The Sweet and the Bitter: Death and Dying in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

by Amy Amendt-Raduege

In 1956, J. R. R. Tolkien famously stated that the real theme of The Lord of the Rings was "Death and Immortality." The deaths that underscore so much of the subject matter of Tolkien's masterpiece have a great deal to teach us. From the heroic to the humble, Tolkien draws on medieval concepts of death and dying to explore the glory and sorrow of human mortality. Three great themes of death link medieval Northern European culture, The Lord of the Rings, and contemporary culture: the way in which we die, the need to remember the dead, and above all the lingering apprehension of what happens after death. Like our medieval ancestors, we still talk about what it means to die as a hero, a traitor, or a coward; we still make decisions about ways to honor and remember the departed; and we continue to seek to appease and contain the dead. These themes suggest a latent resonance between medieval and modern cultures and raise an issue not generally discussed in contemporary Western society: our deeply rooted belief that how one dies in some way matters.

While Tolkien, as a medieval scholar, naturally draws much of his inspiration from the literature, folklore, and legends of the Middle Ages, the popularity of his work affirms that modern audiences continue to find these tropes relevant and useful. From ideas of "good" and "bad" deaths to proper commemoration and disposal of the dead, and even to ghost stories, real people find comfort in the ideas about death and dying that Tolkien explores.

"The Sweet and the Bitter": Death and Dying in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings examines the ways in which Tolkien's masterwork makes visible the connections between medieval and modern conceptions of dying and analyzes how contemporary readers use The Lord of the Rings as a tool for dealing with death.

Genres: Literary Criticism, Nonfiction

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Amy Amendt-Raduege teaches English at Whatcom Community College, where she leads classes in British Literature, folklore, superheroes, Shakespeare, and Tolkien.

Reviews

[Regitze Xenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of my books and papers and essays and reviews and whatnot for my thesis. And what a fascinating study to read. Note: I read the PhD dissertation that eventually became this book, as the book is not yet avaliable to me through the libraries.

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compact, insightful book on the significance of death and dying in The Lord of the Rings. It is certainly well-grounded in a knowledge of Tolkien's works and in relevant historical context (notably Angl0Saxon, medieval English, and other cultural contexts studies by Tolkien), and it often either reminded me of things I had forgotten or encouraged me to think about them differently (e.g. its consideration of grave sites). On the other hand, it tends to include more plot summary than necessary, and it is occasionally repetitive. Nevertheless, its argument that one can see The Lord of the Rings as, essentially, an ars moriendi for the modern world is an intriguing reading.

[Andrew Otis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but it reads more like a dissertation than a book. The writing is unnecessarily clunky and full of jargon