Existentialism and Christianity in Middle-Earth.

Chiara Cadrich – September 2017 – V1.7

Introduction

The Lord of the Rings continues to find enthusiastic new fans year after year. Because a great work is addressed to several generations, all of which can discover it many times.

It has matured for me in the course of my readings, revealing facets and double bottoms, echoes and smokescreens. The thrill of adventure, the attachment to the characters, the depth of the myth, the Christian roots in filigree, the charm of creative languages, the scale of the epic, the moral strength of the heroes, and again moments of grace and enchantment...

After the repeated bookstores success, then the Hollywood consecration, extended by the Hobbit trilogy, fan-fictions have taken up the matter. At the same time, researchers have devoted themselves to sophisticated explorations of the legendary - religious foundations, Freudian prism, existentialist influences, or even the initiatory trajectory of the millennials generation.

Undoubtedly these analyzes, chill somehow the magic of the first reading. But some strong themes of the work, such as commitment, responsibility, despair, freedom, etc. definitely contribute to its depth.

So here is a short reflection about these themes, in Pr. Tolkien's work: how can existentialism coexist with the deep Christian inspirations of the Lord of the Rings? To what extent do the works depicting Arda1, belong to one or the other?

Acknowledgments: A friendly wave at Syrene-T, Old-Girl-NoraArlani and NoctisLucisXV for their selflessness and a huge thank you for their attentive and fruitful rereading!

Notes

1 Middle-Earth