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| Archaeus. Studies in the History of Religions, XI-XII (2007-2008):
Robert Lazu, "Images and Symbols in Tolkien's Works. I. Hell" The presence of the religious element in Tolkien's literary work was studied in important monographs by authors such as Joseph Pearce, Bradley Birzer, and Stratford Caldecott. The symbolism of religious persuasion however has been a topic far less addressed and studied. In fact (as far as I know) there is no monograph to deal with coded symbolism in Tolkien's works. This, despite the fact that throughout his writings, the author deployed a wide range of imagines and symbols familiar to several religious traditions. The methodology followed in my study - "Images and Symbols in Tolkien's Works. The Hell" (published in Archaeus. Studies in History of Religion, XI-XII, 2007-2008, pp. 351-377) - is that of mythological analysis (or "mythanalysis"). Established and perfected both by historians of religions (such as Mircea Eliade and Ioan Petru Culianu) and literary critics (such as Nicolae Balota, Gilbert Durand, and Northrope Frye), this method allows a good degree of interdisciplinarity. Thus, fields as far apart as theology, history of religions and comparative literature can be fruitfully brought together, and the topic of religious symbolism (usually associated with creations of classical mythology and the corpus of Jewish and Christian traditions) can be also discussed in terms of a discreet continuity in modern works such as those of J.R.R. Tolkien. We believe that the topic suggested for analysis, namely that of religious images and symbols in modern literary works would benefit from an approach which is flexible enough to also include elements of Christian theological anthropology. Illustrating in our study this specific method, the "mythanalysis", we'll focus on the recurring symbolic theme, one to be found in the entire work of Tolkien: the Hell. Following this hermeneutic path, we'll have, by its means, the opportunity to really convince ourselves that, indeed, the religious symbolism is a powerful element in Tolkien's work. Therefore, we witness that this monumental work has acquired a specific and altogether important place in its own rights, one that represents an open window towards cultural horizons, otherwise not at all easy to grasp by the present-day modern reader. ARCHAEUS. Studies in the History
of Religion, XI-XII, 2007-2008 CONTENTS MISCELLANEA Enciclopedia Lumii lui J.R.R. Tolkien (J.R.R. Tolkien's World Encyclopedia):
Tolkien's World Encyclopaedia (Romanian Version) was
published at "Galaxia Gutenberg" Publishing House in 2007. Depend of Heaven "Second Spring
7 contains an article on Shakespeare but others on the enigmatic
sculptor Brancusi (by Aidan Hart), the equally enigmatic theologian
Bernard Lonergan (Tim Russ), the theology of the body and its implications
for the way we view technology (Adrian Walker), the rights and wrongs
of genetic modification, C.S. Lewis on human divinization, and much
more, including a contribution from the well-known columnist James
Schall. Just to clarify: the articles in the print journal are mostly
NOT available online from this site or any other: if you want to
read them you will need to subscribe, or buy issue by issue. Credit
card payments for Second Spring can now be made easily through CTS"
(Stratford Caldecott) The Oxford Tolkien Conference: "We are also pleased to announce
on behalf of Exeter College the Oxford Tolkien Conference, which
will be devoted to exploring the whole range of influences on The
Lord of the Rings. A remarkable group of international speakers
is beginning to take shape, including John Garth (author of Tolkien
and the Great War), Alison Milbank (Dante and the Victorians),
Verlyn Flieger (Splintered Light) Philip Zaleski (Prayer:
A History), Robert Lazu (Encyclopedia of Tolkien's World),
and many others" (Stratford Caldecott) Andrei Codrescu: Virgil Nemoianu & Robert Lazu (editors) Hartmann Publishing House
recently published the collective volume "J.R.R. Tolkien. Belief
and Imagination", coordinated by Virgil Nemoianu and Robert
Lazu. The book can be found in the Humanitas bookstores. Bringing
together essays and studies of some of the most important specialists
in the field of the English writer's work - among which Bradley
Birzer, Stratford Caldecott, Cristopher Garbowki, Joseph Pearce
and Michael Waldstein - this recent book has the general characteristics
of an intercontinental piece of work, if we think of the locations
of the participants: Australia, Austria, Great Britain, Poland,
Romania, The United States of America. Reading the texts included
in this volume, the reader will have the chance to find some of
the answers to those questions Tolkien's stories have provoked in
the minds of his most fans. [
details ]
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A CYBER-DIALOGUE BETWEEN JOSEPH PEARCE & ROBERT LAZU  On Ignatius Insight website, a dialogue about J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis. [ read ] |
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