Tolkien Gleanings #213.
* A substantial new 422-page book, The Mirror of Desire Unbidden: Retrieving the Imago Dei in Tolkien and Late Medieval English Literature (2024). Generously available in open access and freely downloadable as an .ePUB or .PDF file. Also, note the Creative Commons Non-Commercial licence.
* Noticed at the back of the book Tolkien and Philosophy (2014), the chapter “Tolkien at King Edward’s School” in Birmingham. A review in Tolkien Studies reveals its contents…
a series of documents with brief commentary, [drawn] from Tolkien’s time at King Edward’s School, Birmingham (1900–1911). Canzonieri uses these archival records to attempt to illuminate Tolkien’s earliest study of philosophy. [The first] dating from 1906, describes the types of classes Tolkien would have taken [and this information] suggests that Tolkien would surely have been exposed to some of the Classical philosophers. [The second, a report on the Roman History class exams] noted… “Tolkien gave signs of a more acute and independent judgement than anyone else; his style was more matured, but he seemed to have no control over it and sometimes became almost un-intelligible”. Tolkien’s [exam room] enthusiasm is highlighted with the point that he attempted to answer four of the board’s questions when all he [was] asked to do was answer one.
* Phuulish Fellow blog examines Frodo’s choice… “via the lens of ancient Roman philosophy”.
* From South America, the Costa Rican university journal Comunicacion has a new Tolkien special-issue. Freely available online, as is the way with nearly all Spanish and South American journals.
– Indoors, outdoors and hospitality in The Lord of the Rings.
– The music of the Ainur and the problem of freedom.
– The symbology of evil in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
– Songs of power in the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.
– The garments of humility. [Tolkien’s depictions of humility vs. arrogance. In English]
– Glimpses of barrow daggers. [The Roman pugio dagger, of Celtiberian origin, as possible inspiration for the barrow daggers in LoTR]
* The Children’s Literature Association Quarterly has a call-for-papers, for a forthcoming special issue on J.R.R. Tolkien & Children’s Literature. They hope to focus on: the first edition of The Hobbit (which would include its 1942 wartime reprinting at a vital time for the nation, I’d add); Tolkien’s fairy tales; his thoughts on illustration and book design for children; and influences stemming from his own childhood reading.
* Newly released on YouTube, episodes of the slick Catholic Theology Show from Ave Maria University, including one on “The Theology of Tolkien”.
* New in the latest edition of the journal Brumal, the essay “The Vengance of the Natural” compares John Wyndham’s triffids to Tolkien’s ents. Freely available online, though in Spanish.
* And finally, an art gallery exhibition this autumn on Ancient Trees. 12th September until 14th October 2024 at the Nature In Art Gallery, Gloucester, UK. “This exhibition is a unique collaboration between The Arborealists [a long-running group of tree painters] and Julian Hight, celebrated authority on ancient trees and author of Britain’s Tree Story among others”.