Hobbiton discussion
This topic is about
The Philosophy of Tolkien
Philosophy
date
newest »
newest »
I don't know much about this, but I have noticed that themes in the Lord of the Rings seires do feel allegorical, or kind of spiritual in nature. Would you make any comparasins to C.S. Lewis's Narnia series? My friends who read both have complained that the religious themes in Narnia are too much "one-to-one comparasins", too "on the nose." I was too young when I read them and all that went over my head!
Mod
Would you make any comparisons to C.S. Lewis's Na..."
Tolkien was a Catholic Christian, naturally some of his faith and ideals would become ingrained within the story, Tolkien himself says that he disliked allegory in all of it's forms.
C.S. Lewis and Tolkien were very, very good friends and they both influenced each-other's work. The Narnia series had a lot of Christian themes but it works when you understand Lewis and his journey to God. He had a hard time of it, starting off as an atheist and converting after he could not find a way to disprove God's existence.
Naturally, since chose to be so devoted to God, his stories would include Christian themes. I applaud him for it, though I do not personally like the Narnia series as much as some people, I do think it is very good and can lead people to Christ.
Tolkien actually hated Narnia so much that Lewis threw the first draft away which I think is a bit extreme.
I have not finished the book so I will not post a full review quite yet but I wanted to talk about it anyway. From the first page onward, I love this book, Peter has wonderful prose and a fantastic way of breaking down complex theological concepts into more manageable sections while at the same time, discussing the greatest work of fiction ever to be made.
Peter Kreeft has a great understanding of Tolkien and the Lord of The Rings, whether or not you are Christian, this book is a wonderful read.