2012: J.R.R. Tolkien
The 2012 Catholic Literature Series revisited the works of J.R.R. Tolkien—an author who has already been featured in our Series, but whose incredible talent and influence merit a second look. While most undergraduates today are surely familiar with Tolkien’s work, relatively few may be aware of the deep influence his Catholic faith had in shaping that work. The release of the Hobbit movies proved the perfect opportunity to reexamine Tolkien’s work in light of his faith. Watch video recordings of the lectures at the links below.
- “Tolkien’s Home: The Inklings, Story-Telling, and Romantic Theology,” David Fagerberg, University of Notre Dame
- “Tolkien and Nostalgia,” David O’Connor, University of Notre Dame
- “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Literary Politics,” Mary Keys, University of Notre Dame
- “Is The Lord of the Rings an Explicitly Catholic Work?” Ralph Wood, Baylor University
Past Series
- 2013: Children’s Literature
- 2012: J.R.R. Tolkien
- 2011: Victorian Catholics
- 2010: Strangers in a Strange Land
- 2009: Close to Catholic
- 2008: Wit’s Way to Wisdom
- 2007: Shakespeare and Catholicism
- 2006: Shining in Obscurity
- 2005: Tolkien’s Catholic Myth
- 2004: Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh
- 2003: Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy
- 2002: G.K. Chesterton