Tolkien's Theology of Beauty: Majesty, Splendor, and Transcendence in Middle-Earth

ISBN-13: 9781137553447 / Angielski / Twarda / 2016 / 279 str.

Lisa Coutras

Opis

In this book, Lisa Coutras explores the structure and complexity of J.R.R. Tolkien s narrative theology, synthesizing his Christian worldview with his creative imagination. She illustrates how, within the framework of a theological aesthetics, transcendental beauty is the unifying principle that integrates all aspects of Tolkien s writing, from pagan despair to Christian joy.
J.R.R. Tolkien s Christianity is often held in an unsteady tension with the pagan despair of his mythic world. Some critics portray these as incompatible, while Christian analysis tends to oversimplify the presence of religious symbolism. This polarity of opinion testifies to the need for a unifying interpretive lens. The fact that Tolkien saw his own writing as religious and Catholic, yet was preoccupied with pagan mythology, nature, language, and evil, suggests that these areas were wholly integrated with his Christian worldview. Tolkien s Theology of Beauty examines six structural elements, demonstrating that the author s Christianity is deeply embedded in the narrative framework of his creative imagination.
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Recenzje

"This book was an interesting read. To find out more about where Tolkien's theology stands, Catholic though it may be, was certainly enlightening. I give this book 4 stars out of 5." (Justin Dilliplane, Resolved for Christ, resolvedfc.blogspot.de, January, 2018)
"This excellent study ... is, to the best of my knowledge, the only monograph on its subject ... . Throughout the text, Coutras gives ample and insightful references to earlier scholarship, making the book valuable as an introduction above and beyond the virtues of its own argument." (John Wm. Houghton, Journal of Tolkien Research, Vol. 4 (2), 2017)

"Lisa Coutras's Tolkien's Theology of Beauty is an important addition to Tolkien Studies, and worthy of being read by more than just those interested in religious readings of the Silmarillion legendarium or The Lord of the Rings." (Philip Irving Mitchell, Mythlore, Vol. 36 (1), 2017)

Spis treści

Foreword; Alister McGrath

Introduction

Part I: On Myth

Chapter 1. A Theology of Beauty  

Chapter 2. Primary Truth  

Part II: On Creation

Chapter 3. The Light of Being  

Chapter 4. Incarnate Beings  

Chapter 5. The Wonder of Being 

Part III: On Language

Chapter 6. The Law of the Logos

Chapter 7. The Song of Lúthien  

Part IV: On Good and Evil 

Chapter 8. Being and Unbeing  

Chapter 9. The Splendor of Being  

Part V: On Tragic Heroism

Chapter 10. The Tragedy of Túrin

Chapter 11. Hope Without Guarantees

Part VI: On Women

Chapter 12. Tolkien and Feminist CriticismChapter 13. The Transcendental Feminine  

Chapter 14. The Renunciation of Power

Conclusion  

O autorze

 Lisa Coutras holds a PhD in Theology from King’s College London, UK, and an MTh in Applied Theology from the University of Oxford, UK.