"One writes such a story [The Lord of the Rings] not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed, nor by means of botany and soil-science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mold of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps."
- J.R.R. Tolkien
For this episode we are delighted to be joined by Dr. Holly Ordway, Fellow of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute. We discuss her recent title, Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages, which addresses the claim that Tolkien read very little modern fiction, and took no serious notice of it. What Holly reveals is that Tolkien was in fact was intimately connected with the literature of his own time and concerned with the issues and crises of modernity.
In this episode we discuss Holly's book and also take an in-depth look at some of the themes in Tolkien's writings that may have been influenced by this interest in modern literature.
Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Dr Holly Ordway
Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson
Follow Holly on social media: @HollyOrdway
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast
Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com
Find out more about Holly at http://www.hollyordway.com/
Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast
Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod
Works Mentioned
Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Dr Holly Ordway
"Imaginative Apologetics" by Dr Holly Ordway - Word on Fire Institute Course
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth
The House of the Wolfings by William Morris
“The Ruin”, Anglo-Saxon elegy
What We’re Enjoying at the MomentHolly: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur RansomeRachel: Inside by Bo Burnham
