Fascination with Kate Middleton’s pregnancy may be tied in with the “return of the king” trope found in much British fiction.
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Tag Archives: Lord of the Rings
Kate’s Pregnancy: Return of the King
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged British monarchy, J. R. R. Tolkien, Kate Middleton, Once and Future King, T. H. White Comments closed
Fantasy, Because Reality Is Unsatisfactory
Fantasy is nothing in and of itself but takes its character in opposition to an unsatisfactory reality.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Lady of Shalott", "Lotos Eaters", "Passing of Arthur", Alfred Lord Tennyson, C. S. Lewis, Eve of St. Agnes, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Federer: Floating Butterfly, Stinging Bee
In the immortal words of Muhammad Ali, Roger Federer floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee as he won his 7th Wimbledon title yesterday.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alexander Pope, J. R. R. Tolkien, Muhammad Ali, Rape of the Lock, Roger Federer, Sports, Tempest, tennis, William Shakespeare, Wimbledon Comments closed
Gazing into the Palantir in 2012
Tolkien warns us about gazing too deeply into the world’s darkness.
Beware Gazing at the Palantir in 2010
John Noble as Denethor A palantir, as readers of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings know, is a crystal ball into which one may gaze and see events occurring around the world. Although a seeming marvel, it can warp those who gaze into it. The palantir holds lessons for us on how we to […]
Discussing Literature without Teachers
My son Toby My son Toby, who is with us for two more days before he leaves for the University of California-Davis English Ph.D program, gave a lecture to the St. Mary’s College Tolkien society on Friday. I am the club’s advisor but it was first time I had attended a meeting for several […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Gerald Graff, J. R. R. Tolkien, literary societies, Literary Theory: An Introduction, Professing Literature, reading groups, teaching literature, Terry Eagleton Comments closed
I Was a Secret Holden Caulfield
I contrasted Lord of the Rings with J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye the other day. It’s not a contrast that anyone other than I would make, and it’s all based on the fact that I loved the one and hated the other. In my post today I explore my dislike of the Salinger […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged adolescence, Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, J. R. R. Tolkien Comments closed
Fantasy As a Roundabout Road to Truth
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn I didn’t do entire justice in Monday’s post to the Tolkien essay of my son Toby. In correcting that here, I also open up a more complicated vision of fantasy in general, as well as Tolkien’s fantasy specifically. I was wondering if Tolkien had retreated into fantasy as a refuge from […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mists of Avalon, Tobias Bates, war Comments closed
Fantasy: Help or Hindrance?
My friend Alan Paskow, who is struggling with cancer, queried me about my post on Alfred Noyes’ “The Highwayman,” wondering whether the poem wasn’t just an insubstantial fantasy. I’ve been writing about The Lord of the Rings as a fantasy perhaps indulged in by a World War I veteran who wasn’t willing to face up […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged adolescence, Catcher in the Rye, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, fantasy, J. D. Salinger, J. R. R. Tolkien Comments closed