Lord of the Ring-givers
Tolkien's Catholic and English mythology
In a hole in the internet, there lived a Lord
of the Rings course. Not a nasty, dirty hole full of Freudian
psychoanalysis, feminist angst, or deconstruction. It was a
course enchanted by Tolkien's skill as a subcreator, making
connections to the England he lived in and the faith he
lived, and that means Catholic. Welcome!
The Lord of the Ring-givers course focuses on J.R.R.
Tolkien's books The Hobbit and Lord of the
Rings. We examine these works in the light of Tolkien's
desire to create a profoundly English and Catholic myth. We
also read works of Old English literature such as
Beowulf, "The Battle of Maldon," "The Seafarer," and
"The Wanderer" in which Tolkien found inspiration. The class
does not presuppose familiarity with the books, Old English
or Elvish. It's appropriate for the first-time reader while
still providing new ideas for the Tolkien veteran.
There is a maximum of 100 pages of reading each week, while
the writing portion centers around creating thoughtful and
substantial responses to discussion questions. There will be
a weekly assignment available online beginning each Sunday
evening: a reading assignment, some short comments on points
of historical or literary interest, a longer analysis on one
particular theme, and a question for submission encouraging
the student to think deeper about the text and draw
connections to our Catholic faith, myth, and English culture.
The weekly question can be answered in a paragraph or two.
Most of the questions can be answered in a single paragraph.
I am not looking for footnotes, but instead references to the
text. (If the student claims Gollum was a lying, thieving
coward, he should show me an example that illustrates that
point.) The student may write more than a paragraph for the
answer, but if I expect multiple paragraphs, I'll mention it
explicitly.
In short, the actual writing requirement is not many words--
I'm focusing more on developing quality than quantity of ink
spilled. Two required papers, one factual and one persuasive,
are due near the end of the year. I will offer suggestions
for writing the long paper, breaking the job down to the
components of an outline, thesis statement, introduction and
conclusions, transitions, footnotes, etc. This would be a
good introduction to writing a high school paper. In
addition, the weekly questions bear at least slightly on the
paper topics, so students craft the meat of their essay as
the class progresses. I give personalized feedback on
developing and presenting ideas, as well as on the mechanics
of writing to help prepare high schoolers for college-level
work. The required books are minimal, inexpensive and easily
found online or at your local bookstore.
As with other courses, the entirety
is conveyed through internet correspondance, so you don't
need to leave the comfort of your hobbit-hole. For students
local to the Akron area, there is a weekly book club that
meets at my house for those who want in-person discussions,
but that's an optional extra. For those further flung, the
class discussion board is a lively hub of activity, with
interested parties conversing about the current readings,
Lewis, Tolkien, the Silmarillion and Peter Jackson's movies,
asking "do we love 'em or leave 'em?".
The class runs from early September until early May, with a
break for Christmas.
Book List
- The Hobbit
—J.R.R. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings
—J.R.R. Tolkien - The Tolkien Reader
—J.R.R. Tolkien - Beowulf and Other Old English Poems
—Constance Hieatt
Topics List
- Flames Upon His Head: Mythopoiea
- Riddle Me This
- Riddle Me This, Round 2: Anglo-Saxon Riddles
- A Leader Emerges
- Generosity in Heroism
- Dragonish Avarice in Middle-Earth
- There and Back and There Again
- The Road Less Traveled
- Friends in Low Places
- Friends in High Places
- Beowulf: An Analysis of Some Themes
- Merry Old England in Middle Earth
- Men, Women, and a "Thing Called Love"
- The Bond of Comitatus
- The Grace of the Sacraments
- Behold Your Mother: Tolkien's Women as Reflections of Mary
- Tolkien for Tree-hugging Hippies
- Beowulf Rides in Rohan
- Saruman's Bane: The Dragon Sickness
- They Descended into Hell
- Hope in Hopeless Times
- The Redemption of Gollum and Frodo
- Northern Theory of Courage
- Oaths and Oath-breaking
- The Hope of Fools
- Suicide, Death and the Heathen Kings
- The End of All Things
- Eucatastrophy: A Triumph of Hope
- Weak and Strong United
- The Price of Ofermod: The Homecoming of Beorhnoth Beorhthelm's Son
- Subcreation Revisited: Leaf by Niggle