The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has long been acknowledged as the gold standard for fantasy fiction, and the recent Oscar-winning movie trilogy has brought forth a whole new generation of fans. Many Tolkien enthusiasts, however, are not aware of the profoundly religious dimension of the great Ring saga. In The Battle for Middle-earth Fleming Rutledge employs a distinctive technique to uncover the theological currents that lie just under the surface of Tolkien's epic tale. Rutledge believes that the best way to understand this powerful "deep narrative" is to examine the story as it unfolds, preserving some of its original dramatic tension. This deep narrative has not previously been sufficiently analyzed or celebrated. Writing as an enthusiastic but careful reader, Rutledge draws on Tolkien's extensive correspondence to show how biblical and liturgical motifs shape the action. At the heart of the plot lies a rare glimpse of what human freedom really means within the Divine Plan of God. The Battle for Middle-earth surely will, as Rutledge hopes, "give pleasure to those who may already have detected the presence of the sub-narrative, and insight to those who may have missed it on first reading." |
From inside the book
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Page 8
... become apparent , I am arguing for one particular interpretation , a truly theological ( God- centered ) one.20 Others will want to take a more anthropological ( hu- man - centered , or creature - centered ) approach . I make no secret ...
... become apparent , I am arguing for one particular interpretation , a truly theological ( God- centered ) one.20 Others will want to take a more anthropological ( hu- man - centered , or creature - centered ) approach . I make no secret ...
Page 18
... become clear that the book cannot be simplistically applied to present - day situations and used to justify self - righteous crusades against this or that crudely defined " evil " person or group . In a note of particular importance ...
... become clear that the book cannot be simplistically applied to present - day situations and used to justify self - righteous crusades against this or that crudely defined " evil " person or group . In a note of particular importance ...
Page 20
... become those whom God has chosen to " shame the strong . " In a letter , Tolkien used a haunting phrase of Galadriel's to explain that he did not expect History to be anything other than " a long defeat . " Wars are never won , and the ...
... become those whom God has chosen to " shame the strong . " In a letter , Tolkien used a haunting phrase of Galadriel's to explain that he did not expect History to be anything other than " a long defeat . " Wars are never won , and the ...
Page 24
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Page 25
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Contents
The Hobbit | 21 |
The Ring Sets Out | 47 |
The Ring Goes South | 89 |
The Treason of Isengard | 147 |
The Ring Goes East | 195 |
The War of the Ring | 239 |
The End of the Third Age | 321 |
Acknowledgments | 373 |
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Common terms and phrases
already apocalyptic Aragorn Arwen battle become Beregond biblical Bilbo Boromir called Christ Christian comes command Corinthians creature danger dark dead death deep narrative Denethor disciples divine Doom Dwarves Elrond Elves emphasis added Enemy Éomer Éowyn Ephesians epic evil eyes Faramir father Fellowship Frodo Galadriel Gandalf gift Gimli God's Gollum Gondor Grey heart hints hobbits hope human important Imrahil Isengard Ithilien Jesus King Legolas Letters look Lord Lothlorien Lúthien means mercy Merry and Pippin Middle-earth Minas Tirith mind Mordor Moria Nazgûl never Númenor Númenóreans once Orcs Orthanc palantír passage Paul Pelennor person Pippin reader realm reference Reminder resist Ring saga Rivendell Rohan Rohirrim Romans Sam's Saruman Sauron says scene seems sense Shadow Shire speak story Strider struggle suggestion tale Testament theme Théoden theological things tion Tolkien Tower Treebeard turn understand Valar wizard words Wormtongue wrote