I couldn’t decide whether to title this post “The Philosophy of Tolkien” or “The Genius of Kreeft”. I refer to the sheer brilliance of Peter Kreeft’s Philosophy of Tolkien. Dipping into it the other night, I was simply astonished at how much of it is almost epigrammatic in its quotable, memorable and dazzling succinctness. It is Kreeftkraft at its sublimely accessible best. Here are but three examples:
Tolkien’s traditionalism, with all its dependence on the past, does not make the mistake of ignoring the future. In fact, the main reason for tradition is to guide the future. It is not even accurate to say that Tolkien’s heroes balance their tradition with a sense of responsibility for the future, as if the two things were opposite. For listening to the past and responsibility for the future are two sides of the same coin.
We all, like Frodo, carry a Quest, a Task: our daily duties. They come to us, not from us. We are free only to accept or refuse our task – and, implicitly, our Taskmaster.
Tolkien, like most Catholics, saw pagan myths not as wholly mistaken (as most Protestants do), but as confused precursors of Christianity. Man’s soul has three powers, and God left him prophets for all three: Jewish moralists for his will, Greek philosophers for his mind, and pagan mythmakers for his heart and imagination and feelings. Of course, the latter two are not infallible.
“Kreeftkraft” Well played, sir. Well played.
This sounds like a fantastic read, and great gift for a priest friend of mine who regularly works Tolkien into his homilies.
Always worth mentioning, Caldecott’s “Secret Fire:the spiritual vision of Tolkien” would be a good companion to this.
Okay now I have to get this book. Soon.
I’ve had it on my Amazon.com list for about a year so far, but I just keep passing it by. That’s about to change…very, very soon! That last bit clinched it for me!
Mr. Pearce, you know Tolkien very well, so as a Scholar, what do you make of Tom Shippey’s work?
I have never read him myself, but alot consider him to be one of the great Tolkien scholars out there. However I believe Shippey does not take Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as a Christian work, in fact I recall him saying on some documentary that it was very pagan, or something like that.
RC, I’ll post something about Shippey & Tolkien on the main Ink Desk tomorrow.
I’ve read it. And verily, verily, all I can say is hear, hear! Kreeft at his magnificent best.
(I suppose everyone is familiar with his site of recorded podcasts on virtually every topic.)