Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings, and St. Augustine

InsightScoop has a great article by Dr. Jose Yulo on the Augustinian philosophical undertone in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy:

"We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything." - Blaise Pascal

J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic, The Lord of the Rings, has for generations captured the minds and hearts of readers with themes and characters that embody the steadfast quality of what can today, and what was in the distant past, be best described as virtue. Although the modern lexicon writes of such concepts as honor, fidelity and nobility, these are terms–perhaps due to their immateriality–rather infrequent used. This may be due to the connotation associated with these words; a connotation which necessitates a timelessness only made possible by the existence of a source of permanent good. Nevertheless, the heroic daring of Aragorn the King, as well as the patient sacrifice of Frodo the hobbit, are representative of the high moral plane from which Tolkien writes. It is also a plane where the Professor invites one to dwell in, if only for the glimmer of a night’s read.

What separates Tolkien’s work from other narratives, especially those inspired by his prose, is the rich profundity and dexterity with which he wove his tapestry. Recent scholarship has shown the interconnectedness of Tolkien’s writing to the vaunted schools of ancient philosophy, specifically those of ancient Greece. However, there exists in The Lord of the Rings a subtle yet quite detectable call to the thought of the medieval philosopher St. Augustine. This call is particularly resonant today, an age where there appears to prevail an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Augustine, as a student of the ancients (in particular of Plato), knew well that knowledge was not synonymous with wisdom. Often, the quest for the former entailed the preclusion of the latter.

A good read, for sure!