Course Review: "The Liturgical Imagination of JRR Tolkien"
This post is written in partnership with the St. Paul Center. I was given a free membership to Emmaus Academy in order to watch this course and share my thoughts on it, and will receive a commission for any sign-ups completed through my affiliate link.
About Emmaus Academy: Emmaus Academy is an online membership program created by the St. Paul Center which offers various online courses, series, and book studies on Catholicism. At the time of publishing, their monthly membership fee is $25 per month. Users may sign up using my affiliate link to receive a free two-week trial before deciding whether or not this monthly membership is a good fit for them.
Course Overview from Dr. Reinhard: “Widely recognized as the greatest author of the 20th century, J. R. R. Tolkien was also a devout and practicing Catholic. In this course, we’ll explore one of the most important ways Tolkien’s faith left its mark on his fiction; namely, through the formation of a distinctly liturgical imagination. We will delve into the liturgical nature of Tolkien’s piety and examine liturgical echoes in his works. In doing so, we’ll consider how the liturgical imagination accounts for his enduring popularity among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”
Who is this course for? This course is best suited for a viewer who is at least generally familiar with both Tolkien’s works and the general principles of Catholicism but may not be aware of the ways that the two are linked.
“One writes such a story [The Lord of the Rings] not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed, nor by means of botany and soil-science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mold of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps. No doubt there is much personal selection, as with a gardener: what one throws on one's personal compost-heap; and my mold is evidently made largely of linguistic matter.” - JRR Tolkien (Carpenter Biography)
My Review: “Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination”
This course focuses on J.R.R. Tolkien’s life as it was shaped by the liturgy (in essence: the rituals, rhythms, and philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church) and the influence of this liturgy on Tolkien’s works.
Because these lectures approach Tolkien with such a specific perspective, Reinhard leans very heavily on Tolkien’s Catholic inspiration to the potential neglect of his other influences at times. While Tolkien certainly placed an emphasis on the importance of his Catholic faith and philosophy in a discussion of his works, his other influences (primarily philology and mythology) should not be dismissed. However, as this course is not intended as an all-encompassing introduction to Tolkien’s influences, I don’t feel that this is a major issue.
My primary concern in this regard was Reinhard’s assertion that the Valar and Maiar can directly parallel the angels of Christianity, without mention of Norse or Greek gods to which they do bear more of a resemblance.
I also felt that Dr. Reinhard glosses over the still-fallen human nature of the first Númenóreans by depicting the earlier years of Númenor as a type of Eden. Granted, this is likely due to simplifying the material for his audience, but it’s important to acknowledge that the men who came to Númenor were not subject to any test save simply belonging to one of the three Houses of the Edain and, while wickedness among them was infrequent, it did still exist. Númenor, while wonderful, was not perfect.
I appreciated Dr. Reinhard’s honesty when approaching Tolkien’s life. Many Catholic Tolkien fans seek to glorify the man by ignoring the messy or imperfect realities of his life, so I was relieved to see that Reinhard did not take this approach. His lectures on Tolkien’s life are well-researched and insightful, emphasizing and illuminating Tolkien’s involvement in the rhythms of the Church throughout his life.
As the course moves into a discussion of Tolkien’s works, Reinhard introduces the concept of Faerie as presented in Tolkien’s “On Fairy-Stories”. “On Fairy-Stories” offers crucial insight into Tolkien’s mind concerning his works, so I’m always pleased to see it given the attention it deserves in Tolkien studies.
Similarly, I was also delighted to see that Reinhard spent an entire lecture in discussion of “Smith of Wootton Major”.
The lecture on The Return of the King as being patterned after the Paschal Liturgy is one of the strongest points of the course. Reinhard ties several points together, highlighting parallels between the culmination of both Frodo’s and Christ’s quests. (While emphasizing, of course, that this is not allegorical.)
Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination consists of nine 20-25 minute lectures, long enough to really dig into the material without feeling like an overwhelming time commitment.
Overall, this course serves as a good springboard for discussion and further research into the works and life of J.R.R. Tolkien and I recommend it for anyone interested in his liturgical inspiration.
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