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Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty: Majesty, Splendor, and Transcendence in Middle-earth 1st
Edition Lisa Coutras (Auth.)
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For my parents, Jean and Steven Coutras
F OREWORD
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings has established itself as one of the great literary classics of the twentieth century, given a new reach and impact through Peter Jackson’s highly acclaimed movie adaptation. Many find themselves spellbound by Tolkien’s rich and complex mythical world. Like Richard Wagner before him, Tolkien was able to craft an imaginary world which was steeped in Nordic mythology and symbolism yet able to engage some of the deepest questions confronting humanity today.
Many read Tolkien for pleasure; others, however, realize the deeper significance of his narratives. In this landmark work, Lisa Coutras provides a sure-handed and original account of Tolkien’s imaginative genius which is certain to generate renewed discussion and appreciation of his core works, especially The Lord of the Rings. Coutras focuses on a theme that has never been properly addressed—the haunting sense of transcendent beauty that permeates so much of Tolkien’s prose. Though not religious in its content, Tolkien’s intense and evocative appeal to beauty allows The Lord of the Rings to be seen as steeped in the wisdom of the Christian tradition, echoing its fundamental themes. Coutras’s analysis confirms both the religious and theological importance of beauty and offers a key to reading Tolkien that allows an enhanced appreciation of his significance. Few think of Tolkien as a theologian; yet his literary vision is steeped in an implicit theology of beauty, which Coutras deftly unfolds and explores.
Controversy has focused on Tolkien’s evocation of beauty through his female characters. Many feminist critics have argued that Tolkien displays a “subtle contempt and hostility toward women.” Coutras offers a persuasive yet gracious correction of such views by reviewing Tolkien’s work as a
whole and setting his views against a broader context. Her detailed analysis of Tolkien’s depiction of female characters, especially warrior women such as Éowyn and Galadriel, exposes the inadequacy of the stereotypes that have unfortunately come to dominate the field and opens the way to a fresh appreciation of Tolkien’s literary motives and strategies.
Coutras’s rich reading of Tolkien is certain to provoke intense scholarly discussion. Perhaps more importantly, she will help Tolkien’s readers to discern and enjoy new depths of meaning in his writings, especially his evocation of beauty as a hint of a lost transcendence—the eternal glory from which humankind has been severed. Like his Oxford colleague and close friend C.S. Lewis, Tolkien found a way of using literature to explore fundamental theological themes through an appeal to the imagination. As Coutras makes clear, there are hidden depths to Tolkien, waiting to be plumbed and appreciated by his many admirers.
Alister McGrath
Oxford University
P REF ACE
The relationship between Tolkien’s Christianity and his narrative fiction has been the subject of considerable discussion in recent years. While his devout Catholicism goes without question, his mythology—especially The Lord of the Rings—is devoid of overt religiosity. In view of this, the present research into the theological underpinnings of Tolkien’s fiction has generated a variety of responses. Some readers reject the notion of a “narrative theology” altogether, pointing to Tolkien’s personal dislike of allegory and his explicit claim that The Lord of the Rings has no “message” or “meaning.” On the other hand, many Christian readers search for Biblical allegories within Middle-earth, pointing to specific instances that reflect the Christian message. Both of these approaches, I suggest, confuse “theology” with “allegory.” As Tolkien himself has said, his writing does not seek to convey an allegory or a sermon. Nevertheless, he confessed that his mythology is thoroughly “Christian” and “Catholic,” expressing his deepest convictions through the medium of legend. Tolkien’s narrative worldview was grounded in and framed by a theological understanding of reality. This book, therefore, takes a distinctly theological approach, investigating his narrative worldview through the framework of a Catholic theological aesthetics. Without question, Tolkien’s honest and unapologetic engagement with the deeper questions of human experience lends his writing an enduring quality and subtle power that nourishes the imagination.
Lisa Coutras Oxford, UK
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
The thought, writing, and research of this book came about through the support and feedback of many people to whom I am grateful. These musings on Tolkien’s theology originated many years ago in a number of conversations and email exchanges with my sister-in-law and friend, Eileen Coutras, to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude for first sending me on this journey of discovery.
I am indebted to Alister McGrath for believing in this project from the beginning, for the guidance, enthusiasm, support, multiple readings of chapters and full drafts, and the firm commitment to its final completion—it has been invaluable!
I am grateful to the C.S. Lewis scholar, Michael Ward, for introducing me to the works of Hans Urs von Balthasar and for the brilliant suggestion that pairing him with Tolkien would make for a “glorious” research project. I am also grateful to those groups or institutions that allowed me to speak on my research, providing helpful feedback: Houghton College, Montreat College, the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society, the Oxford Graduate Christian Forum, and the Balkan Institute for Faith and Culture. Thanks also to Anna Slack Thayer and Adam Roberts for kindly sending me their articles; to Brendan Wolfe, who graciously critiqued an early version of my study on Túrin Turambar; and to Tim Willard for the scholarly collaboration over pints of beer and talks of “Northernness.”
Thanks to those who read this manuscript, in whole or in part, offering valuable feedback and theological insight: Cristina Conti, George Fields, Andrew Coutras, and Luke Sanders. I must also give an enormous thanks to my great friend and “study buddy,” David Shackleton, for the
camaraderie during the long hours of library research over four years, countless conversations about Tolkien and theology, and for reading and proofing the entire thesis version of this manuscript.
And finally, I wish to thank my family for their ongoing support and enthusiasm over the years: Matt, Kelly, Andrew, and Eileen. And a huge thanks goes to my parents, Jean and Steven Coutras, for the love, support, prayers, encouragement, excitement, and steadfastness: words are not enough!
N OTE ON THE T EXT
As many readers are aware, Tolkien’s mythology is a layered complexity of events, characters, and names. The most prevalent characters have several names, and many characters have names similar to one another. With this in mind, a single name is used for each character discussed in this study, except when a name change has a relevant significance. This applies to the great demonic enemy, Melkor/Morgoth, whose name change is analogous to Lucifer/Satan. This also applies to Niënor/Níniel, whose name change signifies the difference between her true identity and her assumed identity. Also in the interest of clarity and simplicity, the terms “Elves” and “Men” are used to distinguish between two races that are each biologically “human.” When referring to “the race of Men,” which includes males and females, a capital letter is always used. In all other cases, gender-neutral language is employed.
There is a distinction between “myth,” “legend,” and “fairy-story,” which Tolkien knew well. Nevertheless, these terms are closely related in his philosophy of the imagination, as seen in his essay, “On Fairy-Stories.” Here, he often uses “myth” in the broadest sense, treating “myth” and “fairy-story” with near synonymy, alongside “fantasy” and “faerie.” The present work takes a similar approach; “myth” is used broadly to encompass all of these concepts. Moreover, when referring to Tolkien’s expansive collection of imaginative writing, “mythology” and “legendarium” are used interchangeably.
The version of The Lord of the Rings referenced in this work conforms to the standard hardcover three-volume edition. The Silmarillion likewise conforms to the standard hardcover edition. However, the customary referencing format for Tolkien Studies is also used.
The Bible translation is the New Revised Standard Version.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
“I had never encountered a book of such splendid magnitude, such grace, such scope and wholeness of vision. And all of it was seamless, unforced, genuine,” writes the fantasy novelist Stephen Lawhead. In recounting his impression of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), Lawhead suggests that Tolkien’s purpose as a narrative artist was drawn from his Christianity, that his “faith informed the story, and infused it with value and meaning.” This is not a reference to the content or doctrine of Tolkien’s Christianity but to the metaphysical structure of his faith; that is to say, “Tolkien paints a convincing portrait of Goodness, Beauty, and Truth.”1 While Lawhead’s remarks are largely testimonial, they are insightful, shedding light on the foundation of Tolkien’s work: transcendental beauty rooted in Catholic theology.
As I began to research the theological implications of “Goodness, Beauty, and Truth,” it quickly became apparent that the connections to Tolkien’s mythic world were not accidental. Transcendental beauty emanates from every aspect of his created world. It integrates paganism and Christianity, language and being, courage and glory. From this perspective, Tolkien’s narrative theology takes on depth and breadth, driving and sustaining the expanse of his mythology. The theology of his fiction is not one of allegory, moralism, or doctrine, but of beauty. Any morality or doctrine present in his mythic world is a natural outworking of his vision of the beautiful: whatever is good and whatever is true must by its nature
be beautiful. Transcendental beauty illuminates his narrative theology, upholding and conveying his perspective of reality through the written word.
Although there has been a wide range of quality scholarship on Tolkien, little engages his Catholic theology from an academically rigorous framework, while the significance of beauty has remained marginal. Furthermore, negative criticism on Tolkien’s portrayal of women has promoted a view that relies heavily on speculation while overlooking textual evidence. As his view of women is fundamentally theological, misunderstanding his narrative theology has yielded troublesome conclusions. Rather, by expounding upon textual evidence in light of his theology, the final section of this book aims to present a more contextual understanding of women in Middle-earth. Given that Tolkien himself considered LOTR to be thoroughly religious, a theological study provides unique insight into his creative imagination.
The purpose of this book is to analyze the theological undertones of Tolkien’s writing from the perspective of transcendental beauty. This aspect of theology has been developed extensively by the Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar in his seven-volume study, The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics (GL). In light of Balthasar’s theology, Tolkien’s indirect portrayal of a religious worldview through narrative and imagery is highly suggestive of a theological aesthetics. Balthasar’s theology can operate as an interpretive lens by which to draw out and highlight theological undertones within a larger theological structure. While Balthasar’s theology will feature prominently within this book, his writings are not the central focus but a means by which to articulate and develop a coherent approach to Tolkien’s narrative theology. The emphasis will remain on Tolkien’s narratives and his creative imagination.
Tolkien’s legendarium, however, is extensive, complex, multi-layered, and unfinished. As many scholars have noted, internal inconsistencies abound, usually in relation to stories with multiple drafts, often unfinished before a new draft began. As his son and literary heir, Christopher, has explained, the published version of The Silmarillion is inconsistent in tone and style due to the dating of the various manuscripts; later events of Middle-earth were written much earlier, but not updated to conform to the body of work as a whole.2 Indeed, the published Silmarillion was not fully completed by Tolkien but edited and compiled by his son. The complex and unfinished nature of these drafts is only made more prevalent in the 12-volume collection, The History of Middle-earth, alongside the later
volume, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth. These books, edited by Christopher, offer an extensive literary commentary on the various drafts and stages of writing. Elizabeth Whittingham has studied these volumes, offering an essential guide to the development of Tolkien’s writing, which one may find in her book, The Evolution of Tolkien’s Mythology. Undoubtedly, the length and breadth of the mythology invites further research in the realm of Tolkien Studies. The present book, however, narrows its focus primarily to the published Silmarillion and the three volumes of LOTR. Additionally, The Children of Húrin is an extended version of the legend, “Of Túrin Turambar,” a chapter found in The Silmarillion This study also draws upon Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth (or “The Debate of Finrod and Andreth”), a dialogue written shortly after LOTR, which can be found in the volume, Morgoth’s Ring. These four works comprise the focus of the current study. Other drafts are selectively analyzed when necessary, so as to shed light on the development of particular characters.
While Tolkien’s Christianity has not been overlooked in Tolkien Studies, it is often held in an unsteady tension with the pagan despair put forward in his mythic world. On the other hand, Christian analysis often oversimplifies the presence of religious symbolism in Middle-earth at the expense of other elements. This observed tension suggests the need for a unifying interpretive lens of his narrative work. Given that he saw his writing as essentially “religious” and “Catholic,” yet was preoccupied with pagan mythology, nature, language, and evil, strongly suggests that his understanding of these subjects were wholly integrated with his Christian faith. Some authors have presented direct parallels and overt symbolism in an effort to “Christianize” the “non-Christian” aspects of his writing. I would suggest, rather, that the influence of Tolkien’s Christianity goes much deeper, structuring the philosophical framework of his fictive world.
With this in mind, the present book examines major structural elements of Tolkien’s narrative theology. “Part I: On Myth” addresses Tolkien’s theological approach to pagan beauty, addressing his personal beliefs in relation to his creative philosophy, while set against the backdrop of Catholic transcendental aesthetics. “Part II: On Creation” explores Tolkien’s theology of the natural world, particularly in relation to transcendental light. Using the Debate of Finrod and Andreth as a guide, these chapters draw out Tolkien’s treatment of the spiritual and physical, alongside his portrayal of life and death. “Part III: On Language” delves into Tolkien’s philosophy of language in relation to creation. The most powerful example of this is the love story of Beren and Lúthien, which
exemplifies a deeply theological understanding of language. “Part IV: On Good and Evil” builds on the previous chapters, demonstrating how Tolkien’s understanding of good and evil structures the central conflicts of his mythology. This lays an emphasis on heroic courage and the light of being, as shown in the conflict between Éowyn and the Nazgûl. “Part V: On Tragic Heroism” is a natural continuation of this theme, addressing tragic defeat and pagan despair. These chapters explore the tragedy of Túrin, drawing out Tolkien’s theological approach to tragedy, despair, and the providence of God. The final section, “Part VI: On Women,” is an in-depth study on Tolkien’s narrative theology in relation to women. It presents a critical engagement with current scholarship, both negative and positive, seeking to offer an accurate picture of Tolkien’s portrayal of women in his mythology. With this foundation in place, it addresses a theology of feminine splendor and female heroism, with an emphasis on Galadriel, Lúthien, and Éowyn. The final chapter addresses Éowyn’s renunciation of power.
While these six areas of study are not exhaustive, they offer a theological foundation for further research. Tolkien’s portrayal of the natural and spiritual, and of the moral law governing the created universe, is demonstrably Christian. The Fall of Adam undergirds his understanding of creation, life, and death, encapsulated in pagan despair, yet challenged by Christian hope. At the center of this balance is heroic courage, the glory of the undefeated will. For Tolkien, the light of being was a revelation of eternal glory. Whether it be pagan myth, the natural world, or language, all were affected by the Fall yet retain hints of a lost transcendence. This transcendental light suggests that beauty is a significant element in Tolkien’s imagination, offering an interpretive lens for his creative work.
NOTES
1. Stephen Lawhead, “J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Middle-Earth,” in Tolkien: A Celebration, ed. Joseph Pearce (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2001), 157, 162, 165.
2. Christopher Tolkien, in J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, ed. Christopher Tolkien, 3rd ed. (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998), 10–11 (Foreword).
PART I On Myth
CHAPTER 2
A Theology of Beauty
TOLKIEN AND PAGAN MYTH
“There was something very remote and strange and beautiful behind those words, if I could grasp it,” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in his unfinished Notion Club Papers. 1 Cynewulf’s “Éarendel” caught the attention of the young Tolkien, drawing him into the mysteries of the ancient world. Inspired by the beauty of language, Tolkien was drawn to the unknown; the meaning embedded in words opened up new insights into history. In the study, Tolkien and the Great War, John Garth notes that ancient legends were woven into every stage of Tolkien’s life, from his private hobbies, to his academic career, to his closest friendships. First inspired in his youth by the enchantment of “faerie,” Tolkien soon found himself immersed in North Germanic legends. By the time war broke out in 1914, his imagination was grounded in the heroic dirge of Beowulf and the steadfast will of Beorhtnoth.2 His attraction to the beauty of the Finnish language, moreover, inspired the development of his own created languages, which later manifested as the Elvish languages of his mythology.3 As a philologist, he taught Anglo-Saxon and Middle English. After he began teaching at Oxford in 1925, he started a reading group for Oxford dons called “The Coalbiters,” whose purpose involved reading Icelandic sagas in the original language. It was here that Tolkien first forged a friendship with C.S. Lewis, who remained a close friend for many years. This friendship
and shared wonder later led to the formation of the Inklings, a group of friends who shared and critiqued their literary creations, writings largely inspired by their common attraction to myth.
A love for pagan beauty was foundational to Tolkien’s legends. Norse vitality and Finnish grief, Icelandic saga and Germanic heroism, had become his creative backdrop, mingling with the ethereal mysticism of Celtic enchantment. Tolkien’s interest in ancient myth was strongly tied to paganism, inspiring narratives, characters, scenes, and symbolism that has been recognized as unequivocally pagan.4 While many have noted the pagan resonances of Tolkien’s writing, others have argued that Tolkien’s Roman Catholicism informed his creative work. In an early reading of LOTR, a Catholic priest observed a sacramental awareness in Middleearth, while noting that Galadriel was reminiscent of the Virgin Mary.5 Another reader detected Eucharistic symbolism in the Elvish lembas bread, and still another felt a quality of holiness.6 Many commentators and scholars have recently emphasized the Catholic resonances in LOTR, widely agreeing that Tolkien’s mythology is thoroughly Christian.7
When viewed alongside the heavy paganism of his mythology, however, the Christian convictions of Tolkien’s personal faith has generated a variety of responses. “It could … be said that a committed Christian author like Tolkien ought not to be rummaging in the depths of mythologies that were evidently pagan, at best misguided, at worst soul-destroying,” suggests Shippey, who does not share Tolkien’s Catholicism.8 By and large, Christian commentators like Joseph Pearce and Ralph Wood have embraced Tolkien’s concept that Christianity was the “True Myth” that the pagans aspired to, an approach which emphasizes the Christian nature of the work more strongly than the pagan.9 Others have investigated this synthesis by analyzing Tolkien’s pagan sources. Marjorie Burns notes Tolkien’s “integrative theology” of assimilating the pagan pantheon into Christendom’s angelic hierarchy.10 Shippey, in reference to The Children of Húrin, suggests that Tolkien was trying “to retain the feel or ‘flavour’ of Norse myth, while hinting at the happier ending of the Christian myth behind it.”11
Catherine Madsen, however, is not sympathetic to an overtly Christian reading, deeming such interpretations misguided. In her essay, “Light from an Invisible Lamp,” she suggests that the story evokes a religious sense of wonder, but one that is not specifically Christian.12 Patrick Curry, similarly, is unconvinced by a Christian interpretation, highlighting the polytheism and animism in LOTR. While he concedes that Frodo
exemplifies Christian humility and mercy, he concludes that the empowerment of hobbitkind is a humanist virtue.13 With this in mind, he argues that Tolkien combines various ingredients of paganism, humanism, and Christianity.14 His notion that Tolkien employs a humanist perspective is one he borrows from Jack Zipes, who places Tolkien’s creative work alongside a Marxist utopian philosophy. “Tolkien raises the small person, the Hobbit, to the position of God,” Zipes writes, suggesting that the absence of divine involvement shifts the emphasis to the progressive actions of the individual as the mediator of the “supernatural” or ushering in utopia on earth.15 Tolkien’s vision is progressive, he says, for “the return to the past is also part of the way to the future.”16 Zipes’s characterization of Tolkien’s progressive utopian ideal is largely eisegetic in nature, interpreting the beauty and heroism of Middle-earth through the lens of a Marxist worldview. However, Tolkien was neither progressive nor humanist; as a Christian, he did not believe utopia was possible. In two separate letters, he expresses the view that creation and humanity are in decline, calling history a “long defeat,” a view he credits to his Christianity.17 Similarly, in his well-known essay, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” he explains that the Beowulf poet highlights the ultimate defeat of humanity in the present world, for “man, each man and all men, and all their works shall die. A theme no Christian need despise.”18 Tolkien’s longing for an ancient beauty was not utopian, and his portrayal of heroism was not humanist, nor could heroism restore or re-create the beauty it sought to save. Zipes’ interpretation understandably yields conflicting results, for he concludes, “Tolkien’s strong Catholic views stand in the way of his utopianism and are decisive in making his secularization of religion contradictory.”19
Another significant critic is Ronald Hutton, who has not hesitated to doubt, question, or challenge nearly every aspect of Tolkien’s work that has been deemed “Christian,” even statements by the author himself. In his essay, “The Pagan Tolkien,” Hutton argues that the pagan influence upon Tolkien’s work is so strong as to overshadow or eliminate any Christian elements. While he acknowledges the parallel between the fictional Creator, Ilúvatar, and the Christian God of Tolkien’s faith, he marks this similarity as incongruent with the Valar, the “pagan gods” of Tolkien’s world. This is especially true of the earliest drafts, in which they display the mischief and vulgarity of the Olympian gods.20 While he does not deny Tolkien’s effort to integrate paganism and Christianity, he presents them as incompatible. He argues that Tolkien’s mythology is self-contradictory, vacillating between Christian devotion and pagan allegiance. “If it was
Christian,” he declares, “then it was a Christianity so unorthodox, and diluted, as to merit the term heretical.”21 He argues that the Christian elements cannot be proven, while the pagan sources are numerous and unquestionable; these cannot be explained away in favor of Tolkien’s personal beliefs. Moreover, he highlights that The Hobbit and LOTR “are … devoid of any formal practice of religion by their characters.”22 In contrast, Tolkien’s use of Northern and Celtic myth is more recognizable than any use of Christian theology or allegory.23
In response to Hutton, Nils Ivar Agøy draws attention to Tolkien’s evolving process as a mythmaker, likening him to the Beowulf poet, whose Christian beliefs were held in a creative tension with the myths of a pagan past. Agøy argues that the 12-volume collection of early drafts, The History of Middle-earth, reveals an evolving mythology. The process in its entirety indicates the development of Tolkien’s philosophy regarding the relationship between pagan myth and Christian belief.24 Similarly, Elizabeth Whittingham, in her book The Evolution of Tolkien’s Mythology, highlights the “darkness and hopelessness” that permeates the legends of the First Age of Middle-earth and Tolkien’s instinct to introduce the Christian expectation of ultimate victory.25
This brief review sheds light on the complexity and diversity of opinion regarding the religious and pagan aspects of Tolkien’s creative work. In view of the arguments put forward by various critics, one observes that there are preconceived notions projected onto Tolkien’s work which have shadowed later discussion. There is a need for a re-reading that will produce a framework of interpretation that is true to his worldview. To construct this framework, I suggest, one must look to a theology of beauty.
TOLKIEN AND BEAUTY
In Tolkien’s thought, “the beauty of a story” is associated with the metaphysical truth embedded in the narrative, for one “is meant to draw nourishment from the beauty as well as the truth.”26 While the story’s beauty does not promise truth, these qualities are often linked. These ideas are founded on his earliest incentives as a young man, as presented in Garth’s study of Tolkien’s war years. Here Garth chronicles Tolkien’s correspondence with his three closest friends, who were collectively determined to be “great moral reformer[s]” through their artistic endeavors, feeling destined “to re-establish sanity, cleanliness, and the love of real and true beauty.”27 Tolkien himself expressed a desire to “testify for God
and Truth” by infusing the world with beauty through literature.28 “Yes, publish,” G.B. Smith had written to Tolkien. “You I am sure are chosen, like Saul among the Children of Israel.”29 These letters, exchanged and circulated among four young men on the battlefields of Europe, reflect shared purpose and intense moral hope. Tolkien, in sympathy with his friends, believed in the power of beauty as a weapon against evil. Garth describes it a “glint of weaponry in the war on decadence,” explaining that their “strategy was indirect, to say the least: inspirational, rather than confrontational.”30 Through the power of beauty, these young men believed they could reform their nation, leaving “England purified of its loathsome insidious disease.”31 These were the words of Rob Gilson, but Tolkien echoed them, affirming that they “had been granted some spark of fire— certainly as a body if not singly—that was destined to kindle a new light … in the world.” This purpose, he believed, was so great that “its work in the end [could] be done by three or two or one survivor.”32 Two of these men survived the war, but only Tolkien continued writing. It was not until his friendship with C.S. Lewis a decade later that he found another who shared this vision.
“[Y]ou and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly a hundred years,” declares Lewis in his 1941 address, “The Weight of Glory.”33 Decadence, materialism, the loss of transcendence: Lewis suggests that these are symptoms of a deception that has imprisoned the imagination of his culture. He concludes that the only solution is a greater enchantment, one that enraptures the imagination. The compelling nature of the Christian story is that which Lewis sought to convey in The Chronicles of Narnia. That he presents it in mythical fashion resonates with his attraction to pagan myth and its affinity with the Christian gospel, as developed in his 1944 essay “Myth Became Fact.” Without disregarding Christian doctrine, Lewis affirms that “it is the myth which is the vital and nourishing element in the whole concern.” The mythical aspects of the Christian story testify not to falsehood, but to beauty, and the beauty of the story is key to communicating reality. “It is the myth that gives life.”34 Christianity, however, was not superior solely for its aesthetic quality, as he explains in his essay, “Is Theology Poetry?” Indeed, he considered the Greek and Northern myths more attractive.35 The great pagan myths conveyed truths about reality, but these were an imagined reality. Christianity, on the other hand, integrated mythical beauty with goodness and truth, conveying pure reality in the primary world. One may
infer from these essays that, by creating stories which engage and captivate the imagination with goodness, truth, and beauty, one can break the “evil enchantment of worldliness.”
In a letter to his son Christopher in 1945, Tolkien reflects on Lewis’s argument, agreeing that stories have an inherent worth as imaginative narratives, providing “mental nourishment.” In reference to Eden and the Christian story in general, Tolkien muses that individuals can draw sustenance from its beauty even when they disbelieve its truth; its beauty provides spiritual “nourishment” to some degree, preventing a total disconnect “from the sap of life.” While he refers primarily to the Christian story, his reference to the “story-value” suggests that the beauty of any story can be tied to truth, assigning lasting value to narrative beauty.36 For Tolkien, the value of narrative beauty was deep, complex, and farreaching. Not only did he believe that the beauty of a story could gesture to divine truth, but his desire to reshape the moral imagination of the culture through the beauty of narrative coincides with Lewis’s call for a greater enchantment. In an earlier letter from 1944, Tolkien despairs of “the everlasting mass and weight of human iniquity,” yet affirms
[T]here is always good: much more hidden, much less clearly discerned, seldom breaking out into recognizable, visible, beauties of word or deed or face—not even when in fact sanctity, far greater than the visible advertised wickedness, is really there.37
His terminology here is significant. His description of the “good” is defined by “beauties” of speech, action, and expression; goodness and beauty are interrelated. He then equates the “beauties” of the “good” with “sanctity,” raising goodness and beauty to the level of the holy; sanctity is the beauty of goodness. Furthermore, he describes sanctity as “far greater than the visible advertised wickedness,” implying its underlying supremacy and power. It is “hidden” yet remains capable of “breaking out” into the material world through “beauties.” This hiddenness, however, does not imply that sanctity is absent from the material world but, rather, transcendent: it is unseen but always present. The interrelation of goodness, beauty, and truth as transcendental qualities of reality is fundamental to Tolkien’s worldview. That he likewise defines goodness, beauty, and truth as the expressive and overarching power of sanctity firmly connects these to a transcendental theology embedded in Roman Catholic thought.
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Holt, Pte. F
Hopkins, Pte. A.
Hopkinson, Pte. J.
Hosker, L.-Sgt. W.
Howard, Pte. E.
Howard, Cpl. P.
Howarth, Pte. F. B.
Howarth, Pte. F. B.
Howarth, L.-Cpl. O.
Howarth, Pte. S.
Hoyle, Pte. J.
Humphreys, Pte. F.
Hunt, Pte. A.
Hunt, Pte. J.
Hyland, L.-Cpl. E.
Hyland, Cpl. J.
Ingham, Pte. W.
Irving, Pte. J.
Izatt, Sgt. J.
Jackson, A.-Sgt. E.
Jackson, Pte. H.
Jackson, Pte. H.
Jackson, Pte. H.
Jackson, Pte. S.
Jackson, Pte. W.
Jacques, Pte. R.
James, Sgt. S.
Jamieson, Pte. A.
Jeffreys, Pte. R.
Jewel, Pte. T.
Jolly, A.-Cpl. J.
Jones, Pte. W.
Keary, Pte. T
Kelly, Pte. T.
Kennedy, Pte. S.
Kinna, Pte. T. V.
Kirkby, Cpl. C.
Knight, Pte. H.
Knott, Pte. J.
Lamb, Pte. J.
Langdale, Pte. J.
Langley, Pte. J. W.
Lawrence, Pte. J.
Lawton, Pte. J.
Lees, Pte. H.
Lewis, Pte. F.
Liddle, Pte. A.
Livesey, Pte. J.
Livesey, Pte. R.
Longbottom, Pte. D.
Lord, C.Sgt.-Maj. J.
Lord, Pte. S. R.
Lovatt, Pte. H.
Maddock, Pte. A.
Marsden, L.-Cpl. J.
Marshall, Pte. F.
Marshall, Pte. F.
Mason, C.Sgt.-Maj. J.
McCann, Pte. J.
McDermott, Pte. G.
McDonald, Pte. G.
Mellor, Pte. F.
Mellor, Sgt. J.
Mellor, Pte. S.
Metcalfe, Pte. C.
Middleton, Pte. R.
Mills, Pte. F
Mills, Pte. F.
Mills, Pte. H.
Milne, Pte. H.
Mitchell, Pte. A.
Mitchell, Pte. G.
Mitchell, Pte. G.
Morris, Pte. A.
Morris, Pte. T
Morris, Pte. T.
Morrow, L.-Sgt. A.
Murphy, Pte. A.
Naylor, Pte. T
Newton, Pte. J.
Nightingale, Pte. J.
Nuttall, Pte. A.
O’Donnell, Pte. P.
Ogden, Sgt. J.
Ogden, Pte. R.
Oldfield, Cpl. J.
Oliver, Pte. L.
Osbaldston, Pte. G.
Owen, Pte. J. H.
Palfreyman, Cpl. H.
Parry, Pte. E.
Parry, Pte. W.
Partington, Pte. J.
Parton, Pte. E.
Parton, Pte. E.
Paskell, Pte. E. C.
Pearson, Pte. H. J.
Pickersgill, Pte. C.
Pickles, Pte. E.
Pickles, Pte. F.
Pilkington, Pte. E. L.
Pilling, Pte. H.
Pollitt, Pte. J.
Potter, Pte. G. R.
Potter, Pte. G. R.
Powell, Pte. G.
Prince, Pte. S. J.
Ratcliffe, Pte. F.
Ratcliffe, Pte. T.
Rawle, Pte. P.
Reed, C.Sgt.-Mjr. W
Richards, Pte. E.
Richardson, Pte. H.
Richardson, Pte. W.
Riley, Pte. F
Riley, Pte. J. T.
Risby, Pte. R.
Roberts, Pte. H. W.
Robinson, L.-Cpl. W. H.
Robinson, Pte. W. H.
Rogers, Cpl. D.
Rostern, Pte. W.
Rushton, Pte. J. R.
Russell, Pte. G.
Russell, Pte. G.
Ryle, Pte. W.
Sanderson, Pte. J.
Saville, Pte. R.
Schofield, Pte. F.
Scholes, Pte. W.
Scott, Pte. W
Seal, Sgt. A.
Seal, L.-Cpl. H.
Senior, Pte. H.
Seville, Pte. T.
Seville, Pte. T.
Sharpe, Pte. N.
Sheard, Pte. J.
Shepherd, Pte. A.
Shepherd, A.-Sgt. W.
Sherriff, Pte. W
Simpson, Pte. J.
Simpson, L.-Cpl. W.
Simpson, Pte. W.
Simpson, Cpl. W. H.
Skyes, Pte. N.
Smith, L.-Cpl. A. W.
Smith, Pte. J.
Smith, Pte. W
Spencer, Cpl.
Spencer, L.-Cpl. J. W.
Stafford, L.-Cpl. J.
Stansfield, Pte. R. H.
Stansfield, L.-Cpl. T.
Stock, Pte. A.
Stockport, Pte. J.
Stockton, Pte. J. W
Stott, Pte. F.
Stott, Pte. J.
Stringer, Pte. N.
Styles, Pte. G. E.
Sutcliffe, Pte. F.
Sutcliffe, Pte. F
Sutcliffe, Pte. W.
Taylor, Pte. H.
Taylor, A.-Cpl. I.
Taylor, Pte. J.
Taylor, Pte. R. R.
Thompson, Cpl. E. J.
Tillitson, Pte. J.
Timms, Pte. J.
Travis, Pte. W.
Turles, Pte. H.
Turner, Pte. C. E.
Turner, Pte. E.
Turner, Pte. F.
Turner, Pte. J.
Turner, Pte. W.
Turner, Pte. W
Wacey, Pte. W.
Walsh, Pte. J.
Walters, L.-Cpl. R.
Walton, Pte. G.
Walton, Pte. J. A.
Walton, Pte. S.
Walton, Pte. W.
Weaver, Pte. W.
Webster, Pte. A.
Wedge, Pte. J.
Wellens, Pte. W.
Wheelan, Pte. A.
Whittaker, Pte. T.
Whittaker, Pte. W
Whittaker, Pte. W.
Whitworth, Pte. H.
Whitworth, Pte. J.
Wilcock, Cpl. H.
Wild, Cpl. G.
Wild, Pte. G.
Wild, Pte. J.
Wilde, Sgt. J.
Worsley, Pte. T.
1/7 BATTALION LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS
Officers
Cade, Maj. R. H.
Law, Maj. W. J.
Blease, Capt. H.
Humphreys, Capt. A. C.
Murgatroyd, Capt. H. L., M.C. (Leicester Regt.)
Waterhouse, Capt. R.
Morrison, Act.-Capt. L. (Lt. Liverpool Regt.)
Austin, Lieut. S.
Burleigh, Lieut. B.
Ripperger, Lieut. H. T. A., M.C. (4th Gloucester Regt.)
