Our catalog of courses is complete. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
JRR Tolkien was able to create the most popular work of literature of the 20th century, The Lord of the Rings, out of the depth of his spiritual insight and because of his profound Catholic faith.
Total classes: 8
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: ½ semester Literature
Description
JRR Tolkien was able to create the most popular work of literature of the 20th century, The Lord of the Rings, out of the depth of his spiritual insight and because of his profound Catholic faith. This course will examine Tolkien’s spirituality by reading his letters, by studying his life story, and by examining the works he created. We will thereby learn, through Tolkien’s example, how faith and personal sanctity can and should play itself out in the life and works of every Christian. This course will be more than an examination of JRR Tolkien; it will also be a glimpse into the power of God’s grace working through an artist and his art.
Outline
These are the general subjects we will be covering, but they are subject to change or re-arrangement.
Intro
Tolkien’s Life
Fairy Stories
Friendship
Subcreation
Love
Defeat
Worship
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: The Letters of JRR Tolkien, “Leaf by Niggle”, and Tolkien: Man and Myth.
The Letters of JRR Tolkien, www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618056998/catholictreas-20
Tree and Leaf, www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007105045/catholictreas-20
and Tolkien: Man and Myth, https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Man-Myth-Literary-Life/dp/0898708257/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0898708257&pd_rd_r=N123Y7AF4T6MXKH7Y59N&pd_rd_w=749wr&pd_rd_wg=QtuKD&psc=1&refRID=N123Y7AF4T6MXKH7Y59N
NOTE: We will only study selections from each of these books, and the material need not be read before the course begins. If you decide to read one of these books before the course starts, however, the biography (Tolkien: Man and Myth) is probably the best, as it will give you an overview of Tolkien’s life. But tests and quizzes will only be based on what we go over in class, and not on all of these books in their entirety.
Homework: Completing the assigned reading for each class; taking seven quizzes and one essay exam. Estimated homework time each week: 4 hours. In addition, students should have read Joseph Pearce’s biography of Tolkien, Tolkien: Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce before the first class meeting.
