Tolkien, Heaney, and Beowulf, Part Two

::Cue dramatic radio announcer voice:: When two unparalleled authors face off in an epic translation battle, only one can take the throne. Who will wear the laurels, and who will be the loser? Welcome to…Heaney vs Tolkien: The Beowulf Battle. …All right, maybe translations…

Tolkien, Heaney, and Beowulf

Youth is wasted on the young, and college classes are wasted on college students. When I was a junior in college, I took a History of Modern English class that seemed, at the time, drier than dust and older than dirt. To this day,…

Sail Away: Tolkien’s Frodo and Tennyson’s Ulysses

After their adventures, Tolkien’s Frodo and Tennyson’s Ulysses both longed to sail to the world’s end. What caused this longing, and did they find what they were looking for? Let’s find out!

Tolkien’s “Father Christmas Letters”

I’ll admit it: Tolkien can seem heady and inaccessible at times. He’s a nerd’s nerd, and there’s no denying it.
But if you struggle to enjoy Tolkien (or if you love him…or if you’re just looking for a splendid Christmas read), then look no further. Today’s super-short post is about his Father Christmas Letters, a delightful collection of notes and drawings from “Father Christmas” to Tolkien’s children.
Check out these snippets and drawings! You’re sure to fall in love!

“On Fairy-Stories” Epilogue: Evangelium

“The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories” (155). Remember how I told you that we’d be looking at the glorious intersection between fairy-stories and the Gospel? Today, my friends, that’s just what…

“On Fairy-Stories,” Part 5: Consolation

Hurray! We’re getting down to the real goods today, folks! This post and the next one are why I set about to discuss Tolkien’s “On Fairy-Stories” in the first place. Think it’s crazy that I slogged through four previous posts before getting around to…

“On Fairy-Stories,” Part 3: Recovery

A woman find a fabulous necklace that she absolutely adores, so she buys it but leaves it locked in her jewelry case. A man falls in love with the exquisite face of a woman, so he marries her and soon forgets to appreciate the…