Lord Of Rings Research Articles

МОРАЛЬНО-РЕЛІГІЙНІ МОТИВИ У ТВОРЧОСТІ ДЖ. Р. ТОЛКІЄНА: КУЛЬТУРНИЙ КОНТЕКСТ

The main moral and religious themes of J. Tolkien`s novels “The Lord of rings” and “The Silmarillion” are observed in the article. It is analyzed that Tolkien followed Christian tradition, sharing st. Augustine`s conception of evil as the absence of good. It is clarified Tolkien`s anti-Nietzschean position where evil is equal to the will to power, while the good is associated with humility and serving. It is shown an author`s interpretation of Socratic classic inquiry: would people live virtuous life if they achieve omnipotence and why moral life is preferable than immoral one. According to Tolkien, human moral obligations are closely connected with the awareness of freedom and mortality which are regarded as a giftto a man, enabling to escape from senseless “badinfinity” (Hegel) of material determinant existence. In its turn, a notion of “gift” refersto metaphysical model of world that assumes divine being and his providential intervention in the course of earthly history. One of this divine providence`s manifestation is so called “eucatastrophe”, unexpected salvation from tragedy, therapeutic consolation that returns to a man the feeling of meaningfulness and joy of being. It is suggested thatsalvation can be interpreted in romantic way as coincidence point of trajectories of art and nature, where fairy tale embodies in life, and life starts to be built according to the laws of fairy tale.

"Ser Piggy"

IntroductionGeorge R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire can safely claim to be one of most erudite fantasy series in English: its numerous references to world mythologies and historical figures and events continue to provoke wide-ranging debate amongst its readers. Literary inspirations are also present, and J. R. R. with his wide-ranging and epic vision of distant kingdoms and enchantment, is perhaps Martin's most obvious literary ancestor. As Martin's initials mirror Tolkien's, and a review by Lev Grossman in 2005 dubbed him the American Tolkien, some are tempted to draw comparisons between A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of Rings.In particular, links have been drawn between figures of Samwell Tarly and Gamgee: both have similar status as a hero's devoted and sometimes comic companion, and a similarity in naming is matched in titles bestowed upon them: Samwise Brave and Sam Slayer. With these parallels in place, people are generally content to see Tolkien's as literary root of Martin's Samwell. However, we would argue that a more fruitful comparison lies not with The Lord of Rings, but with William Golding's twentieth-century campus classic Lord of Flies.A cursory examination of A Game of Thrones, first book in Martin's series, shows a number of superficial links between Golding's novel and Martin's. The Lannister family seat, Casterley Rock, may owe a debt in naming to Golding's Castle Rock: both locations have associations of power wielded cruelly and unjustly. The theme of decapitation and display of severed head on a spike, so striking in Golding's novel (Pig's head on a stick; Roger sharpened a stick at both ends; 177, 234) is a leitmotif throughout A Game of Thrones, from deserter beheaded by Lord Eddard Stark near novel's opening to Stark's own later execution and subsequent display of his head on battlements. Golding's theme of pig hunt is given an ironic reversal when, during a hunt, King Robert Baratheon is apparently dealt a death wound by very wild boar he intended to kill. However, chief point of comparison (and one to which we will devote majority of this essay) is character of Samwell Tarly.Samwell Tarly has much in common with Golding's Piggy as an embodiment of archetypal kid, unsociable yet capable of intelligence; intertextual reference is made blatant with bullying taunts of Ser Piggy, Lady Piggy, my Lord of Ham (260, 261) and other such porcine insults in Samwell's first few scenes at the Wall. However, though Samwell's initial status as a despised outsider in his community bears a marked similarity to that of Golding's character, his eventual fate is polar opposite of Piggy's. Unlike Golding's boy, Martin's character Samwell is not rejected, not exploited, not murdered: instead, he is brought into fold, his voice is listened to, and he becomes a valued and trusted member of community.The transformation of archetypal boy from Golding's despised and scapegoated victim to Martin's stable and respected community member is subject of this close reading. By an examination of fat characters, their immediate allies and their location, it can be inferred that Martin is offering a demonstration, both practical and ethical, of circumstances required for a Piggy's survival. The first section of this article will examine differences in character between Golding's Piggy and Martin's Samwell.Piggy and SamwellGolding's Piggy is one of few fat characters in literature prescribed for young adults to go beyond presentation of fatness as negative moral lesson or terrible warning (of grotesque Augustus Gloop variety). He is a deftly observed, realistic small child, with all irritating obstinacy of young know-it-all. His vividly ungrammatical declarations, whining diction, and frustrated awkwardness all add up to a highly memorable character, and his pointless killing has a considerable impact on reader. …

“Beyond Hope He Saved Us”: Trinitarian Analogies in The Lord of the Rings

ALTHOUGH THE THEOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS of his Middle Earth involve mythology of his own devising, J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of Rings makes use of Trinitarian analogies that lie at heart of medieval Catholic views of structure of world. The novel's three books correspond to theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, providing structure that supports redemptive sacrifices of main characters. At deeper level, these main characters, Aragorn, Gandalf, and Frodo, embody qualities of three persons of Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. An examination of these characters in light of Trinitarian analogies reveals essential Catholicism that lies at heart of Tolkien's novel. Although Tolkien specifically rejects any attempt to read The Lord of Rings as allegorical, he also unequivocally states that it is a fundamentally religious and Catholic work. (1) Rather than including specific doctrines or theologies, he declares that the religious element is absorbed into story. (2) In reflecting on Tolkien's Catholic imagination, Thomas Smith observes that Tolkien's belief hold[s] that there is an ongoing relationship between God and world, wherein divine abundance at heart of Trinity sustains and is manifest in order and beauty and goodness of cosmos around us. To look at world through this lens entails believing that everything and everyone we encounter is vehicle or go-between for divine presence. (3) One way we can discern this absorbed religious element and manifestation of Trinity in world is in Tolkien's use of threefold structures at various levels of narrative. At most obvious level, story is trilogy, divided into three volumes. Each volume has its own name and theme, but, like Holy Trinity, they are of one essence. The first book, The Fellowship of Ring, centers on development of small community of nine walkers who will support Frodo in his quest to destroy ring. Faith is theological virtue that underlies this book and is at heart of fellowship. This community begins with four hobbits, who are bound together by family ties and/or long years of affiliation. Although Frodo intends initially to set off with only his servant Sam as companion, when his younger cousins declare their intentions to accompany him, he accepts their offer, even while expressing his reluctance to lead them into danger. When he first realizes that they have been conspiring to discover his plans, he asserts, it does not seem can trust anyone. (4) Merry's response indicates trust that is foundation of their fellowship: You can trust us to stick to through thick and thin--to bitter end. And can trust us to keep any secret of yours--closer than keep it yourself. But cannot trust us to let face trouble alone and go off without word. We are your friends, Frodo ... We are horribly afraid--but we are coming with you (103). To best of their ability hobbits remain faithful to that declaration, and their faithfulness is nucleus of fellowship that is built up through rest of first book. The first outsider to join their fellowship is Aragorn in his persona as Strider. When Frodo first sees him in inn, he is suspicious of Strider's rough outward appearance and cryptic comments. In their first encounter Frodo felt far from comfortable under stare of those keen eyes (153), and later Strider himself says, I have rather rascally look, have not? (161). The hobbits respond cautiously to his advice and offer of guidance. Strider agrees to answer their questions, but he wonders why should believe my story, if do not trust me already? (163). The arrival of Gandalf's letter affirms Strider's identity, although Sam remains skeptical. Frodo declares, I believed that were friend before letter came (168), and trust begins to build between them. …

Myth: A Handbook

Myth: A Handbook William G. Doty. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004. The words mythology and often appear in commentaries on American culture. Think of Henry Nash Smith's Virgin Land: The American West as Symbol and Myth (1950); Richard Slotkin's Regeneration through Violence: The Mythology of American Frontier (1973); James Oliver Robertson's American Myth, American Reality (1980); or Morris Fiorina's Culture War?: The Myth of a Polarized America (2005). Conceptually speaking, this short list reminds us that is a cultural universal, with referents that range from stories of origin or compelling vision to demonstrable falsehood. Myth-focused scholars generally finesse this semantic diversity by Grafting a modest, special-purpose definition. Because critical alternatives in discussing originated at least as early as Plato and Aristotle, such a strategy is pragmatic way to get on with the of American isolationism, the of American omnipotence, the of American individualism, and so on. In teaching or writing on American mythological themes, I have often wanted a treatment of mythology that concisely guides our attention through rich critical-theoretical literature that accumulated during past century. No one is better suited to task than William Doty, whose Mythography: The Study of Myth and Rituals (1986/2000) stands as a rigorously thorough analysis of history, theory, and interpretation. However, with its nearly 600 pages on cosmology, archetypes, rituals, social functions, gender aspects, major figures, and conflicting interpretative schools, Mythography appeals more to specialist or to student needing an encyclopedic overview of theoretical literature. By comparison, Myth: A Handbook is a mere two hundred pages, offering visuals and resource lists that serve undergraduates and advanced scholars alike. Although that has been Doty's territory, numerous examples come from contemporary American culture. The exposition is organized into chapters: Definitions and Classifications, Examples and Texts, Scholarship and Approaches, and Contexts and Transmissions. Valuable appendixes come as Bibliography, Internet and Other Electronic Sources (annotated), and Glossary. The discussion of definition and classification emphasizes well-known conceptual alternatives and their adequacy for those narratives that have traditionally carried label. Is sacred, a holdover from archaic religion? Is a special kind of rhetoric? Does call for action by hearer? Does it represent cultural priorities, a sense of destiny? Does New Age movement - very prominent in United States at present-correctly view myths as models of spiritual development? Allied with these issues are ones related to function: Do myths, like Book of Genesis, offer accounts of creation, of ongoing cosmological processes? Do they teach us about love, sexuality, courage, community? Unlike so many interpretive pioneers, Doty does not subscribe to any essentialist characterization, choosing instead to highlight variability in phenomena associated with mythologies. He is firm, however, against those who lament loss of or claim that contemporary world has moved beyond myth, emphatically rejecting presupposed myth of mythlessness. In sketching these issues, Doty frequently references American films (Lord of Rings, The Matrix) and cultural heroes (Mother Teresa, John Wayne). The chapter Examples and Texts offers a variety of types and texts from historical and contemporary culture. These exemplars concretize themes of cultural origins; cycles of birth, death, and renewal; challenges to heroic response; scapegoating; trickster; and miraculous birth/divine child. Many texts are Native American, and it is especially informative to see them side by side with their Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and Mesoamencan counterparts. …