Tolkien in Perspective

by Greg Wright

How should Tolkien's literary work be interpreted? Greg Wright, a life-long Tolkien scholar, in applying Biblical principles to Tolkien's fantasy, shows some surprising revelations about Tolkien's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971231168
• ISBN13: 9780971231160
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Deep River Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Genuinely New Perspective

If you want a quick, easy read that skims over Tolkien's works and then pops them into a convenient, lightweight package, do NOT read this book. On the other hand, if you are looking for a thoughtful examination of various aspects of Tolkien's body of work and an insightful exploration of how Tolkien's corpus could create the impact that it has had on our culture, then this is a book you MUST read.One of the joys of this book is the author's commitment to maintaining a dialogue with his readers. Although an outgoing Christian himself, he never "preaches at" his reader. Rather, his approach is that of the website where his series on LOTR and Peter Jackson's films have been posted on for the last five years: "One of the practices at Hollywood Jesus is never to throw rocks at any artist or their work. Rather, we approach each work on its own terms, find common ground and open the doors of dialogue."Here is an author who has written not to convince you that he is right, but to present some new ideas in order to stimulate your own thinking about Tolkien's thoughts and intentions. This is an author who is genuinely interested in feedback and discussion, who can sincerely and dispassionately dialogue with his readers, who wants more to provoke thought and discovery than just to prove a point.If you want to know more about the text of the book, read the review posted below by "la solinas," but rest assured, no matter what you think of this book, you can take the opportunity to discuss it all further with the author himself. Don't miss it!

Evangelical analysis of Tolkien

Greg Wright's book is an evangelical analysis of the Tolkien myth. I would recommend it to evangelicals who misunderstand the Christian basis of Tolkien's myth, or who wish to explain to one's stricter relatives why Tolkien is a good Christian.I enjoyed Wright's analysis. He goes into detail into the general ideas behind the LOTR myth, analyzing the secular and Catholic roots of the story. (His explanation of Catholic Christianity's use of allegory is excellent).However, there is quite a bit in the book about the spiritual helps and spiritual dangers of Tolkienmania, with an emphasis on a strict biblical world view.If one is allergic to bible quoting, skip the book. If one wishes to see an analysis of Tolkien's tales from several religious/ethical worldviews, it is an excellent study. And, if one is a strict evangelical, it is a welcome addition to your library.

Wright's corn worth its weight in gold

Greg Wright offers a perspective on Tolkien we don't often hear about these days, arguing that The Lord of the Rings is fundamentally pre-Christian in chronology and content. His book thus comes as a refreshing alternative to defensive Christian interpretations like Bradley Birzer's "JRR Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth" and Ralph Wood's "Gospel According to Tolkien".Readers should be aware, however, that Wright has an aggressive evangelical agenda. The subtitle, "sifting the gold from the glitter", hints at the angle he's coming from. He warns that pagan elements in Tolkien's story need to be recognized for what they are -- glitter not gold, chaff instead of corn. Needless to say, one person's gold is another's glitter, and in truth we should recognize both pagan and Christian elements as part of the "gold" of Tolkien's classic.Wright is correct, however, to point out that Tolkien thought he had chaff in his own corn, even if we as readers are not inclined to recognize it as such. From a Christian point of view, there is too much "long defeat" in Middle-Earth, and never enough confident victory. The Fourth Age grows even darker than the previous cycles, and men have to confront evil without help from wizards and cheerfully courageous hobbits. As the apocryphal dialogue between Finrod and Andreth indicates, the race of men remains hopeless without the Christ event. But the flip-side to Wright's observation is equally important: Tolkien couldn't do without this chaff, and he even liked its taste. He loved and emulated pagan themes like hopeless courage, even if as a Christian he couldn't quite "go there". The best parts of the book are the last two chapters which focus on the Fourth Age and alternate Catholic ways of viewing Tolkien's work. Wright is sensitive to Catholic doctrine (rare for an evangelical) and has done his homework. He cites Regina Doman's excellent contrast between the Protestant and Catholic views of history, the latter of which puts The Lord of the Rings into perspective as an historical episode consistent with Christian salvation-history. The heroes of this story are "faithful" to the extent that Eru has revealed himself to them. But ultimately the pagan world-view is operative in Middle-Earth, and Frodo was doomed to failure.Wright and I come to similar conclusions for very different reasons, but the important thing is that he understands Tolkien's story for what it is: pre-Christian myth as opposed to Christian metaphor. For those who can wade through the evangelical chaff, Wright's corn is worth its weight in gold.

Very Insightful

This book was very helpful to me. I am not a 'Middle Earth' freek, but I wanted to know more about Tolkien's work, especially in view of the attention it is getting in the movies. As a Christian, this book gave me the insights I needed. Greg's style of writing is easy to read. His candid observations are a big help to any Christian who wants to further understand how to interpret Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. And, if you are in Christian leadership, this book is a must for you to read. Thanks Greg...a BIG help!

All that is gold does not glitter

Finding books on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is effortless. Finding some of the books analyzing it is easy. But finding something worthwhile and thought-provoking, something new and insightful? Now there's a challenge. And Greg Wright's "Tolkien in Perspective" rises to the challenge very well.Wright wraps his analysis of Tolkien in his analysis of culture, religion, Christianity in particular, philosophy, myth and how all of the above interact. How is "Lord of the Rings" a Christian book? What is a "Christian book," anyway? What was Tolkien's intent as he wrote it? How can myths and Christianity be compatible? What is the nature of Middle-Earth's magic? Not only does Wright address such questions, he also addresses the alternative viewpoints and claims (like claims that they're evil or for druggie hippies).Perhaps the biggest challenge is that since Wright (thankfully) does not dumb down the material, some of it may be unfamiliar to the readers. However, if this is not an obstacle, it may prove to be the most satisfying religious analysis of Tolkien's works. He's a fan, and clearly very well versed in Tolkien's writings as well as his fellow fans.Most books shy away from Tolkien's Roman Catholic beliefs and the specifics of how that affected his trilogy. Wright doesn't do so. He's not Catholic, but he doesn't ignore or vilify that which is in Tolkien's world; his book meets the topic head-on. Perhaps most refreshingly, he strikes a good balance when looking at Tolkien himself. He doesn't blast the Master of Middle-Earth, but doesn't put him on a pedestal either. Rather, he acknowledges Tolkien as a good yet flawed (as everyone is) human being. Wright's writing style is versatile, switching from scholarly and intense to almost conversational. While sometimes his analyses are a little hard to follow, they're striking and thought-provoking, especially his analysis of "myth" at the beginning of the book. The commentary he provides on philosophy (past, present, and Tolkien's) also adds extra dimension to his analysis and speculation.If you're tired of the ready-baked analyses of "Lord of the Rings," then "Tolkien in Perspective: Sifting the Gold from the Glitter" offers a fresh point of view on the religion and philosophy attached to. Recommended for Tolkien fans who like to think.