Essays

Here, you will find links to essays on Tolkien and his works, both at the Gateway and external.

[edit] General Articles

• Articles by various authors at The Barrow Downs
• Michael Martinez' older essays (written August 1998 - January 2003) at Xenite.org (originally at Suite101)
• The Tolkien Meta-FAQ
• Tolkien Essays by Conrad Dunkerson
• Tolkien Essays by Steuard Jensen
• In Middle Earth interview with the American professor & scholar Thomas Howard. Edited by Michael Waldstein & Fabrizio Begossi. Traces, February, 2002.
• J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Imagination and The Fairy-Tale Maker taken from the December 9, 1994 and December 16, 1994 issue of The Irish Family.

[edit] Tolkien and Religion

• Joseph Pearce RESURRECTING MYTH: A Response to Dr Murphy's "Response" by Joseph Pearce. Saint Austin Review, Jan/Feb 2003. Written in response to an article published in the Nicaraguan Academic Journal attacking Joseph Pearce's Christian reading of The Lord of the Rings. . . . Mr Pearce's riposte is published here as an exposition of the Christian response to the agnostic "dumbing down" of Tolkien's Catholic mysticism.
• The Presence of Christ in The Lord of the Rings by Peter J. Kreeft
• The Passion According to Tolkien by Sean McGrath. Originally appeared in the magazine Desert Call: Contemplative Christianity and Vital Culture, published by the Spiritual Life Institute.
• Sacramental Imagination: Catholicism anchored Tolkien's life and suffused his writings by Thomas Howard. Christian History Sept. 29, 2003.
• J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth Bradley Birzer on the Religious Symbolism Behind "Lord of the Rings". Zenit.org. August 29, 2003.
• The Universe According to Tolkien by Sandra Miesel. CRISIS Magazine Feb. 1, 2003.
• A Catholic Poem in Time of War: The Lord of the Rings by Ken Craven.
• The Fellowship Of The Ring: J.R.R. Tolkien, Catholicism, and the Use of Allegory by David Lord Alton. Text of a lecture given by David (Lord) Alton at the Catholic Society of Bath University and Bath Spa University College on Thursday 20th of February 2003.
• Why Tolkien Says The Lord of the Rings Is Catholic by Joseph Pearce. National Catholic Register (January 12-19, 2003).
• The Truth Beyond Memory: What lies behind the Fellowship John J. Miller. National Review Online, Dec. 18, 2002.
• The Heroes of Middle Earth: J. R. R. Tolkien & the Marks of Christian Heroism by Leon J. Podles. Touchstone magazine, January-February 2002.
• The Writer of Our Story: Divine Providence in the Lord of the Rings by David Mills. Touchstone magazine, January-February 2002.
• Tolkien and the New Art: Visual Sources for the Lord of the Rings by Mary Podles. Touchstone magazine, January-February 2002.
• The Lord & Lady of the Rings: The Hidden Presence of Tolkien's Catholicism in The Lord of the Rings by Stratford Caldecott. Touchstone magazine, January-February 2002.
• The Truth Beyond Memory by John J. Miller. National Review Dec. 31, 2001.
• Interview with Joseph Pierce on "J.R.R. Tolkien's Take on the Truth". Zenit News Service. Nov. 15, 2001.
• Tolkien's Catholic Imagination by Jason Boffetti. CRISIS Magazine, Nov. 2001.
• The Christian Gifts of J.R.R. Tolkien by Bradley J. Birzer. New Oxford Review, Nov. 2001.
• Tolkien: Truth & Myth by Joseph Pearce. Lay Witness (September 2001).
• Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: A Trilogy of Total Consecration by Helen Valois. Immaculata Magazine, Mar/Apr 2000.
• Remembering J.R.R. Tolkien by Theresa Carson. Catholic Heritage September/October 1998.

[edit] Tolkien's Mysteries

• Entwives by Ardamir
• Michael Martinez' Tolkien Essays at Merp.com

[edit] Anti-Tolkien

• 50 Reasons Why Lord of the Rings Sucks - Only to be read if no sharp objects are within reach.

[edit] The Movies

• Lord of the Rings vs. The Matrix vs. Star Wars - Comical review of the three movies, not to be taken even remotely seriously.
• Tolkien the Catholic, The Lord of the Rings, and Peter Jacksonís film trilogy by Steven D. Greydanus. Tolkien: Archetype & Word, by Patrick Grant. CrossCurrents Winter 1973.