Tolkien's Faith

A Spiritual Biography

Holly Ordway

$75.95

Hardback

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English

Word on Fire Academic
02 September 2023

Biography: literary; Religion & beliefs; Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church

"Tolkien described The Lord of the Rings as ""a fundamentally religious and Catholic work"" and declared, ""I am a Christian (which can be deduced from my stories)."" Yet he insisted his writings were not allegories, and Middle-earth is loved by millions who do not share his religious beliefs. How were his faith and his fiction related? Holly Ordway answers that question biographically, focusing on Tolkien's spiritual development, a dramatic story that previous accounts of his life have left largely unexplored. Here we find that Tolkien's faith was hard won. His Anglican upbringing was overturned when his mother converted to Catholicism. Soon afterward, she died, leaving Tolkien under the guardianship of a Catholic priest, who forbade him to see his Protestant girlfriend, whom nonetheless he eventually married. The Great War, in which most of his close friends were killed, deepened Tolkien's reliance on his faith, but then for a decade he ""almost ceased to practise"" his religion. Friendship with C.S. Lewis and success with The Hobbit were followed by another war and by turmoil in the Church that sternly tested Tolkien's commitments. The challenges and triumphs in his religious life are reflected in his masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, that epic tale of endurance against the odds. As Ordway shows in her expertly researched and richly illustrated study, Tolkien's faith and Tolkien's fiction are intimately related, though in subtle and complex ways. This long-overdue spiritual biography gives new insight into his works by shedding fresh light on their author's deepest-held convictions."

By: Holly Ordway
Imprint: Word on Fire Academic
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 44mm
Weight: 885g
ISBN: 9781685789916
ISBN 10: 1685789919
Pages: 544
Publication Date: 02 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Holly Ordway is the Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute and Visiting Professor of Apologetics at Houston Christian University. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is a Subject Editor for the Journal of Inklings Studies. Her book Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages received the 2022 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies.

Reviews for Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography

"""To understand Tolkien fully, it is necessary to grasp all aspects of his life and personality, regardless of one's own preferences or beliefs. Ordway's detailed yet accessible book will soon become an essential compass for anyone who has the desire and courage to deepen their relationship with the author of The Lord of the Rings. Instead of excluding or exploiting his religious commitments, this biography, journeying to the foundations of his humanity, neither censors Tolkien's faith nor idealizes it.""--Giuseppe Pezzini ""Tolkien's Faith is the first systematic, book-length exploration of the influence and importance of the Christian faith in Tolkien's life. It should establish that his Catholicism, as a fundamental and pervasive presence in his life, works, and concerns, was at least as significant as were his professional pursuits and war experience, and that recognising and exploring this influence in detail is at least as illuminating.""--Carl F. Hostetter Award-winning author of Tolkien and the Great War and The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien--John Garth"