saw this, from the reviews we read) by Sudeep's performance as the deadly villain. It is not everyone who can essentially carry a movie while acting with a fly, and a CGI fly at that. He was completely convincing.

This really must be seen to be believed. Originating in a joke between the director and his main screenwriter (his hardworking father), this movie delivers in a way that continually surprised us, bouncing between humor, danger, thrills, and just a little horror. It is delivered in an efficient two hours, including two dance numbers and a musical training montage.

This is available on Netflix. You may wind up finding it as Makkhi (Hindi for fly) since this southern Indian film has been translated from the original Telugu-Tamil language film into Hindi (with English captions, thank goodness).

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

An American's Guide to Bollywood discusses Eega.

Being amply repaid with popularity

Emma did not repent her condescension in going to the Coles. The visit afforded her many pleasant recollections the next day; and all that she might be supposed to have lost on the side of dignified seclusion, must be amply repaid in the splendour of popularity. She must have delighted the Coles — worthy people, who deserved to be made happy! — and left a name behind her that would not soon die away.

Jane Austen, Emma

I'm very slowly rereading this, picking it up now and then and reading great swatches because I can't tear myself away. I'd forgotten how funny it is. Some parts I'd recalled such as Miss Bates monologues, but things like Emma's self-satisfaction at giving such great pleasure to others with her mere presence — well, those I had forgotten. And I laugh at them every time.

Blogging Around: Inspiration in Trying Times

It turns out you’re the only one who thinks your family looks like a mess.
JD Flynn talks about how simply going to Mass as a family inspired a woman to not have an abortion.

We often feel self-conscious at Mass. We’re like a circus act. Three kids, two of them with Down syndrome, singing loudly off key, intoning the priest’s parts, talking about Elmo, throwing things, farting, bickering, occasionally bolting for the sanctuary. ...

It turns out you’re the only one who thinks your family looks like a mess. And God is using the messes of our families to love other people, even when we don’t know it

Via Elizabeth Scalia.

The Hard Slog of Sanctity Starts Here
I don't know faithful Catholics who are saying "I'm done" because they are demoralized and overwhelmed, but I know they are out there. I know that the clergy in our parish are hearing from them and from those who are very angry. So I'm lucky in my friends that way. And I know this is when we need to get our second wind and remember that St. Paul talked about the faith as a race in which we shouldn't fall by the wayside, that we would need endurance to get to the finish line. And that's where we are now.

Elizabeth Scalia is hearing from these tired out, faithful Catholics also. She's got some encouragement that is bracing. Here's a bit but read it all.

These are difficult, challenging days, and the utter fury roiling through our guts, our hearts, and our minds as we read these stories is understandable. The rage is righteous, and its energy is real.

Still, all of our anger will count for nothing if we do not channel that energy into action that goes beyond venting on social media and declaring that we’re “done.” Rather than walking away, we—each one of us—will have to roll up our sleeves and teach the institutional Church how to actually be a church again.

Dear Gay Catholic Priests,
Jennifer Fitz hits it out of the park with this open letter (the way she always does). Go read it. Here's a bit to tempt you.

I’ve been reading about your plight in the New York Times. So let’s go ahead and clear something up right now: Most Catholics don’t give a rip who it is you’re not having sex with. ...

I have good news for you: There are other Catholics who want to be faithful to our vows — whether that be the vows of ordination, or marriage, or baptism, we’re all in this together. We’ve all made the commitment to do our best to order our actions to our state in life, and no you are not the only one who faces fierce temptations to act on urges that are not consistent with our human dignity.

So if you want support in keeping your vows, we’re out here. ...

You are made for eternal glory. God who loves you wants you in Heaven forever with Him, and so do all sane men.

From Fire By Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith: Sohrab Ahmari

My native land smelled of dust mingled with stale rosewater. There was enjoyment in Iran and grandeur of a kind, to be sure. But when it wasn't burning with ideological rage, it mainly offered mournful nostalgia. Those were its default modes, rage and nostalgia. I desired something more. ...

The Iranian way was irrational. It wasn't modern. "Rational" and "modern" were my watchwords from a very young age. I had fuzzy notions of what these terms meant, but this merely magnified my enthusiasm for them. If the Western way was better than the non-Western, then America was best of all. America was the vanguard of Western-ness. The fact that all our leaders constantly denounced the evils of "Waa-shang-ton" was sure proof of this. America stood at the forefront of the modern and the rational, and that was where I belonged.

If you had told me, before I set out, that decades later I would find the heart of the West somewhere entirely different—in events that took place on a dusty, blood-stained hilltop on the outskirts of ancient Jerusalem—I would have cackled in disbelief.

Sohrab Ahmari was the spoiled darling of his intellectual, liberal Iranian family. Immigrating to Utah, he was rapidly disillusioned about his ideas of a secular, rational, modern America. Searching for meaning, he discovered Nietzsche, as so many have done. Ironically, that began a very long process that ended in the Catholic Church.

As well as being a personal journey, this book almost serves as an overview of modern man's search for meaning. Ahmari moves from Nietzsche to the existentialists to Marxism and politics. His own experiences under the Iranian regime and with life in general reveal flaws in all these philosophies even as he devotes himself to secularism with ever increasing fervor. And it is through these cracks that Ahmari experiences epiphanies which gradually lead to recognition of the truth of Jesus' sacrifice as necessary for salvation.

This is a very readable book and I was fascinated by the continual backdrop of Iranian culture which so often informed Ahmari as to the truth or falseness of different philosophical theories. I really loved the last fourth of the book when names like Robert Alter, Pope Benedict XVI, and Augustine began popping up. Now we were in the same wheel house of intellectual and philosophical influences.

I also found Ahmari's deep understanding of the Fall and Christ's passion and sacrifice to deepen my own understanding. I reread the last part of the book twice for this very reason. Ahmari feels bad because he denied Christ for many years past when he should have converted, but to see his matter-of-fact embrace of such facts provides a witness that is all the more powerful for knowing his story.

Highly recommended.

God Through Binoculars by Danusha Goska

A spiritual memoir and travelogue, God through Binoculars: A Hitchhiker at a Monastery is about where you go when you have nowhere left to go. After a difficult childhood and a series of tragedies and misfortunes, author Danusha Goska finds herself without hope for the future. She decides on a retreat at a remote Cistercian monastery. What results is a story about family, friends, nature, and God; the Ivory Tower and the Catholic Church. 

I read God through Binoculars at breakneck speed. Danusha sent me her document some time ago when it was still just her journal notes, as she put it, disclaiming any notion of publishing. I read it in a day and urged her to look for a publisher. Now that it has indeed become a book I find it just as gripping and hard to put down. The problem is how to describe what makes it so compelling.

Danusha's book is as hard to pin down as quicksilver. She grabs you by the hand to veer from personal stories to sightings on a walk to evolution to God's love for the predator and the prey and then darts onward in a way that leaves you breathless but willingly running to keep up. At times there is a stream of consciousness aspect that is nonetheless fascinating. It is all permeated with humor, self awareness, and a sense of God's small, still voice.

Perhaps most valuable this book challenges the reader about their own assumptions, albeit from a devoutly Catholic standpoint. Although just because she's a devout Catholic doesn't mean Danusha doesn't occasionally rage against the machine. As she contemplates the hawk and the squirrel, pinworms and the Spirograph, hyenas and new socks, we are called to consider the inner truths such things point toward ... and share Danusha's pilgrimage.

I love Danusha's absolute honesty. She puts it all out there for us. It can be occasionally raw, politically incorrect, and distressing. Have you read the Bible lately? She's in good company. There are also transcendent moments that inspire and open the way for God's grace.

This would be an excellent book for Lenten reading. Or for anytime.

Allan the Hunter: A Tale of Three Lions

Allan the Hunter: A Tale of Three Lions by H. Rider Haggard
via Books and Art

The church is always God hung between two thieves.

The church is always God hung between two thieves. Thus, no one should be surprised or shocked at how badly the church has betrayed the gospel and how much it continues to do so today. It has never done very well. Conversely, however, nobody should deny the good the church has done either. It has carried grace, produced saints, morally challenged the planet, and made, however imperfectly, a house for God to dwell in on this earth.

To be connected with the church is to be associated with scoundrels, warmongers, fakes, child-molesters, murderers, adulterers and hypocrites of every description. It also, at the same time, identifies you with saints and the finest persons of heroic soul within every time, country, race and gender. To be a member of the church is to carry the mantle of both the worst sin and the finest heroism of the soul ... because the church always looks exactly as it looked at the original crucifixion, God hung among thieves.

Ronald Rolheiser

I wish it wasn't necessary to dig this out of my quote journal one more time, but here we are — back at the mirror of the original crucifixion.

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!

Dance at Bougival

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Dance at Bougival

One half of the world ...

That is the case with us all, papa. One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

Jane Austen, Emma

For example, that is the case with this very book. It is often called too long and boring with a disagreeable "heroine."

To be fair, Jane Austen wrote to someone that she was writing a heroine who no one would like but her. I do like Emma though. And I like her father also. Both are annoying in their habits, but when you've read about them long enough — especially the father — you begin to see how Austen is drawing them out for comic effect.

I've gotten to the point in rereading Emma that when the father begins his series of gentle objections on behalf of the comfort of others, I know I'm going to see comic genius in the way that others wriggle out of his proposals.

A Little Bit of Flannery ... and her sense of humor

How can you not grow to like someone who tells a story like this with such humor? From The Habit of Being.

... Dear old Van Wyke insisted that I read a story at which horror-stricken looks appeared on the faces of both Caroline and Sue. "Read the shortest one!" they both screamed. I read "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and Mr. Brooks later remarked to Miss Jenkins that it was a shame someone with so much talent should look upon life as a horror story. Malcolm was very polite and asked me if I had a wooden leg.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (A Match Made By God)

Surinder Sahni is a mild-mannered office worker who loves from afar his former professor's daughter, the beautiful and vivacious Taani. When tragedy strikes, the professor arranges their marriage. Fighting loneliness in her new home, Taani enters a dance class/competition. Surinder disguises himself to watch her when fate steps in and he becomes her partner as the brash Raj. It's all fun until he realizes Taani is falling in love with Raj. He's losing his wife ... to himself!

We watched this on Sunday evening after helping present the Beyond Cana marriage retreat for three days.

All we expected was a romantic comedy with India's top star playing a double role as a nerd and an obnoxious "cool" dancer. It was a solid comedy and a funny, sweet look at true love. But it delivered a lot more.

• Not knowing the translation of the title, we were surprised to find the strong theme of “seeing God in your beloved.”
  
  
• I certainly didn't expect to find an overwhelming example of covenantal love when Suri humbly doesn't expect anything in return for his love.
  
  
• Also, "Jodi" means "pair." So the subtitle is: "There is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary couple."

So it was all amazingly appropriate considering our marriage retreat mindset of the moment! Plus, this is possibly Shah Rukh Khan's most charming role. And I'll admit it — I came to see King Khan. It was super entertaining!

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast - Scott and I discussed this movie in episode 209. Listen in!

An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast - Hannah and Rose discuss it here.

When we have been wounded by the Church ...

When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say, “I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,” we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness.

It is important to think about the Church not as “over there” but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.

Henri Nouwen

They have invented a phrase — ‘free-love’ — as if a lover ever had been, or ever could be, free.

The revolt against vows has been carried in our day even to the extent of a revolt against the typical vow of marriage. It is most amusing to listen to the opponents of marriage on this subject. They appear to imagine that the ideal of constancy was a yoke mysteriously imposed on mankind by the devil, instead of being, as it is, a yoke consistently imposed by all lovers on themselves. They have invented a phrase, a phrase that is a black and white contradiction in two words — ‘free-love’ — as if a lover ever had been, or ever could be, free. It is the nature of love to bind itself, and the institution of marriage merely paid the average man the compliment of taking him at his word. Modern sages offer to the lover, with an ill-favoured grin, the largest liberties and the fullest irresponsibility; but they do not respect him as the old Church respected him; they do not write his oath upon the heavens, as the record of his highest moment. They give him every liberty except the liberty to sell his liberty, which is the only one that he wants.

G. K. Chesterton, A Defence of Rash Vows

I had mistaken being spoiled for being strong

But then I had long mistaken being spoiled for being strong, being defiant for being independent, being reckless for being brave.

Tami Hoag, Dark Horse

Is this because we lack the proper role models, the proper grounding in something larger than our popular culture? I haven't read this book but this quote seems insightful.

Bridge on the Seine

Edward Hopper, Bridge on the Seine
via WikiArt

I love Hopper. I love Paris. I love bridges. Now we know why this painting is here today.

Bang Bang! Delightful Cotton Candy.

A chance encounter of the unassuming bank receptionist Harleen Sahni with the charming yet mysterious Rajveer Nanda, results in an on-rush of ditched planes, car chases, shoot-outs, bombing raids and general global mayhem. But as the transcontinental chase ensues with Rajveer convincing Harleen that he’s the good guy, can she really trust him, and will trust matter when the bullets start flying?

A light, frothy take on a Tom Cruise movie (Knight and Day) with, of course, delightful dancing and pushing the envelope with a lingering kiss (gasp!). Lots of mindless fun. I never saw Knight and Day, but Rose did and she says this is much superior.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Hannah and Rose discuss it in episode 37 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

Here's my favorite dance number (and everyone else's — 75 million views) from the film. Because no one dances quite like Hrithik Roshan.

In the world it is called Tolerance

In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair ... the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.

Dorothy L. Sayers

Sommarnöje

Anders Zorn, Sommarnöje, 1886

Words are charged with power

To a Jew a word was not merely a sound; it did things. As Dr. John Paterson puts it in The Book That is Alive: "The spoken word in Hebrew was fearfully alive. It was not merely a vocable or sound dropped heedlessly from unthinking lips. It was a unit of energy charged with power. It is energized for weal or for woe."

William Barclay,

The Revelation of John, vol. 2

This concept is one I knew but that "unit of energy charged with power" has rung in my brain since I read it. We know this deep in our bones. It's why we get so hurt and strike back if someone insults us. It's why our political conversations are so charged and so many people seem to be angry and ready to take offense. We aren't guarding our tongues, our words, our power, enough.

Blogging Around: In the Catholic News

Here are a couple  stories that I've been following, like many concerned Catholics.

SEX ABUSE CRISIS

American Bishops Press Ahead With Own Reforms
Despite the Vatican shutting down American bishops' general plans to institute unilateral U.S. reforms until after the Vatican's conference this month, many bishops are going ahead on their own. Good on 'em! I know that Texas bishops have been publishing lists of priests credibly accused of sexual offenses.

The Dallas diocese's list went public last week and the bishop had a letter read in every parish. I heard him talk about it at Mass last Sunday as he was visiting as many parishes as possible to give his message in person (his target was 11 on Sunday). Read here for what other bishops around the country are doing.

‘Zero tolerance’ doesn’t seem an inflated expectation for pope’s summit
The pope and the Vatican have been working to reduce "inflated expectations" for the upcoming Vatican conference on the sexual abuse crisis. John Allen comments on this.

The pontiff ticked off how he sees the main points of the meeting:

• To foster awareness of the “terrible suffering” experienced by an abused child.
• To help bishops understand the procedures to follow in abuse cases.
• To make sure that awareness of the problem and procedures arrives to “all the episcopal conferences.”

To some extent, these efforts to frame expectations are completely reasonable, because it is artificial to expect three days in Rome to change the world. Further, since so much of the action in the anti-abuse effort is local, success will rise or fall not on what happens here, but in the various places to which these bishops must return.

That said, it’s also terribly frustrating to survivors of abuse, to reformers who’ve invested their best efforts over decades, and to rank-and-file Catholics whose faith has been shaken, to hear they’re asking too much. Americans especially would have cause to be irked, since they’ve been aware of the sexual abuse crisis since the mid-1980s, they were promised it would be resolved in 2002, and it’s understandably incomprehensible to many of them that it’s still causing heartache seventeen years later.

Yes. To say I've been frustrated by this attitude is to far understate my feelings. However, Allen goes on to talk about what zero tolerance means for the priest and at a global level, with global understandings. This helps, somewhat, to temper my feelings. I will be eagerly waiting to see what the actual results are. Do go read his whole piece.

NEW YORK STATE'S NEW ABORTION LAW

Governor Andrew Cuomo Versus Cardinal Timothy Dolan
People have been asking why Dolan does not excommunicate Cuomo. Dolan's take, and one I think is valid, is that this is just what Cuomo wants to happen so he can wave it before those who agree with him. Defending the law in an editorial, Cuomo says:

I was educated in religious schools, and I am a former altar boy. My Roman Catholic values are my personal values. The decisions I choose to make in my life, or in counseling my daughters, are based on my personal moral and religious beliefs.

A lot of his editorial made me raise my eyebrows, but at this they shot into my hairline. One's faith is, of course, personal but it is never private. As a Catholic, one acts in communion with the body of Christ and he is definitely not doing that in supporting abortion, especially as vigorously as he is doing. Otherwise, be honest. You are protesting the Church by picking and choosing what you will believe and ... essentially a Protestant.

Dolan responded vigorously, I was glad to see. In addressing Cuomo publicly, he is clarifying Catholic teachings and helping avoid scandal.

Yes, religion is personal; it’s hardly private, as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and struggle for civil rights so eloquently showed. Governor Cuomo’s professed faith teaches discrimination against immigrants is immoral, too. Does that mean he cannot let that moral principle guide his public policy? Clearly not.

Debate abortion on what it is. Don’t hide behind labels like “right wing” and “Catholic.”

Get the links to both editorials here.

Virginia P. Bacon

Virginia P. Bacon by Anders Zorn, 1897

Upon Julia's Clothes

Upon Julia's Clothes

Whenas in silks my Julia goes,

Then, then, methinks how sweetly flows

That liquefaction of her clothes.

Next, when I cast mine eyes and see

That brave vibration each way free,

O how that glittering taketh me!

Robert Herrick, 1591-1674

Texas's Indigenous Dishes

Texas does not, like any other region, simply have indigenous dishes. It proclaims them. It congratulates you, on your arrival, at having escaped from the slop-pails of the other forty-nine states.

Alistair Cook, 

Letters from America, 1946-2004

Texas and chicken-fried steak

Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas without eating a chicken-fried steak.

Larry McMurtry, In a Narrow Grave

A little lagniappe. It made me smile.

Bollywood Kitchen

Bollywood Kitchen

Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films

You’re invited to a party where the food and entertainment are both in Technicolor. It’s “dinner and a movie” in this vibrant, beautifully photographed tour of Indian food and films.

Indian cuisine and Indian cinema share much in common – bold colors and flavors with plenty of drama. But to the uninitiated, they can seem dizzying. Let Sri Rao be your guide. As one of the only Americans working in Bollywood, Sri is an expert on Indian musical films, and as an avid cook, he’s taken his mom’s authentic, home-cooked recipes and adapted them for the modern, American kitchen.

Sri has paired each meal with one of his favorite Bollywood movies. Sri will introduce each film to you, explaining why you’ll love it, and letting you in on some juicy morsels from behind the scenes.

This is a quick read and I'm happy to say it is absolutely solid on the movies. I've seen a lot of the author's selections and they are a good representation of new and old Bollywood movies that are very accessible. He also has three supplemental movie recommendations for each major selection so that if you like a film you can explore similar ones. Those also were right on the money. His descriptions are engaging and I liked the bits of extra information he scattered throughout the book.

The recipes are a good blend of his mother's Indian home cooking, adapted for the American kitchen including Indian takes on American food, such as the Bollywood Burger and seasoned sweet potato fries. Sri grew up in America and he understands how to keep recipes authentic but not time-consuming.  I also like the fact that each movie is matched with a full meal, so you don't have to wonder what side dishes to come up with.

I made the Keema and the Chicken Rollups (street food that is like Indian chicken fajitas). Both were very good, though much hotter than I like. I'd advise cutting the cayenne in half if, like me, you don't like it hot.

The way the recipes were adapted were definitely easy although the author seems to have too generous a sense of portion size. For example, the Keema was supposed to serve 4-6 using 2 pounds of hamburger. Oy veh! We halved it and it served the three of us with leftovers for 2. So keep a judicious eye on his proportions compared to how many you want to serve.

Recommended for those wanting to dabble in Indian food and movies!

Perpetual Motion

Norman Rockwell, Perpetual Motion

Portrait of a Lady

Michiel van Mierevelt, Portrait of a Lady [c.1620], via Gandalf's Gallery

I love the intricacy of that lace collar. AND the expression on her face. Change the clothes and that's a face you'd see anywhere you went. Very modern.

Lage Raho Munna Bhai — What Would Ghandi Do

Lage Raho Munna Bhai

This was altogether charming as a good-natured goon (a.k.a. gangster) falls for a local radio show host and in an attempt to win a chance to meet her must win a quiz about Ghandi. His resultant dip into Ghandi-ism is hilarious and was so effective that this movie spurred an actual national revival of interest in learning about this Indian hero.

This director went on to make 3 Idiots and PK so his four films have just gone from good to great. Sanjay Dutt here reminded me of Jack Klugman (for those with memories long enough to reach back to when he was Oscar from The Odd Couple TV show). He's so good natured and easy going that you wonder just how he can hold down a job as a goon. If I hadn't seen him in other movies I'd judge him to have been playing himself. However, I know he's more versatile than that having seen him portray the most evil villain I've ever seen in a movie (Agneepath).

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

MADE THIS WAY: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today's Tough Moral Issues

MADE THIS WAY
How to Prepare Kids to Face Today's Tough Moral Issues
by Trent Horn, Leila Miller

This is a very practical and accessible guide to Church teachings on moral issues dealing with sexuality. Topics covered range from sex outside of marriage to pornography to trangender identity, and much more. Each issue has its own chapter with a general overview section of the teachings, advice for talking to little kids, and then one for older kids (after puberty). The authors both have a lot of practical experience at this as parents themselves and the tips are very clear, practical, and useful.

As an informed Catholic, I found it good as a reminder of just what the Church's teachings are based on, which can be all too easy to forget when one is bombarded by secular culture's opposite messages. I also appreciated the continual touchstone of natural law included. And I especially appreciated continual reminders that we must pray for and love the people who we may encounter who aren't living by these teachings.

It's a quick read and very easy to dip into a section if the need arises. Right now, I kept my 5-year-old goddaughter in mind when reading since I don't have any other children in my life. However, this is a book I'll be recommending to Catholic parents and teachers of children of all ages.

Andrew Jackson Sowell

Andrew Jackson Sowell, via Traces of Texas

Andrew Jackson Sowell (June 27, 1815 – January 4, 1883) was a lifelong soldier and farmer in the 19th century. He was a participant in the Texas Revolution and a survivor of the siege of the Alamo. He continued his service during the years of the Republic of Texas, in the Mexican–American War, and the Civil War. He was a frontier defender, early Texas Ranger, and a friend and scout with Kit Carson.

Source, with more details

See, I am doing something new!

Thus says the LORD,
who opens a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,

Who leads out chariots and horsemen,
a powerful army,
Till they lie prostrate together, never to rise,
snuffed out, quenched like a wick.

Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;

See, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the wilderness I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.

Isaiah 43:16-19

Karatsu Kunchi festival

Karatsu Kunchi festival, from Calligraphy in the view

So you're saying that I could die at any moment?

"So you're saying that I could die at any moment?"

"Yes. And this is different from your life yesterday in what way?" Umegat cocked his head in dry inquiry.

Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion

Something we all forget but that is true for us all.

Richard Hannay Spy Stories by John Buchan

Recently I went on a binge rereading the first three spy novels about "everyman" spy Richard Hannay. Then I plunged ahead into the remaining two, which were just as good as the first three.

These are real page turners. It never takes long after beginning one of them before I am finding every spare moment to read the next part of the story. Author John Buchan also has a wonderful way of describing surroundings so that you might feel yourself there. It all adds to the atmosphere and sense of journeying along with our hero.

If you've never read them, or never pursued Hannay's adventures past the first novel, you are missing some great reading.

THE 39 STEPS

He has been feeling bored with London life - until he discovers a dead man in his flat, skewered to the floor with a knife through his heart. Only a few days before, the victim had warned him of an assassination plot that could bring the country to the brink of war.

An obvious suspect for the police and an easy target for the murderer, Hannay goes on the run in his native Scotland. There, on the wild moors, he must use all his wits to stay one step ahead of the game - and warn the government of the impending danger before it is too late...

You may know this from the early Alfred Hitchcock film but the film was a loose adaptation. This was a quick read (made more so by the fact that I was pulled through at breakneck speed by the plot), especially in terms of today's gigantic best sellers, but extremely satisfying and riveting.

GREENMANTLE

Having been fighting in WWI, Richard Hannay is called back to London to hear the proposition of the official who helped him in the affair of The 39 Steps. It is a spy mission during which, he is told, he will almost certainly die, will probably have to journey to Turkey, and to which there are only three words as a clue. Of course, he steps up and accepts the mission.

I wound up liking this book much more than I thought I would. It was interesting watching Hannay gather a team together and then seeing their undercover investigations move them far apart and bring them together with surprising results.

MR. STANDFAST

Richard Hannay is again recalled from active service in WWI to undertake a secret mission. Disguised as a pacifist, roaming England incognito to investigate a German spy and his agents, Hannay must uncover a fiendish plot which would decisively turn the tide of the war in favor of the Germans.

The title refers to a character in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, to which there are many other references in the novel; Hannay uses a copy of Pilgrim's Progress to decipher coded messages and letters from his contacts.

This book managed to have all the elements I enjoyed in the first two — the solo agent on the run, the puzzling out of spy plans and mysteries, and the relationships between team members in service of the country and cause they love so much.

I loved this, except for the final two chapters which had much more detail about WWI battles than I cared for. Even those were worth reading, though, to discover the fate of the ultimate villain (and he is one bad guy) and for the fate of Mr. Standfast.

THE THREE HOSTAGES

After WWI Richard Hannay has retired to the countryside with his wife and young son. News comes to him of three kidnappings and a plot of political and financial magnitude that would shake the world. Hannay abandons his idyll to counter the threat, and the adventure takes him from the high society of 1920's London to a gripping climax in the wild Scottish Highlands where he meets his most formidable enemy yet.

Unlike previous books, Hannay finds out the villain early on (and we realize it even earlier, leading to a good amount of tension as we worry about his growing friendship with the man). Hannay must play a cat and mouse game as he looks for three kidnapped people, staying close to someone he despises, pretending to be a doglike admirer. That goes very much against Hannay's character.

I was delighted to see his wife playing an intelligent, active role as she did in the previous book, and other good friends from the past are in the story too.

THE ISLAND OF SHEEP

Twelve years after The Three Hostages Richard Hannay is in his fifties and feeling like a has-been. He is recalled to action by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew. A gang of vicious blackmailers have targeted the son and Hannay and his old comrades take on the challenge of shaking off the rust to come to his aid.

I especially like the fact that Hannay's son, 14-year-old Peter John, seems to be a chip off the old block, taking on danger to protect others, teaming up with the 13-year-old daughter of the blackmailer's target to provide unexpected resources.

Old French and New

There is an old French and a new. In Paris the new is spoken — the very newest. Were it anything but French it would be intolerably vulgar; as it is it is merely neat and intensely expressive.

Henry Seton Merriman, The Slave of the Lamp

Emma Zorn

Emma Zorn by Anders Zorn
via My Daily Art

Good at This

Good at This, Belinda Del Pesco

Shepherd's Pie

Rose is a Gordon Ramsay fan and this Shepherd's Pie is a great example of why. Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Roe Deer in the Bushes

Roe Deer in the Bushes, Remo Savisaar

I had a vision of what we all were fighting for ...

Set during WWI.

I climbed through great beechwoods, which seemed in the twilight like some green place far below the sea, and then over a short stretch of hill pasture to the rim of the vole. All about me were the little fields enclosed with walls of grey stone and full of dim sheep. Below were dusky woods around what I took to be Fosse Manor, for the great Roman Fosse Way, straight as an arrow, passed over the hills to the south and skirted its grounds. I could see the stream slipping among its water-meadows and could hear the plash of the weir. A tiny village nestled in the crook of the hill, and its church tower sounded seven with a curiously sweet chime. Otherwise there was no noise but the twitter of small birds and the night wind in the tops of the beeches.

In that moment I had a kind of revelation. I had a vision of what I had been fighting for, what we all were fighting for. It was peace, deep and holy and ancient, peace older than the oldest wars, peace which would endure when all our swords were hammered into ploughshares.

John Buchan, Mr. Standfast

Hawaiian Moon

Hawaiian Moon, taken by my brother

Events may be horrible ...

Events may be horrible or inescapable. Men have always a choice—if not whether, then how, they may endure.

Lois McMaster Bujold, Curse of Chalion

Pecos Rodeo, 1936

Pecos Rodeo in Pecos, Texas, 1936
Fort Worth Star Telegram photo from UT-Arlington Special Collections
via Traces of Texas

From my quote journal: The Hardest Fight

Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself?

Thomas a Kempis

Snow Fields

Rockwell Kent, Snow Fields (In the Berkshires), 1909
via Arts Everyday Living

Dead women can act very much alive.

"Dead women can act very much alive sometimes," Mom said. "My nephew Jonathan is still a bachelor, because his mother doesn't approve of modern girls — and his mother's been dead for eighteen years."

James Yaffe; My Mother, the Detective

That is really typical of the down-to-earth wisdom this Jewish mother shows in these stories when she's listening to her police detective son when he comes over on Friday nights for dinner. I loved this set of stories. This tidbit really grabbed me because it is so very true. My grandparents are still very much alive in that way. I weigh a lot of my behavior and manners against the way they lived their lives.

Mistinguett

Mistinguett (c.1913). G. K. (Georges Kugelmann) Benda
via Books and Art

Raid — Sometimes the Hero is a Taxman

The taxman cometh. And he is a righteous man. Which we already knew because he's Ajay Devgn. Hide all your undeclared gold. Because his supreme honesty will not stop until he uncovers all the taxes due to Mother India.

An honest IRS officer and his team raid a powerful politician suspected of evading taxation on an epic scale. This gripping story is based on actual events during 1981.

It's hard to image a tax raid being riveting but this had plenty of tension and one mystery which had us wondering right up to the end. Devgn is intense yet charming as the tax inspector who has been transferred 49 times in his career because he won't bow down to pressure. I also really liked Saurabh Shukla playing the politician on the take. His charisma made him the villain you loved even while despising his actions.

One thing about this sort of movie is that, even if not strictly adhering to facts, it gives me insight into India's history and culture which I'd not normally have.

Only four songs and no dances. Hey, this is a serious and modern movie!

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

 Hannah and Rose discuss it at An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

People call me a feminist whenever ...

People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or prostitute.

Rebecca West

We've all had this experience, right? It can be a chance to explain where you diverge from a handy label, especially if you are Catholic.

Racinet Polychromev

Via BiblyOdyssey

BibliOdyssey tells us:

"Adapted from historical items dating back to antiquity, such as jewelry, tiles, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, textiles, and ceramics, these ornamental designs [from 'Racinet's 'L'Ornement Polychrome'] encompass a wide range of cultural aesthetics including classic Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan motifs, Asian and middle-Eastern patterns, as well as European designs from medieval times through the 19th century."

There are more of them at the link for you to enjoy.

Evangelization and Culture

From my quote journal.

You can't evangelize a culture you hate.

Cardinal George

Ain't that the truth? Bishop Robert Barron quoted this and we know that is also his philosophy, even moreso since Cardinal George was a big influence on putting Barron on the path that got him to where he is now.

Our Bollywood Year by Tom Davis

Tom posted this on Facebook as a 2018 year-end summary of our unexpected interest in Bollywood  movies (and all other Indian movies). If you don't belong to Facebook (and there are people who don't) then you can't read it. As he was putting together the piece, we really enjoyed reminiscing about the path that got us to this point. So I'm sharing it here as part of our family chronicles for 2018.

We watch a lot of movies. I post each movie to Facebook after we watch. (That is pretty much all I post on Facebook) Some are old, some new, most at home and occasionally at the theater.

But this year took a strange turn. Of the 94 movies we watched in 2018, 43 were from India.

At the end of 2017 I was on a Skype call with a client (I will call him Srinath because that is his name) in India (Hyderabad) and while waiting for a third person to arrive we began talking about movies. Srinath asked if I had seen any Indian movies, I answered yes. Julie and I had seen Lagaan which is often recommended as a very accessible Indian movie.

Srinath was impressed and asked if I had seen Slumdog Millionaire. Of course, although I did not consider it Indian Cinema - being directed by Danny Boyle and having no song sequences. It was about India, but even then I knew what made a movie Indian. Srinath asked about a few similar movies - he finally said I needed to watch Baahubali. A two-part epic fantasy about a long ago kingdom and two princes vying to be king - one evil, one good. That was December 30, 2017. We loved it.

We did not watch any Indian movies until Sridevi’s untimely death was in the news in June. So we watched her comeback film English Vinglish. We loved it.

India produces almost 2,000 movies a year so it is difficult to choose one. Rose found a list of the Top 100 Bollywood films by Timeout London. (So their viewpoint included western sensibilities) She chose movies from after 2000 which gave us a long list of movies to watch.

So every week we were watching one or two Indian movies a week. We started learning who the big stars were and what directors to rely on. We learned what a masala movie is and began to expect at least 6 songs with dancing per movie and nothing shorter that 2 and half hours run time. (3 hours is typical)

A few months in I kept thinking I would “snap out of it”, but as we grew more comfortable these movies were getting better.

Most of the movies have been fairly light, but we have seen great action movies, intense dramas and even science fiction (of a sort). Some movies can have a lower production quality than we expect from Hollywood, but the stories and action usually compensate.

In November we went to see a first run movie in the theater - Thugs of Hindostan - which was released worldwide on the same day. We loved it. (Indians apparently did not love it.)

We also learned a lot about India. In order to understand context we had Wikipedia on the iPad ready to explain locations, situations and religions that are part of Indian culture. Just ask me about the war of Bangladesh independence - that was the movie Raazi.

Finally, we learned that Bollywood is just one part of the Indian movie industry - about 43% by box office. Bollywood is the Hindi language movie center. Tollywood is the Telugu language center (Hyderabad) and Kollywood is the Tamil language center (Chennai). These two represent 36% of the industry, and there are movie production centers all over India for other languages.

Whatever it is called it is now big part of our regular movie watching.

Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars!

Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars! 

A visual tour of the glamour and color of Indian cinema in the only comprehensive illustrated guide to the world of Bollywood movies.

Mumbai's charming movies, with glittering costumes and epic song-and-dance productions, have captured hearts all over the world since the early 1900s. Bollywood features film stills, plot timelines, star and producer profiles, plus historical insights, lesser-known facts, and behind-the-scenes gossip on such iconic movies as Mother India, Mughal-e-Azam, Sholay, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, and Bajirao Mastani.

Yes, we knew this would happen at some point, right? I found a book on Bollywood! The cover alone tells us that they understand a big part of the appeal — those colors are glittery, shiny, and sparkly. I don't know how I came across it but was thrilled to see the library had a copy, which I instantly ordered.

This is fun for dipping into, especially considering our family's current obsession with Indian films. It was a wonderful surprise to discover how many of the most recent "great movies" we'd seen and how many of the stars we knew. Rose has been pulling a lot of our viewing choices from a Time Out Best 100 Bollywood and Hindi Movies list, supplemented with top grossing, well reviewed films from after that list's date. She has done a great job, evidently.

We're enjoying all the background materials and finding new movies to put on our list from this book.  In fact, it has been in high demand, with one person putting it down only to have another snatch it up for their own reading. So, naturally, I bought one for our own home library! A necessary household resource, you know.

The Dark Meat of the Angel

Not that she is not enjoying the holiday [Spring Break] — as it is sometimes called. She really likes to see three helpings of mashed potato, thick slices of steak, and mountains of toasted angel cake with chocolate sauce systematically stoked into young furnaces. There was chocolate angel cake once: an innovation, a departure from tradition. Mrs. Appleyard had a read a rule in the paper. Even she is not proof against all human frailty.

It was Sally who summed it up politely.

"Thank you," she said. "I don't think I care for any more of the dark meat of the angel."

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Year

This is such a charming and gently humorous book. I recently reread it as my pre-lights-out book. It was perfect for powering down before sleep.