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Title: Frodo's Quest: Living the Myth in the Lord of the Rings by Robert S. Ellwood ISBN: 0-8356-0823-9 Publisher: Quest Books Pub. Date: November, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.6 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Frodo's Quest
Comment: Frodo's Quest takes the reader deep into the world of Middle Earth. It explores themes in The Lord of the Rings such as faithfulness and betrayal, hope and despair, and this world and other worlds, with great depth and provocative insight. For example, it examines the characters of Merry and Pippin, Frodo, and Bilbo as providing insight into the human stages of youth, middle-age, and old-age. Yet in so doing, it also asks the reader to compare aspects of the story with the various stages of his or her own life.
Robert Ellwood does not present an allegorical interpretation of The Lord of the Rings, but stays true to Tolkien's vision: Tolkien protested against his stories being taken strictly as allegories, but rather wanted them to be appreciated as stories in their own right. He preferred to say that they could have applicability to our lives. Ellwood guides the reader in doing just that. As a Christian, I found Frodo's Quest to be educational and inspiring, but it has been written with sensitivity to anyone on a spiritual quest, and is respectful of all faiths. Frodo's Quest is a refreshing gift for Tolkien enthusiasts, as well as anyone open to spiritual growth.
Rating: 4
Summary: Joseph Campbell would have enjoyed Frodo's Quest
Comment: I enjoyed reading Frodo's Quest, and I am, in fact, re-reading it again to get a deeper appreciation of the depth of Tolkien's insight in Lord of the Rings (Lord). I have (only) read Lord three times. I first read Lord in college, next some years later and again last year before the first movie came out. At each of these times, at different stages in my life, Tolkien never failed to catch me up in the story and depth of his characters. I know that I am not alone in this, for its not unusual to meet someone who confesses that he or she has read it many more times than that. But I have often wondered why the book appealed to me so much.
Dr. Robert Ellwood who, according to his web page, is both a priest, retired college professor, and a teacher / scholar of world religions, helped me understand just why Tolkien's Lord moves its loyal readers so. Ellwood, with insightful extracts from Tolkien's other works, shows that Tolkien wove into his story the universal themes of mankind's spiritual quest. After reading Frodo's Quest, one can never again see Lord as a mere fantasy story, for Ellwood demonstrates its appeal is that, at its core, it is about our own personal spiritual search. Frodo's Quest makes use of references and quotes from psychological and religious sources to establish that Lord is a quest story in the highest spiritual meaning of that term. In this sense, Frodo's Quest will ring true to readers familiar with the works and viewpoints of Joseph Campbell or Carl Jung. The reader of Frodo's Quest, like Frodo himself, will come to realize, like we all must sooner or later, that we all live in a world that is much more than just that which can be seen or touched. More importantly, we all have a role in the eternal drama of life
But Frodo's Quest is not for everyone. It unabashedly presumes that its audience both knows the Lord books and also has a the insight / spiritual discernment to understand exactly what a universal myth is, and what it does, so it is going to put off some people of a more rigid religious outlook. But if that is the price of such insights, so be it. Frankly, I don't find the exercises at the end of chapters especially useful to most people, but they don't detract from the main message of the book. Frodo's Quest has shown us Tolkien's grand vision of mankind and revealed that Lord of the Rings' appeal is that it speaks to the Frodo within each of us, ala Campbell or Jung. Frodo's Quest is a book well worth reading over and over again.
Rating: 2
Summary: A theosophical guide to Tolkien
Comment: Ellwood analyzes the general spiritual character of Tolkien's plot and characters, and uses them as starting points for meditation exercises. Whether you agree with his approach or not, he at least grasps the book well.
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Title: The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (Popular Culture and Philosophy Series) by Gregory Bassham, Eric Bronson ISBN: 0812695453 Publisher: Open Court Publishing Company Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien by TheOneRing.Net, Erica Challis ISBN: 1892975904 Publisher: Cold Spring Press Pub. Date: 20 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in the Lord of the Rings by Matthew T. Dickerson ISBN: 1587430851 Publisher: Brazos Press Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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Title: Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World by Verlyn Flieger ISBN: 0873387449 Publisher: Kent State Univ Pr Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.00 |
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Title: Tolkien in the Land of Heroes : Discovering the Human Spirit by Anne C. Petty, J. Stein ISBN: 1892975998 Publisher: Cold Spring Press Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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