Jerilyn’s Reviews > The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings > Status Update

The fundamental theme is Death and Immortality.

“…our civilization is in crisis because of the war between these two kinds of magic. One … Enchantment, is our healing, and the other - the kind exemplified by the Ring - is our destruction.”

“An author succeeds if we recognize ourselves in each character; but Tolkien aims higher: we recognize parts of ourselves in each species.”