Tag Archives: Lord of the Rings

The Uses of Fantasy

By Robin Bates | Published: February 17, 2019

Monday This coming week I will be teaching a four-session lifelong learning course at Sewanee entitled “Literary Wizards and Enchantresses, from Merlin and Morgan Le Fay to Gandalf and Galadriel.” I’m using today’s blog post to sort out my ideas for the first class, which will focus on Merlin and his successors. Before turning to […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

Donald Trump as Saruman

By Robin Bates | Published: July 5, 2018

Like Saruman, Trump isn’t interested in traditional alliances but wants to link up directly with Sauron (a.k.a. Vladimir Putin).

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments closed

Frodo as Newly Minted PhD

By Robin Bates | Published: January 19, 2018

How is writing a PhD like Frodo’s journey to Mordor? Check it out.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

Robert Mueller as a Savior Ent?

By Robin Bates | Published: December 11, 2017

The Russian trolls that interfered with the 2016 election resemble the Orcs attacking Helm’s Deep in “Lord of the Rings.” Do we have a version of the Ents in Robert Mueller to save us?

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

Robert Mueller, the Eye of Sauron

By Robin Bates | Published: November 27, 2017

Comedian Seth Meyers recently compared Robert Mueller’s gaze to the eye of Sauron. No wonder there is panic in the White House.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

Will Ships Be Sent to Puerto Rico?

By Robin Bates | Published: September 26, 2017

We need to send ships to Puerto Rico as we did to Haiti following the earthquake. I imagine them showing up as the unexpected ships in the “Lord of the Rings” siege of Gondor.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

The Road Goes Ever On and On

By Robin Bates | Published: July 20, 2016

Tolkien’s “The Road Goes Ever On and On” is a good poem for travelers returning home.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

How Trump Is Changing the Discourse

By Robin Bates | Published: May 12, 2016

Adam Gopnik of “New Yorker” and Andrew Sullivan of “New York” are very, very frightened by the rise of Trump. As they explain why, they quote Tom Stoppard, Sinclair Lewis, Mark Twain, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Plato.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

If Trump Tweeted Classic Lit Reviews…

By Robin Bates | Published: March 17, 2016

Donald Trump has a very distinctive twitter style., one that would be great for classic book reviews. A BuzzFeed writer imagines how he might have reviewed “Hamlet,” “Tristram Shandy,” “Ulysses,” and other classics.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed