The Lord of the Rings has remained popular since the 1960s, and became a hugely successful film trilogy. Tolkien’s themes of fellowship, sacrifice and the importance of the natural world are traceable to his experiences in the First World War, as well as to a love of folklore and of myth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa and educated at King Edward 1V School, Birmingham, and Oxford. His mother, who inspired a love of fairytales and Roman Catholicism, died when he was 12. The Times Names 50 greatest postwar writers: Tolkien Comes in 6th
Category: LotR Books
Miles writes: The University of Victoria is offering a Tolkien course this winter. Tolkien’s Prophetic Vision and The Lord of the Rings This course will discuss the meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, especially as portrayed in The Lord of the Rings, along with comparative references to the work of C.G. Jung. Tolkien brings a necessary compensatory vision to our contemporary culture in a way that is in harmony with Jung’s perspective and concerns. He was able to penetrate to the core of our Western cultural dynamics, and his sub-creation gives us images, words, language, values and a view that can serve as a light that illuminates our deeper needs for collective individuation. Tolkien’s message involves the requirement to assimilate both pagan sensibility and Christian values to consciousness, which have slipped into the unconscious in a one-sided scientific and technological, consumer-driven world. Tolkien has also given us feeling-toned images, both of shadow and light, which are relevant to Jung’s path of individuation. University of Victoria Tolkien Course (PDF)
Harry Potter’s magic was not enough to beat the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy in a new list of Britain’s favourite children’s book adaptation. The movies based on JRR Tolkien’s literary series of the same name, emerged the winner in the poll taken to find which book’s adaptation kids liked best. The movies based on JK Rowling’s books came next in line at the second spot. Third place on the list went to the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. ‘Lord of the Rings’ voted Britain’s Favourite Children’s Book Adaptation’
Bulgarian readers placed The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K.Rowling at the top three spots in a survey of the fifteen books of all times. A total of 28,000 readers voted for their favorite book in the poll carried out by Helicon bookstores, abandoning renowned literature classics at the bottom of the ranking. Continue reading “Bulgarians Name Lord of the Rings Top Book of All Times”
Starting November 2, the Field Museum in Chicago is hosting an exhibit that will include some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s maps and writing. Specifically, included will be Thror’s Map from The Hobbit, Topographical View of Minas Tirith from The Return of the King, and Notes on Times and Distances by J.R.R. Tolkien (all of the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library, Marquette University).
From clay tablets to sea charts, from satellite navigation systems to sketches of worlds real and imagined—maps are much more than wayfinding. Travel through landscapes of time and space, science and imagination, in a rare exhibition of more than 100 of the world’s greatest maps. Explore high-tech interactive displays, and see original works by Ptolemy, Leonardo da Vinci, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many others. You’ll learn how early maps were made, see how the technology changed over centuries, and discover the latest advances in digital map-making. [More]
NEW YORK — Harry vs. Frodo. Lucy vs. Lyra. We don’t normally think of classic fantasy series as being pit against one another, because despite their differences, they have so much in common. Most of them are about little people (be they children or Hobbits) caught up in a war of good versus evil that requires a singular sacrifice to save the world, often with a bit of biblical allegory thrown in for good measure. But even if “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “His Dark Materials” were all put on the same bookshelf, they’re not all friends, as “Materials” author Philip Pullman explained during his Times Talks appearance Tuesday. Continue reading “‘His Dark Materials’ Writer Philip Pullman Takes ‘Narnia,’ ‘Lord Of The Rings’ To Task”