So, another book showed up this week: Louis Markos' ON THE SHOULDERS OF HOBBITS: THE ROAD TO VIRTUE WITH TOLKIEN AND LEWIS, with a Foreword by Peter Kreeft.
And, co-incidentally, the next day the mail brought a catalogue from The Teaching Company that the lecture series Markos gave through their Great Courses, THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF C. S. LEWIS, is on sale for just $9.95, making this a great time to pick that up for those interested in a thoroughly Xian reading of CSL.
I've only had time for a quick look at the new book, but as suggested by the fact that Kreeft provides a Foreword, this is a heavily Xianized reading of Tolkien, focused on LotR but also drawing frequently on the Chronicles of Narnia (ironic, given how much JRRT disliked them). Kreeft asserts that while LotR might be the greatest book of the twentieth century, the Narnia books are "the greatest children's stories ever written". I don't agree with the latter part of this statement, but if you like LotR and Narnia in equal measure, and wd like to see traditional (Xian) values asserted vie the medium of interpreting Tolkien and Lewis, then this is the book for you.
As for me, it's off on another trip tomorrow. Early (far too early) in the morning we head off to the airport for the flight to Milwaukee. I finished drafting my Marquette talk this evening and have it all printed out (and a safety copy too). If you happen to find yourself near Marquette Wednesday afternoon, drop by and join the fun in the new library building on Wisconsin Avenue.
--John R.
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