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Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of the Lord of the Rings
by
Mark Eddy Smith (Goodreads Author)
The mere recollection of [this phrase] can move me to tears. I have been reading this tale since I was eleven years old, taking it from my shelf every year or so and returning to Middle-earth ... As I get older and learn more of what sort of person I am, and continue sojourning to the rich soil of the Shire and the high tower of Minas Tirith, I discover that many of my not...more
Paperback, 141 pages
Published
January 28th 2002
by InterVarsity Press
(first published December 21st 2001)
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I really enjoyed hearing Mark Smiths reflections on various virtues throughout the book. He has done what hope to do sometime off in the future, that is to read the LOTR books more contemplatively and draw from them the richness that is there. What I like is the LOTR story was fresh in my mind, so it was almost like having a conversation with a friend who is sharing with me what they liked from the book, and since they have a different perspective from mine, when they share there reflection from...more
I read this book when doing research for my undergraduate thesis, and it really did not contain anything I hadn't seen already or knew myself. Smith stays close to the surface of each virtue that he explores, only giving two or three pages to each section. If you are a serious Middle-earth lover, I would suggest passing this one over. If you're new to Middle-earth and haven't done much extra reading, this might be a good place to start.
I really enjoyed the short essays here, devotional meditations on virtues such as faith, hospitality, wonder, temptation and failure. I'm not a Tolkien scholar, nor do I know much about Middle Earth. It was wonderful to have someone connect the spiritual dots for me, pointing out specific scenes where the spiritual themes occur. Good book for both private pondering and a group discussion.
Amblingbooks.com
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
available-on-audio,
religion
"Mark Eddy Smith's gentle account of Tolkien's ordinary virtues gets to the very quick of the great storyteller's vision."-Colin Duriez, author of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings and The Inklings Handbook
Listen to Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues on your smartphone.
Listen to Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues on your smartphone.
Simon Vance narrated this entertaining and insightful study of one of my very favorite works, The Lord of the Rings. This is one I will listen to again, and now I'm ready to track down an audible version of the actual books and give them a listen.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you are in need of spiritual recharge, this is the book. I have read it repeatedly since I bought it and I'm never tired of it (which is more than I can say for LOTR, actually). This is a beautiful homage to the Authors favorite author--a short but extremely uplifting and inspirational book. Recommended to fans of fantasy and inspirational novels.
We are called to be faithful despite circumstances. God refuses to surrender this world to evil. He seeks redemption even for irredeemable evil.
This is a nice devotional type of book, one that gets you into the mode of thinking of the virtues inherent in Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings. It contains no special insight into Tolkien's own life, beliefs, or intent. Rather, it consists of Smith's own thoughts as he applies LOTR to life. Any religious person could come up with the same ideas. Still, it enjoyed this book and the points it brings out.
Some nice reflections on virtues as expressed in LOTR. From a Christian perspective - that's appropriate, as it is where Tolkien was coming from, but at times does stray a little into Sunday School territory, I feel. I would have enjoyed it more if instead of telling me what to think it prompted me to look at the text and think for myself, but that's just me.
Absolutely incredible commentary! Marvelous insights and inspiration!
Not as good as "Walking with Frodo" or "Walking with Bilbo", but very very good! This is geared to fans of the books, and doesn't really include anything about the movies, which is actually a very good thing for fans of the books. Particularly "older" fans. (People who read and loved the books before the movies came out.) If you love the books, you will enjoy this one as well.
This is a quick read, but full of profound statements! My copy is full of highlights and underlines and comments.
Bill Tillman
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review of another edition
Shelves:
christian,
christian-fantasy,
classics,
fantasy,
fiction,
magic,
monsters,
mythology,
otherworlds,
theology
An extraordinary look at the theology of Tolkien's work, page by page analysis of its virtures.
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