J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion

by Richard L. Purtill, Joseph Pearce (Foreword)

Here is an in-depth look at the role myth, morality, and religion play in J.R.R. Tolkien's works such as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion-including Tolkien's private letters and revealing opinions of his own work. Richard L. Purtill brilliantly argues that Tolkien's extraordinary ability to touch his readers' lives through his storytelling-so unlike much modern literature-accounts for his enormous literary success.

This book demonstrates the moral depth in Tolkien's work and cuts through current subjectivism and cynicism about morality. A careful reader will find a subtle religious dimension to Tolkien's work-all the more potent because it is below the surface. Purtill reveals that Tolkien's fantasy stories creatively incorporate profound religious and ethical ideas. For example, Purtill shows us how hobbits reflect both the pettiness of parochial humanity and unexpected heroism.

Purtill, author of 19 books, effectively addresses larger issues of the place of myth, the relation of religion and morality to literature, the relation of Tolkien's work to traditional mythology, and the lessons Tolkien's work teaches for our own lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Mythology, Literary Criticism, Catholic, Philosophy, Literature

181 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Richard Purtill was the Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, as well as an author of fantasy and science fiction, critical non-fiction on the same genres, and various works on religion and philosophy. He is best known for his novels of the "Kaphtu" universe. He wrote as both Richard Purtill and Richard L. Purtill, a variant form of his name. He was active in professional writing circles, being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and the National Writers Union. His book J.R.R.Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion won the 1987 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies.

Reviews

[Kris]

Footnoted by McGrath.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh this was a fantastic book! (And I'm probably far too proud of myself for reading/finishing it, lol. I wanted to be an English major in high school/college, and decided it wasn't for me--I'm sure it had nothing to do with the C+ I got in my first college-level English class, even if I was taking the sophomore-level course as a first-quarter freshman. Ha. Unknowing mortal. :D)

So given that, it's been _really_ interesting lately to read--and _understand_!!!--books like this one with a more literary-analysis bent, discussion of themes, and so on, all things I shunned after that course.

Purtill does a great job at analyzing myth, morality, and religion within Tolkien's works. I appreciated the read even more now that I've read _The Silmarillion_ in addition to Hobbit/LOTR, and found my appreciation for them all deepened accordingly.

Looking forward to checking out some of Purtill's other Tolkien-themed (see what I did there? :D) works!

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a generally insightful commentary on Tolkien's work. A couple of the chapters present material that will be fairly obvious to anyone who has spent considerable time immersing themselves in Tolkein's "subcreation"– the chapter "Hobbits and Heroism" in particular takes up considerable page space simply summarizing events from "The Hobbit" and "LOTR". However, there is much in Purtill's book that will pique the interest of even well-informed Tolkien readers. I found the discussion of magical agency in Middle-Earth, as well as the analysis of the Elves' role as an idealization of the scientific and artistic sides of human nature, to be particularly interesting. The reader will also come away with a better understanding of Tolkien's place in the history of mythology and the world of fantasy literature, and a greater appreciation for the moral depth of the world he created.

[Conor Fogarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purtil truly speaks as one fan to another of the fulfilling goodness inherent in Tolkien's work, while offering a necessary comparison and response to the critics. Recommend for any die hard Tolkien fan.

[Ronald J. Pauleus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights from Tolkien’s writings.

“And though in Tolkien’s view the Christian gospel does satisfy certain intense longings in the human personality, it should not be accepted because it satisfies those longings: rather, it can really satisfy those longings only because it is true.”