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Title: Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues : Exploring the Spiritual Themes of the Lord of the Rings by Mark Eddy Smith ISBN: 0830823123 Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: February, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4
Rating: 4
Summary: Good work for character building based on char. development
Comment: This book follows along with the storyline of the Lord of the Rings and is helpful in pointing out both + and - virtues within characters and/or their development of those characteristics. It might be esp. helpful to those who want to teach the books in a scholastic setting, including home schooling, so that children can see virtue in action. I would recommend it also for the person who simply wants to enjoy the epic more and see some of the thematic elements he/she might be missing.
Rating: 4
Summary: A light connection between what we read and what we do.
Comment: This is quite light reading; it isn't a major philosophical treatise. However, even with that being true, it draws the readers' attention to choices made by characters in novels, to choices that people may need to make in their own lives, (and these are realistically balanced against frequent occurrence in day-to-day life), and virtues that Tolkien included in his novels. The Lord of the Rings is considered sensu lato, (including the Hobbit). Some of these virtues may even have been included by Tolkien unconsciously, but this is a useful perspective on virtue.
Rating: 4
Summary: A 'round-up' from 3 1/2 stars. . .
Comment: It's obvious that Mr. Smith truly loves "The Lord of the Rings". That comes through, if nothing else does. The premise of the book is also good. However, Mr. Smith does not begin to go deeply enough -- and he doesn't use valuable, readily accessible source material which would have strengthened his case dramatically. (Two examples which come to mind are "Letters by JRR Tolkien" and "The Timeless Momement: Christian Doctrine in a Pre-Christian Age".)
Smith does recognize that Tolkien was a devout Catholic -- but fails to bring this perspective into the book's development. In addition, the two most important virtues (according to Tolkien's own letters) found in the book, Pity and Mercy, were not dealt with in nearly enough depth -- and this is a loss.
From a literary basis, Mr. Smith does make some basic errors in fact. (For example, the length of time between Bilbo's departure and Frodo's departure was 17 years, not 12 as was stated twice.) From my perspective, he seriously misunderstands the character of Aragorn (and to a lesser extent, Merry and Pippin).
Why then the (almost) four stars? Because the passion in Smith's writing does come through, as does his humanness and his love for the subject. Mr. Smith has taken an enormous risk in revealing the deep parts of his soul to be shot at by callous reviewers! I respect this -- and I respect that Mr. Smith has made the attempt to bridge the gap between merely an enjoyable read and a spiritual read. I hope that he continues to make the attempt and that his future attempts are more successful.
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Title: Finding God in the Lord of the Rings by Kurt D. Bruner, Jim Ware ISBN: 0842355715 Publisher: Tyndale House Pub Pub. Date: November, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter ISBN: 0618056998 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: June, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: J. R. R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth by Bradley J. Birzer, Joseph Pearce ISBN: 1882926846 Publisher: Intercollegiate Studies Inst Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Most Reluctant Convert: C. S. Lewis's Journey to Faith by David C. Downing ISBN: 0830823115 Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Frodo's Quest: Living the Myth in the Lord of the Rings by Robert S. Ellwood ISBN: 0835608239 Publisher: Quest Books Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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