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Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty: Majesty, Splendor, and Transcendence in Middle-earth
In this book, Lisa Coutras explores the structure and complexity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s narrative theology, synthesizing his Christian worldview with his creative imagination. She illustrates how, within the framework of a theological aesthetics, transcendental beauty is the unifying principle that integrates all aspects of Tolkien’s writing, from pagan despair to Christian joy.J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christianity is often held in an unsteady tension with the pagan despair of his mythic world. Some critics portray these as incompatible, while Christian analysis tends to oversimplify the presence of religious symbolism. This polarity of opinion testifies to the need for a unifying interpretive lens. The fact that Tolkien saw his own writing as “religious” and “Catholic,” yet was preoccupied with pagan mythology, nature, language, and evil, suggests that these areas were wholly integrated with his Christian worldview. Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty examines six structural elements, demonstrating that the author’s Christianity is deeply embedded in the narrative framework of his creative imagination.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 18, 2017
The book is very interesting and it give to the reader a peculiar point of view. I would had prefer a compare with the Fathers and Doctors of the Church like Saint Thomas Aquinas but the author decided to compare Tolkien's thought with Hans von Balthasar's theology.
I suggest to read this book to all the Tolkien's fan
I suggest to read this book to all the Tolkien's fan
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December 19, 2018I don't quite see the connection to Balthazar who is cited throughout, but this is a serious and heavily researched book. The title underdelivers, and I wish more theologians were invoked alongside the heavyweight literary experts in the footnotes.
February 24, 2021
As an academic literary analysis, this suffers from the lack of clarity that is common to much academic writing, but aside from complaints about style, the analysis is novel, interesting, and at times insightful.
The connections to von Balthasar provide one of the more convincing exegesis of parts of the legendarium, drawing out a theology of beauty and transcendence expressed through the legendarium. Coutras takes Tolkien's Catholic faith and his theology more seriously than most commentators and that enables her to draw out insights that others have missed. Her exposition of his basically complementarian theology of gender reveals a gender framework that many contemporary readers will find unsatisfying as a normative matter, but that is nevertheless more complex and nuanced than many critics have given it credit for.
My only complaint, aside from my general complaint about academic style generally, is that at times Coutras seems to pull pieces of evidence from various parts of the legendarium or the letters without contextualizing them or fully explaining persuasively how they relate to the primary text she's interpreting, but this complaint is minor and doesn't detect much from the valuable insights that she draws out.
The connections to von Balthasar provide one of the more convincing exegesis of parts of the legendarium, drawing out a theology of beauty and transcendence expressed through the legendarium. Coutras takes Tolkien's Catholic faith and his theology more seriously than most commentators and that enables her to draw out insights that others have missed. Her exposition of his basically complementarian theology of gender reveals a gender framework that many contemporary readers will find unsatisfying as a normative matter, but that is nevertheless more complex and nuanced than many critics have given it credit for.
My only complaint, aside from my general complaint about academic style generally, is that at times Coutras seems to pull pieces of evidence from various parts of the legendarium or the letters without contextualizing them or fully explaining persuasively how they relate to the primary text she's interpreting, but this complaint is minor and doesn't detect much from the valuable insights that she draws out.
April 20, 2022
If I could give all the stars in the sky to this book. I would.
May 24, 2026
The foundation of Tolkien’s work; transcendental beauty, rooted in Catholic theology.
The theology of his fiction is not one of moralism or doctrine, but of beauty. Any morality or doctrine present in his mythic world is a natural outworking of his vision of the beautiful: whatever is good and whatever is true, must by its nature be beautiful.
For Tolkien, the light of being was a revelation of eternal glory.
Whether it be pagan myth, the natural world, or language, all were affected by the fall yet retain hints of lost transcendence.
You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly 100 years (cs Lewis, the weight of glory)
Tolkien, in sympathy with his friends, believed in the power of beauty as a weapon against evil…a glint of weaponry in the war on decadence
ON MYTH
Theology of beauty
The beautiful is not always physically attractive: one branch of the beautiful is the ugly. Beauty overlaps with the aesthetic categories of worldly beauty, but is not limited to them. Theologically, beauty must be taken together with goodness and truth as a transcendental property of being.
Hart describes beauty as a sense of the infinite which orients one’s soul toward divine beauty, the glory of God
Beauty is the expression of goodness and truth; it is the evidence of the transcendental reality… transcendental beauty is the radiance of pure reality; when one encounters the beautiful “the truth and goodness of the depths of reality itself are manifested and bestowed.” beauty is a fundamental expression of the light of being, the unifying splendor between the material and spiritual. The transcendent mystery found within the created order shines through a material form from the reaches of eternity… to experience, the light of being is to gaze into the mystery of the infinite.
The beauty of the material world expresses transcendental beauty, acting as a sign from eternity: the light of God‘s being.
Because human beings were originally created for Eden, there remains in human nature and inexplicable longing and sense of dislocation, a yearning for a world in the wholeness of its original design. To encounter transcendental beauty awakens this longing, stirring an inborn memory. Through beauty, one experiences the transcendental reality that frames, creation, drawing the human spirit toward the majesty of the Creator.
For Tolkien, human myth sought to re-create the beauty of the infinite, naturally mirroring God‘s creative activity
Chesterton suggest that the pagans fell short of goodness and truth because they were relied solely on human imagination in their pursuit of the divine “mythology…sought God through the imagination; or saw truth by means of beauty.” it was Tolkien’s, creative purpose to delve into that beauty, unearth it’s treasures and weed out its Follies. He re-envisioned pagan myth as a beauty united with goodness and truth.
Primary Truth
If one is in prison, he reasons, then “escape “is only reasonable. One is not abandoning the truth of reality by immersing oneself, in the beauties of a story. Rather, the beauties of a story may reveal truth about reality which have otherwise been lost from view.
The joy stirred through the secondary world of a story is an imitation of the transcendental reality of the primary world, an indication that there lies a higher truth than the myth itself…for Tolkien, the moving quality of myth is derived from a greater myth, one which has entered the primary world of living history
The incarnation of Christ as the pinnacle of Gods creative art. The incarnation of Christ is the very Apex and archetype of beauty in the world. The fullness of God’s being expressed within the Incarnation is the archetypal art of God to which all other beauty aspires… if all potent myth draws upon the transcendental reality, then Christs incarnation is the culmination and fulfillment of that reality
The eucatastrophe present in successful fairy-stories is ultimately derived from the transcendental beauty embodied in the Christ event.
Tolkiens theological purpose: the purpose and structure of the Christian life includes human creativity as part of the redemptive work of Christ. The Christ event is the primal art of God which initiates restoration in the creative order, especially the human life.
indeed, the religious element of tolkiens work is found in the radiance of beauty draw from an underlying sanctity of goodness and truth
ON CREATION
He not only affirms that matter is good but shows it to possess an inherent spiritual dimension, the union of which is necessary for the fulfillment of its being. Tolkien thereby retains the creators goodness and sovereignty, while affirming the intrinsic worth of the material world
Light in Tolkien is an ultimate theological metaphor: cultures and beings in middle earth are categorized according to their distance from and relation to it. The valar, the highest of the angelic guardians of Arda, are the most glorious in splendor; when they take on physical bodies, they reveal a radiance from their inner being that ultimately reflects their creator.
He endowed the elves with the radiance of holiness. They are in harmony with the created world, which radiates the holiness of Iluvatar, thereby enhancing their own splendor. They possess a harmony of being brought to fullness of life. While elves do not teach men religion, they ennoble men and teach them wisdom
The wonder of being
The eternal soul of an incarnate being resonates with the eternal dimension within physical reality. This is the foundation for the experience of transcendental beauty: from within time, one gazes into the infinite.
Tolkien posits two contrasting responses to the mystery of being: hope defined by trust or else meaninglessness defined by despair. In so doing, he is making a statement about the nature of human beings. That is, the spiritual or transcendent is an essential part of the human experience, and to deny its role is to reject the holistic nature of the human existence.Elvish wonder is an inborn knowledge of the world as it was meant to be , Arda Unmarred: “That is the ground upon which hope is built.” Human wonder is an intuition of the world that yet shall be, Arda Healed. This is the hope that sustaineth
The law of the logos
Take, for example, the experience of the hobbits in the house of Tom Bombadil: “the guests became suddenly aware that they were singing merrily, as if it was easier and more natural than talking. For Tolkien, song in its “unfallen” holistic expression reveals the inner being, a revelation transcending spoken language.
Song is the fullest expression of one’s own logos
The song of luthien
Luthien possesses a transcendence of being that reaches its fullness through language. In declaring her identity and singing a song of power, she draws upon the eternal logos embedded in the structure of creation by which she subdues her enemy
Beren and Luthien express the union of language and being finds its fullness in self-giving love. These themes continue throughout Tolkiens works, exemplified in feats of courage. As with beren, the glory of his mortal heroes shines forth through the “true word” of steadfast resolve, revealing an eternal splendor from with in the soul
Being and unbeing
Tolkien wrote the fall of gondolin following the battle of the Somme. This legend details the graphic horrors of battle, echoing the realism of murderous devastation. It was here that Elven beauty first produced warriors, grim, and strong, setting the foundation for the ongoing struggle between good and evil so prevalent in his mythology. These grave warriors came to exemplify a light of strength and power that carried over into every conflict against evil: the light of being.
Evil is both privation and profanity; it is an absence of light, as well as a darkness made out of light.
Within frodos being at the foot of mount doom, the wraithing and splendor of being intermingle. The profane fire of the ring upholds yet destroys his being, while revealing the imperishable flame which upholds and sustains his ontological existence-an existence now made glorious by his holistic self-sacrifice. it is this splendor that breaks through the darkness.
The splendor of being
Despair is the background against which hope is set
His view that the good is “much more hidden,” and yet “far greater”than evil suggests a beauty deeper than a transient or material aesthetic. Beauty is not simply an adornment of the good it is a glimpse of the transcendent revealed through the splendor of being.
For Tolkien mythic courage is akin to righteousness. While not a guarantee of the good, courage is never the less a powerful characteristic of it, requiring moral decision enacted in feats of valor.
When her form-the Terra animata if her human existence-intersects with the splendor of her inner radiance, she unveils the fullness of her being. With resolve, she holds to her inner law. While Eowyn does indeed possess physical beauty, she reveals her full splendor-a holistic and enduring beauty- when she rises above the horror declaring, her identity. In doing so, she confounds the enemy into silence and uncertainty… the heroine reveals her glory when she has fully embraced the purpose and resolve with which she has aligned herself, expressing the soul and it’s primal form.
The unveiling of this beauty is experienced only by the few who bear the weight of the whole on their shoulders, whose courage to embrace this primal form will raise everything else into the light along with itself: the true, the good, and the beautiful.
One who refracts the transcendence and radiance present in the depths of reality will become God‘s mirror
Interviewed author on Amon sul
The theology of his fiction is not one of moralism or doctrine, but of beauty. Any morality or doctrine present in his mythic world is a natural outworking of his vision of the beautiful: whatever is good and whatever is true, must by its nature be beautiful.
For Tolkien, the light of being was a revelation of eternal glory.
Whether it be pagan myth, the natural world, or language, all were affected by the fall yet retain hints of lost transcendence.
You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly 100 years (cs Lewis, the weight of glory)
Tolkien, in sympathy with his friends, believed in the power of beauty as a weapon against evil…a glint of weaponry in the war on decadence
ON MYTH
Theology of beauty
The beautiful is not always physically attractive: one branch of the beautiful is the ugly. Beauty overlaps with the aesthetic categories of worldly beauty, but is not limited to them. Theologically, beauty must be taken together with goodness and truth as a transcendental property of being.
Hart describes beauty as a sense of the infinite which orients one’s soul toward divine beauty, the glory of God
Beauty is the expression of goodness and truth; it is the evidence of the transcendental reality… transcendental beauty is the radiance of pure reality; when one encounters the beautiful “the truth and goodness of the depths of reality itself are manifested and bestowed.” beauty is a fundamental expression of the light of being, the unifying splendor between the material and spiritual. The transcendent mystery found within the created order shines through a material form from the reaches of eternity… to experience, the light of being is to gaze into the mystery of the infinite.
The beauty of the material world expresses transcendental beauty, acting as a sign from eternity: the light of God‘s being.
Because human beings were originally created for Eden, there remains in human nature and inexplicable longing and sense of dislocation, a yearning for a world in the wholeness of its original design. To encounter transcendental beauty awakens this longing, stirring an inborn memory. Through beauty, one experiences the transcendental reality that frames, creation, drawing the human spirit toward the majesty of the Creator.
For Tolkien, human myth sought to re-create the beauty of the infinite, naturally mirroring God‘s creative activity
Chesterton suggest that the pagans fell short of goodness and truth because they were relied solely on human imagination in their pursuit of the divine “mythology…sought God through the imagination; or saw truth by means of beauty.” it was Tolkien’s, creative purpose to delve into that beauty, unearth it’s treasures and weed out its Follies. He re-envisioned pagan myth as a beauty united with goodness and truth.
Primary Truth
If one is in prison, he reasons, then “escape “is only reasonable. One is not abandoning the truth of reality by immersing oneself, in the beauties of a story. Rather, the beauties of a story may reveal truth about reality which have otherwise been lost from view.
The joy stirred through the secondary world of a story is an imitation of the transcendental reality of the primary world, an indication that there lies a higher truth than the myth itself…for Tolkien, the moving quality of myth is derived from a greater myth, one which has entered the primary world of living history
The incarnation of Christ as the pinnacle of Gods creative art. The incarnation of Christ is the very Apex and archetype of beauty in the world. The fullness of God’s being expressed within the Incarnation is the archetypal art of God to which all other beauty aspires… if all potent myth draws upon the transcendental reality, then Christs incarnation is the culmination and fulfillment of that reality
The eucatastrophe present in successful fairy-stories is ultimately derived from the transcendental beauty embodied in the Christ event.
Tolkiens theological purpose: the purpose and structure of the Christian life includes human creativity as part of the redemptive work of Christ. The Christ event is the primal art of God which initiates restoration in the creative order, especially the human life.
indeed, the religious element of tolkiens work is found in the radiance of beauty draw from an underlying sanctity of goodness and truth
ON CREATION
He not only affirms that matter is good but shows it to possess an inherent spiritual dimension, the union of which is necessary for the fulfillment of its being. Tolkien thereby retains the creators goodness and sovereignty, while affirming the intrinsic worth of the material world
Light in Tolkien is an ultimate theological metaphor: cultures and beings in middle earth are categorized according to their distance from and relation to it. The valar, the highest of the angelic guardians of Arda, are the most glorious in splendor; when they take on physical bodies, they reveal a radiance from their inner being that ultimately reflects their creator.
He endowed the elves with the radiance of holiness. They are in harmony with the created world, which radiates the holiness of Iluvatar, thereby enhancing their own splendor. They possess a harmony of being brought to fullness of life. While elves do not teach men religion, they ennoble men and teach them wisdom
The wonder of being
The eternal soul of an incarnate being resonates with the eternal dimension within physical reality. This is the foundation for the experience of transcendental beauty: from within time, one gazes into the infinite.
Tolkien posits two contrasting responses to the mystery of being: hope defined by trust or else meaninglessness defined by despair. In so doing, he is making a statement about the nature of human beings. That is, the spiritual or transcendent is an essential part of the human experience, and to deny its role is to reject the holistic nature of the human existence.Elvish wonder is an inborn knowledge of the world as it was meant to be , Arda Unmarred: “That is the ground upon which hope is built.” Human wonder is an intuition of the world that yet shall be, Arda Healed. This is the hope that sustaineth
The law of the logos
Take, for example, the experience of the hobbits in the house of Tom Bombadil: “the guests became suddenly aware that they were singing merrily, as if it was easier and more natural than talking. For Tolkien, song in its “unfallen” holistic expression reveals the inner being, a revelation transcending spoken language.
Song is the fullest expression of one’s own logos
The song of luthien
Luthien possesses a transcendence of being that reaches its fullness through language. In declaring her identity and singing a song of power, she draws upon the eternal logos embedded in the structure of creation by which she subdues her enemy
Beren and Luthien express the union of language and being finds its fullness in self-giving love. These themes continue throughout Tolkiens works, exemplified in feats of courage. As with beren, the glory of his mortal heroes shines forth through the “true word” of steadfast resolve, revealing an eternal splendor from with in the soul
Being and unbeing
Tolkien wrote the fall of gondolin following the battle of the Somme. This legend details the graphic horrors of battle, echoing the realism of murderous devastation. It was here that Elven beauty first produced warriors, grim, and strong, setting the foundation for the ongoing struggle between good and evil so prevalent in his mythology. These grave warriors came to exemplify a light of strength and power that carried over into every conflict against evil: the light of being.
Evil is both privation and profanity; it is an absence of light, as well as a darkness made out of light.
Within frodos being at the foot of mount doom, the wraithing and splendor of being intermingle. The profane fire of the ring upholds yet destroys his being, while revealing the imperishable flame which upholds and sustains his ontological existence-an existence now made glorious by his holistic self-sacrifice. it is this splendor that breaks through the darkness.
The splendor of being
Despair is the background against which hope is set
His view that the good is “much more hidden,” and yet “far greater”than evil suggests a beauty deeper than a transient or material aesthetic. Beauty is not simply an adornment of the good it is a glimpse of the transcendent revealed through the splendor of being.
For Tolkien mythic courage is akin to righteousness. While not a guarantee of the good, courage is never the less a powerful characteristic of it, requiring moral decision enacted in feats of valor.
When her form-the Terra animata if her human existence-intersects with the splendor of her inner radiance, she unveils the fullness of her being. With resolve, she holds to her inner law. While Eowyn does indeed possess physical beauty, she reveals her full splendor-a holistic and enduring beauty- when she rises above the horror declaring, her identity. In doing so, she confounds the enemy into silence and uncertainty… the heroine reveals her glory when she has fully embraced the purpose and resolve with which she has aligned herself, expressing the soul and it’s primal form.
The unveiling of this beauty is experienced only by the few who bear the weight of the whole on their shoulders, whose courage to embrace this primal form will raise everything else into the light along with itself: the true, the good, and the beautiful.
One who refracts the transcendence and radiance present in the depths of reality will become God‘s mirror
Interviewed author on Amon sul
January 24, 2026
Lisa Coutras’s Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty investigates how the lyrical beauty of Tolkien’s prose is not just for aesthetics, but is based on theological principles. In The Lord of the Rings, the concept of Beauty is synonymous with the Christian teachings of Goodness, Truth, and Purity, which lets Tolkien subtly preach, for lack of a better term. Coutras’s central claim - that Tolkien’s Catholic worldview fundamentally shapes his mythology, including his portrayal of women - is one of the book’s greatest strengths.
The sections engaging in feminist criticism are particularly valuable, as they compile many different authors and perspectives. Coutras clearly is against claims that Tolkien was either hostile toward women or uninterested in them, making them weak and passive, instead arguing that his female characters (in particular Galadriel, Eowyn, and Luthien) embody a distinctly feminine form of power rooted in moral clarity rather than domination. Coutras states that “As a critique of traditional masculine power, Tolkien shows 'strength of arms' to be unsustainable as a source of hope. In his understanding of power, moral and spiritual strength is of greater worth than physical strength.”
Her discussion of the “transcendental feminine,” shaped by Tolkien’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, is thoughtfully developed and often beautifully phrased. Coutras argues that “just as Mary bore in her body the mystery of Jesus’ incarnation, so also does feminine glory convey a divine mystery unique to her nature.” I thought this was a genuinely illuminating and thought-provoking comment about Tolkien’s imagination, and she has multiple ideas to this effect.
Structurally, the book outlines familiar debates, then offers a critique based on evidence. For example, she frames Galadriel’s refusal of the Ring as not passivity but moral triumph. She also explains how Eowyn’s turn towards being a healer is not retreat but her rejection of hollow, destructive power. Coutras persuasively shows that Tolkien critiques the objectification of women and associates forced passivity with moral decay. These insights made me reconsider characters I thought I already understood and gave me new insights into Tolkien’s gender politics.
That said, the book’s pretty dense - basically every chapter feels like its own essay, complete with heavy in-text citations (sometimes dozens per chapter), and the prose can also feel repetitive and overly structured. Arguments are restated multiple times, and key claims, especially regarding gender complementarity and “unfallen” societies, could have been made more concisely. I did appreciate the thorough research, though, but sometimes it felt like she was just looking for ways to be contrarian. Occasionally, I disagree with her even as she frames her statements as neutral or common sense. For example, while Coutras is convincing in arguing that Tolkien is not simply misogynistic, she tends to underplay how restrictive his Christian assumptions about gender, sexuality, and marriage can feel to modern readers. Her defense of Tolkien’s essentialist view of gender was insightful, but not always fully persuasive - especially for readers who see gender as socially constructed rather than spiritually inherent. However, I’m sure someone with different beliefs would interpret this differently.
Overall, Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty is a thoughtful and insightful study, particularly for readers interested in theology, aesthetics, or feminist criticism of Tolkien. Although I didn’t agree with everything, it meaningfully deepened my understanding of Tolkien’s Catholic worldview and its influence on his female characters. For that reason, I give it four out of five stars.
The sections engaging in feminist criticism are particularly valuable, as they compile many different authors and perspectives. Coutras clearly is against claims that Tolkien was either hostile toward women or uninterested in them, making them weak and passive, instead arguing that his female characters (in particular Galadriel, Eowyn, and Luthien) embody a distinctly feminine form of power rooted in moral clarity rather than domination. Coutras states that “As a critique of traditional masculine power, Tolkien shows 'strength of arms' to be unsustainable as a source of hope. In his understanding of power, moral and spiritual strength is of greater worth than physical strength.”
Her discussion of the “transcendental feminine,” shaped by Tolkien’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, is thoughtfully developed and often beautifully phrased. Coutras argues that “just as Mary bore in her body the mystery of Jesus’ incarnation, so also does feminine glory convey a divine mystery unique to her nature.” I thought this was a genuinely illuminating and thought-provoking comment about Tolkien’s imagination, and she has multiple ideas to this effect.
Structurally, the book outlines familiar debates, then offers a critique based on evidence. For example, she frames Galadriel’s refusal of the Ring as not passivity but moral triumph. She also explains how Eowyn’s turn towards being a healer is not retreat but her rejection of hollow, destructive power. Coutras persuasively shows that Tolkien critiques the objectification of women and associates forced passivity with moral decay. These insights made me reconsider characters I thought I already understood and gave me new insights into Tolkien’s gender politics.
That said, the book’s pretty dense - basically every chapter feels like its own essay, complete with heavy in-text citations (sometimes dozens per chapter), and the prose can also feel repetitive and overly structured. Arguments are restated multiple times, and key claims, especially regarding gender complementarity and “unfallen” societies, could have been made more concisely. I did appreciate the thorough research, though, but sometimes it felt like she was just looking for ways to be contrarian. Occasionally, I disagree with her even as she frames her statements as neutral or common sense. For example, while Coutras is convincing in arguing that Tolkien is not simply misogynistic, she tends to underplay how restrictive his Christian assumptions about gender, sexuality, and marriage can feel to modern readers. Her defense of Tolkien’s essentialist view of gender was insightful, but not always fully persuasive - especially for readers who see gender as socially constructed rather than spiritually inherent. However, I’m sure someone with different beliefs would interpret this differently.
Overall, Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty is a thoughtful and insightful study, particularly for readers interested in theology, aesthetics, or feminist criticism of Tolkien. Although I didn’t agree with everything, it meaningfully deepened my understanding of Tolkien’s Catholic worldview and its influence on his female characters. For that reason, I give it four out of five stars.
May 20, 2023
Anyone who wishes to more deeply understand Tolkien’s worldview and theology would do well to read this wonderful book by Lisa Coutras. In particular I gained insight into his view of the hierarchy of prose, poetry, and song, his view of being vs non-being, and his approach to the feminine. The analysis of Eowyn and Galadriel as being a Germanic valkryies after the Marian tradition was hugely insightful. I walked away with a much stronger understanding of the character of Eowyn, particularly as both one who transcends despair with love, and as one who confronts the evil of non-being (the Witch King) through the radiance of her own being.
I would highly recommend this book; it is fairly academic but very accessible, and reaches a broad range of sources and opinions, with a strong emphasis on Balthasar. Worth its weight in gold!
I would highly recommend this book; it is fairly academic but very accessible, and reaches a broad range of sources and opinions, with a strong emphasis on Balthasar. Worth its weight in gold!
August 20, 2022
If half-stars existed, this would be a 3.5 star book. Above average, but not as enthralling as I was hoping and expecting. There were parts that were fascinating, but there were also redundancies galore. Nearly every chapter read like a research paper, so while the topic was beauty, it read and flowed in the opposite direction. I appreciate the thorough research (as each chapter had 40-150 citations each), but this made it quite dry and repetitive at times.
It did make me want to read some of the less-popular works of Tolkien.
It did make me want to read some of the less-popular works of Tolkien.
October 16, 2024
More academic/ivory-tower than I was hoping.
I was oddly aggravated by various book production elements I didn't understand/follow, notably the inclusion of copyright info on every. single. chapter., and grammatical decisions I disagreed with (like commas before titles or author names). So ... in short, the editor in me went a little crazy :), and rightthissecond, this isn't the book for me (or I am not the right reader).
I was oddly aggravated by various book production elements I didn't understand/follow, notably the inclusion of copyright info on every. single. chapter., and grammatical decisions I disagreed with (like commas before titles or author names). So ... in short, the editor in me went a little crazy :), and rightthissecond, this isn't the book for me (or I am not the right reader).
January 31, 2019
Charming
May 13, 2019
Some insights.
January 13, 2020
Heady but in the best way. Really makes me want to return to the trilogy soon and take up The Silmarillion.
June 9, 2021
A fantastic book. The final chapters on responding to feminist critiques of Tolkien’s portrayal of women were especially good.
September 6, 2022
I was particularly interested in the section regarding women in Middle Earth. An interesting perspective on a controversial topic in fantasy.
July 16, 2023
If you’re into theology or Tolkien this is a must read.
May 31, 2022
A well-researched and well- structured study of beauty in Tolkien’s works. It analyzed a considerable amount of examples of beauty from the Silmarillion, the Lord of the Rings and the History of Middle-Earth. It explains why these characters are able to engage us emotionally and really helps me to understand them.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews