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Rating:  Summary: Birzer Does Great Job! Review: A good analysis of Tolkien's Middle-Earth works from a Christian, esp. Catholic standpoint including Creation and Evil as well as info. on critiques of Tolkien, summary of his works, contrast to modernity, review of his life, and thoughts on sub-creation and heroism.
Rating:  Summary: Children, Hippies, and Environmentalists Review: Children, Hippies, and Environmentalists have always read J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", but have they correctly understood the myth? No. Dr. Bradley J. Birzer completes the understanding of Tolkien as a Christian writer. Dr. Birzer presents Tolkien with a "Catholic Worldview". Based on Tolkien's own letters to colleagues and friends, we see that Tolkien lived and breathed Roman Catholicism.Thanks to Bradley Birzer and Joseph Pearce, readers of all ages and faiths can begin to understand Middle-Earth. In Pearce's biography, we learn that Tolkien's Faith is significant in discovering the themes put before us in "The Lord of the Rings". Inferred in both Birzer and Pearce's books, the reader must have clear vision-a vision that is one with the "True Church", then and only then will your perception of Tolkien and his legendarium be clear and complete. Dr. Birzer incorporates Pearce's thesis, but fulfills the truth about Tolkien and his writings. Birzer goes beyond "The Lord of the Rings" and offers a study of Tolkien's writings as a whole. Viewers and readers of "The Lord of the Rings" are able to catch a glimpse of religious themes, but the vision presented is incomplete. Tolkien explicitly stated that the story was not an allegory, but part of an entire mythology. Dr. Birzer examines Tolkien's corpus and shows us how Tolkien is not just a fiction writer, a philologist, a Christian, but a Roman Catholic. By the end of "Sanctifying Myth", we want to go back and study (yes...STUDY!), not just the trilogy, but all of Tolkien's writings. Dr. Birzer suggests that Tolkien, when properly read and studied, should be placed with other Christian Humanists of the 20th Century, such as T.S. Eliot and C.S. Lewis. This is true. But I suggest as the world continues in its understanding of Tolkien, he will be placed with the elite group of 20th Century Catholic Writers: G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Christopher Dawson, Romano Guardini, Josef Pieper, Fulton J. Sheen and today's, Ralph McInerny. These writers present the "Catholic World View", not in the sense of a religious denomination, but as its primary definition, that which is Universal. Over the last century, the world has been bombarded by atheism and war, bringing upon mankind the death of the soul and the body. Tolkien reminds us of our Creator-Creature relationship. As we are surrounded by communism, existentialism, feminism, nihilism, relativism, all which have brought darkness and death to our imagination, Tolkien has taken on the humble task of an apostle and has carried us to the light...to the Truth. I highly recommend "J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth". Readers will not only discover the truth about Tolkien, but about the world.
Rating:  Summary: Splendid Critical Examination of Tolkien's Religious Views Review: I've deliberately shied away from trying to read works which emphasize the religious aspects of Tolkien's work, merely because I haven't found them too helpful in the past in describing Tolkien's thinking, but instead, using his work as a means of justifying their own religious views. However, Bradley J. Birzer's "J. R. R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth" is a refreshingly different, indeed, almost novel, look at the man and his writing, drawing more upon Tolkien's actual correspondence than his fiction. To his credit, when Birzer does describe Tolkien's Middle-Earth mythology, he does it without sounding heavy-handed, by offering ponderous analogies between aspects of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy with Christian belief. Instead, such examples are used to show persuasively that Tolkien is part of a Catholic Christian humanist tradition that falls squarely in line with the likes of Dante, among others. Birzer's brief tome is a captivating, insightful look at how Tolkien viewed Evil, Grace and the nature of the Hero, among others. Without question, it will appeal to Tolkien fans and anyone else interested in religious symbolism in contemporary fantasy.
Rating:  Summary: A thoughtful and thought-provoking literary reflection Review: In J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth, Bradley J. Birzer (Assistant Professor of History at Hillsdale College and a Senior Fellow with the Center for the American Idea, Houston) insightfully examines the religious symbolisms threaded throughout J. R. R. Tolkien's celebrated Middle-Earth fantasy saga. Professor Birzer proposes that Tolkien created a world through myth that accurately reflects fundamental truths directly relevant to the human experience in the postmodern era. J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth is enthusiastically recommended as a thoughtful and thought-provoking literary reflection, and as an excellent companion work offering insight into a timeless classic. No personal, academic, or community library Tolkien Studies reference collection or supplemental reading list can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of this seminal title.
Rating:  Summary: Fascinating, persuasive, and worth reading. Review: My initial reluctance to read books that might equate Tolkien's work too directly (read allegorically) with any religion, philosophy, world event, or social order was quickly overcome by the approachable `readability' of this book. Quoting myriad sources, the footnotes and bibliography for which account for 71 pages of this slim, yet rewarding volume, the author provides a convincing analysis of the spirituality of Tolkien's work. Initially, as I read he author's preface in which he cites "nuances" within the story that he had missed when he'd first read the book as an eleven year old, I very nearly put down the book. The author claims some of those nuances as "the Ring representing sin, lembas representing the Blessed Sacrament, and Galadriel representing the Blessed Virgin Mary" (page xvi) it all seemed to go directly against Tolkien's insistence that the work was not allegorical. For whatever reason, I continued to read it, and I realized that the author did not mean these things were allegorical representations, but rather were influenced by these experiences and beliefs in Tolkien's own life. Tolkien's strong belief in God could not help but come through in his work though Tolkien himself admitted this was "subconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision" (quoted within the text, page 45.). The author makes a persuasive argument for the influence of Toklien's Catholicism, and indeed, makes it hard to understand why so many critics of the time asked Tolkien directly about the absence of God in his books. Tolkien's replies to such questions are certainly worth reading, as is his answer to the seemingly innocuous question, "What makes you tick?" Well-written and engrossing, the text never becomes overly dry or scholarly, and the reader will find it hard not to reach for a copy of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or any other quoted work in order to reread key passages. If you have never thought of the Lord of the Rings in this light, this book will make you wonder why.
Rating:  Summary: Catholic exhaulting faith in myth, very well too Review: This book is the most current attempt to ascend the intellectual height at which myth, or its meaning as it is currently understood, is documented with scholarly precision. Unfortunately, I will not be able to save my ironic comments about errors in this book, in my own theological reactions, or in the world in which we unfortunately find ourselves, until the end of this review. Catholics are used to being proud of what remains of their tradition, and for some readers, this book might seem to be part of a series of books in which Catholics become bolder in proclaiming their religious connections to the story of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, for which the 150,000,000 copies of the book circulating in many forms might be the other measure of its success. Joseph Pearce is not afraid to jump from Tolkien to The Bible in the foreword of this book, but I think the Gospel of John in the New Testament is much more similar to a creation story in THE SILMARILLION in which Eru "made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made." (p. xi). Unless this happened in a formless void and in the dark, this is not "a remarkable similarity to the creation story of the book of Genesis," (p. xi), it is more like John 1:1-3. To explain what is eating me about this book, I will start right in on the world. In a society based entirely on entertainment values, that religion makes the most sense which creates the most empathy for the understanding of great character in the form of humility, with an involved myth about beastly tasks performed under duress as the content most endearing to the hearts of the sub-creating form of humanity. Bradley J. Birzer's book, J. R. R. TOLKIEN'S SANCTIFYING MYTH has a foreword by Joseph Pearce, who was responsible for collecting the essays in TOLKIEN/ A CELEBRATION in 1999. In that book, "Tolkien and the Catholic Literary Revival" was a lengthy selection by Joseph Pearce in the middle of the book. Walter Hooper's explanation of "one of Tolkien's most important literary theories -- that of `sub-creation' which he wrote about in his essay `On Fairy Stories' " (p. 187) was near the end of that book. "Modernity in Middle-Earth" by Patrick Curry on pages 34-39 of Pearce's book already raised the issue of secularization in our time being the process by which we see "any ultimate values denied beyond the bread and circuses of instrumental knowledge, material consumption and sensational entertainment." Modernity, for Tolkien and these authors, means the grave dangers we face "under the banner of economic globalization." Birzer saves that bad news for the last of his six major chapters, which cover Tolkien's life, Sub-creation, Created Order, Heroism, Nature of Evil, then Middle-earth and Modernity. A conclusion promises "The Nature of Grace Proclaimed." On days when the world seems enthralled with a myth in which we are the noose, and those who do not heed roadblocks in their own neighborhoods are likely to perish in the operations which are attempting to destroy the remnants of last year's government, in those cities where the formerly powerful might still be hiding, it is theologically challenging to see how, in the world of "faerie," the inhabitants could picture such events as evil, particularly in the eyes of those who keep getting into the news by chanting that America is the devil. J. R. R. Tolkien was not the most innocent author to live in the 20th century. Though he was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892, his father and mother were both dead by the end of 1904, and the priest who was Tolkien's guardian would not let him marry until he was 21, so he got married on March 22, 1916, at the age of 24, after he had joined "one of the most decorated English regiments of World War I. A year later, he saw battle at the Somme, one of the bloodiest of the war." (Birzer, p. 2). To become a famous author, Tolkien first became an Oxford don, shared writings with a group of friends they called Inklings, and mumbled like a man with a pipe. The things that were real for him were "Sanctified myths, inspired by grace, served as an anamnesis, or a way for people to recall encounters with transcendence that had helped to order their souls and their society." (p. 24). The bitter end, Notes from page 139 to 175 are numbered by chapter, with no indication on pages 142-149, 152-155, 158-161, 164-165, 170-171 of which chapters those notes refer to. Notes on pages 174-175 are also merely labeled "Notes," but they are obviously for the end of something, filling in information about Russia, Kazakhstan, Lord of the Rings Films, Pope John Paul II, T. S. Eliot, St. Paul's letter to the Philippians 4:8, and the usual Tolkien sources. The Bibliography has five main sections, the longest being "Secondary Writings," pages 184-203. The name which is most difficult to find is Charles A. Coulombe, author of "The Lord of the Rings--a Catholic View" in the CELEBRATION book mentioned at the beginning of this review, on the bottom of page 187, he is under Katharyn Crabbe, David Crumm, and Patrick Curry, the latter also mentioned above as an author on the modernity question. The entries in the index are in alphabetical order but, as in the text, there is a Charles Columbe and a Charles Coulombe (p. 207). But rarely does the same person strike again in this book or in the world. No drunken bat, but there is a Balrog on page 62 who can't pass "the Secret Fire" which Tolkien told Clyde Kilby was the Holy Spirit. (Then it fell like a drunken bat. That part is on DVD, not in this book.)
Rating:  Summary: Not quite the Catholic study of Tolkien we've been wanting Review: This is almost the Catholic study of Tolkien we've been waiting for. But not quite. Though diligently researched, with 800 footnotes, it somehow manages not to engage with its subject very much. Birzer says occasional odd things like describing "Mythopoeia" as "a poem written to celebrate" Lewis's conversion, surely the wrong word, and claiming that Ilúvatar bypassed the Valar in destroying Númenor. I found it diffuse and nowhere near as interesting as I'd hoped.
Rating:  Summary: A lot of value in a small volume Review: This is an engaging and, considering its length, remarkably wide-ranging book. It would have to be, to live up to its subtitle -- "Understanding Middle-earth" -- as Middle-earth was the life work of a remarkably productive man. But Dr. Birzer has done a fine job. He has shown us the key, I believe, to unlocking the true richness, value, and depth of Tolkien's work. And he has put together a strong argument for Tolkien's place among the most significant Christian writers of the twentieth century. When I first approached this title, I was afraid it might be like "The Parables of Peanuts," the well-known work that grafted more symbolism than Charles M. Schulz probably ever intended onto his classic tales of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Or, even worse, that book (the name of which escaped me years ago) which tried to interpret "Star Wars" as a Christian allegory: Luke Skywalker = Protestant Christians; Han Solo = Catholic Christians; and so on. Imagine my relief to discover that Dr. Birzer's work is richly grounded in Tolkien himself ... both his published works and his unpublished notes, manuscripts, and private letters. Much more than Birzer's own interpretations, what we get here are *Tolkien's* own meanings, interpretations, and intentions. That makes reading this a richly rewarding experience. In my experience, the best books are the ones that I complete having compiled a new list of other titles I need to read too. "Sanctifying Myth" definitely fits into that category. It's a pointed reminder of all the other Christian Humanists I need to read, not to mention the (*ahem*) parts of the Tolkien bibliography itself I haven't yet read. And Dr. Birzer himself being a fine stylist as well as scholar, his name is on my list too. Whether you're a Tolkien fan looking for new windows into a beloved world ... a Christian wondering whether hobbits and Elves are compatible with a Biblical worldview ... a literary critic seeking new insights ... a skeptic wondering what all the fuss is about ... or any combination of the above, I predict you'll find this a satisfying, even eye-opening read. I sure did.
Rating:  Summary: Tolkien on Theology Review: This is an excellent study of the theology of J. R. R. Tolkien as beautifully expressed in his mythological subcreation, Middle-Earth, popularized in The Lord of the Rings. Birzer does a wonderful job, in my opinion, of unfolding how Tolkien's Christian-Catholic world-view shaped his writings. He deals with topics such as Heroism, The Nature of Evil, Modernism, and Grace. While I am not Catholic and would not share many of Tolkien's sentiments, I am enthralled with his work and this book helped me understand it better. Birzer avoids drawing superficial parallels from Tolkien's stories or turning them into allegories (something Tolkien would have abhorred); but rather gets into the fabric of Tolkien's own thought (with excellent documentation in both the fiction of Tolkien and his letters), uncovering HIS vision of Middle-earth. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to really understand Tolkien better.
Rating:  Summary: An answer to the undergraduate Review: What I am going to write is going to be long and may sound like ramblings to some people, but it is something that I feel must be expressed. It has something to do with Tolkien's position as a theologian and a writer, and is meant to be an answer to the undergraduate's review below. First off, his review seems to focus mainly on a vilification of Tolkien's faith as a Catholic. Here, I think it is only right to clarify the influences on Tolkien's Catholicism. Tolkien never got to know his father who died shortly after his birth. It was his mother who brought him up and was both a teacher and a guardian to him. It was little wonder that he soon grew attached to his mother. When his mother reverted to the Catholic faith, her Protestant relatives were horrified and severed all ties with her, even refusing to help out financially when it was necessary to save her life during her last illness, Tolkien's mother being a sufferer from diabetes. And since his mother was Catholic, he was sent off to a monastery where a Catholic priest took care of him, and played an important role as a foster father to the young Tolkien, he being only 12 years of age at that time. Vowing to keep the memory of his mother in his heart, it was little wonder then that he developed a Catholic faith instead of Protestantism. And yet, there are some who attack him for that very faith that help to give him hope. Concerning Tolkien's position as a writer, far from being a lousy one, he was a very influential one. A clear testimony would be the sale of his book right up to this very day, and its position in the list of important books of the century. Indeed, it has several times remained in the upper echelon of those lists. The very reason his book had been embraced by so many different types of people is that it brings to the heart many universal messages such as the message of Friendship, of Courage, etc.. without being all preachy, and thus limiting the book to a select few. Why, even great men like C.S. Lewis were known to respect Tolkien as a writer and admired "The Lord of the Rings". Tolkien was also an Oxford professor, a position that not everyone could claim to achieve easily. I would have thought that as a mere undergraduate, he would have some respect for Tolkien for this, if for nothing else. Whether a movie will be brilliant or not depends solely on the quality of the work it is based on. If the source material was lousy, no amount of energy will help the movies to achieve the quality it has now. Now, this is what I think. I think it's true that "The Lord of the Rings" does contain pagan elements. How can this be denied when Tolkien himself admitted that he used several pagan myths as influences in his work, the legend of Beowulf and of Siegfried, for example? But Tolkien never claimed that his work was ever meant to be an allegory. In fact, he was very adamant against the work being used as an allegory and in fact did not like Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" for this very reason, Lewis' work being to all appearance more of an allegorical work. What Tolkien did claim was that "The Lord of the Rings" was a distinctly Christian work, this meaning that it portrayed Christian values such as hope, redemption through faith and repentance, self-sacrifice, determination and endurance to do what is right no matter the cost, loyalty and friendship, mercy, the refusal of worldly power, etc.. So, in short, Gandalf and co. was never meant to be an allegorical representation of Christ. What Gandalf, for example, did portray was certain Christlike attributes such as Jesus' ever steadfast guidance, kindness, wisdom and what is most clear, the victory of Jesus over death and evil. This was what Tolkien meant when he said that the work was a fundamentally religious one, not as a Christian allegory in the same way as the "Pilgrim's Progress", but rather one that guide Christians to handle issues in a Christian manner. Indeed his work and testimony has brought numerous people into Christ's flock of believers, and in the process salvation for them, C.S. Lewis included. I for one, would like to believe as Chuck Colson does that there is hope of bringing the Catholic and Protestants as one to worship the Lord. People such as Dave Hunt and his band of so-called 'Protestant Crusaders' however, have unfortunately rendered this very difficult. What they are doing, far from bringing people to Christ is rather making me, a Christian, disillusioned with Christianity for the hatred and utter chaos within it. This is not something new, and has been a problem for quite some time now. Read Gandhi's biography to get a picture of what I mean. I am a Protestant at the moment, and still believe that Martin Luther did what he did for a very real purpose. However, I am growing to respect the present-day Catholics more and more everyday for their faith under such extreme religious prejudice. I appreciate what Mr. Birzer and Mr.Pearce are doing. I, of course, learnt a lot about Tolkien through their work. By all means, get their book for a clearer and more scholarly view of Tolkien's life and work. Another good book would be Tolkien: Man and Myth by Mr. Pearce. - Due to limitations, I couldn't provide the counter-arguments against the points advanced by the undergraduate. I will try to advance those counter-arguments at a later date, if possible. If not, for anyone who wishes for a clearer understanding concerning those specific points, contact me at lawjenshen@hotmail.com - A good site would be Christianitytoday.com featuring further articles by Mr.Birzer. Other good sites would be decentfilms.com/commentary/faithandfantasy.html, and http://leaderu.com/menus/featured.html
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