"A Long Expected Party"?

I do not think that this party will be anywhere near as welcoming as Bilbo's was!

I wrote about this conference, excuse me, “celebration,” “A Long Expected Party: A Semicentennial Celebration of Tolkien’s Life, Works, and Afterlife,” a couple of months ago in a post titled Conferences & Silos.

TLDR: I was not impressed, and I am even less impressed after reading some of the marketing/PR stories for the event and seeing a list of speakers (a partial one according to the website).

My news feed gave me a link to an article about the conference in the National Catholic Register, “J.R.R. Tolkien Is Still ‘Captivating Minds and Hearts.”¹ The link leads to an archived copy of the article, not the original publisher. The journalist interviewed the conference organizer, Ben Reinhard, and some students and scholars who are (presumably) Catholic or in great sympathy with the conservative (traditional?) Catholic² traditions that are discussed and with the qualifications of the presenters (see the incomplete list of speakers below).

The quotes from Reinhard confirms my sense that he is not aware of much of the current (meaning the last ten years of) Tolkien scholarship, let alone the nearly seventy years of scholarship that exists. I’ve italicized the quotes that indicate that lack of knowledge, or that seem ominous in the context of the current political conflicts in the U.S.

My overall impression is that the event is designed to build walls rather than bridges.

My bolded comments on the italicized quotes follow each quotes.

"In addition, 2023 is a significant turning point in Tolkien studies because the generation of scholars that truly knew him is entering retirement. It's not yet clear what sort of scholarship will fill the void they are leaving. We hope to make Franciscan University a center of Tolkien scholarship in the 21st century," Reinhard said in a news release about an upcoming conference hosted by Franciscan.

Given the growth in the number of articles, monographs, anthologies, dedicated journals, conferences, and dissertations in the last twenty years, I do not think that “void” is an accurate description of the state of Tolkien scholarship.

They might be able to make Franciscan University a center of “Catholic Tolkien scholarship,” but that’s only one small strand of Tolkien scholarship in 2023. And there are other universities that have contributed significantly to Tolkien scholarship over the past decades by offering resources for scholars and hosting conferences, most notably, Wheaton College and Marquette University. Both of these universities are private religious universities: Marquette is Catholic and Jesuit while Wheaton is Christian. Both of them have a major head-start on Franciscan University. I wonder if Reinhard spoke to any of the Tolkien scholars and archivists at Marquette and Wheaton.

The listed speakers for the event which, as far as I can tell, did not circulate an open call for submissions which implies invitation-only, do not seem to have done much or any scholarship on Tolkien (with the exception of the two Keynote speakers). I discuss the speakers below.

"It's a privilege to be part of a conference honoring the memory of J. R. R. Tolkien on the 50th anniversary of his death," added Reinhard, chief organizer of Franciscan's conference on Tolkien in September. "Tolkien is the great Catholic author of the 20th century, and we're only just beginning to understand the full importance of his work."

I don’t know the canon (pun intended) of “20th Century Great Catholic Writers,” but there seem to be a lot of them! Great? greatest? that’s the kind of debate that gets hashed out over time by academics, reviewers, and fans, without ever reaching a full-fledged consensus! And while I agree that there is much work to do, the idea that “we” (who is the “we” referring to here? Catholics? Scholars? Catholic scholars?) are “only just beginning to understand the full importance of his work” dismisses, again, seventy years of scholarship.

"Obviously, Tolkien has inspired generations of Catholic readers in the past 75 years."

"But sometimes I suspect his greatest impact on the Catholic community may be found in the way his works have appealed to non-Catholics," Reinhard told the Register.

I would love to see the second part of this quote more fully unpacked and backed up with evidence although I acknowledge a promotional interview is probably not the place for expecting academic standards of proof be met.

Specifically, what does Reinhard mean when he claims that the existence of readers who are not Catholic (or even Christian)³ but who find Tolkien’s work meaningful in their lives has had the “greatest impact on the Catholic community”?⁴

What is this impact?

'Fundamental Sanity and Sanctity'

Reinhard drew a conclusion between Catholic readers and non-Catholic readers along with how both are equally as important in regard to Tolkien's writing.

He continued, "As one of Tolkien's early readers commented, Tolkien's works possess a fundamental sanity and sanctity. The untold millions of non-Catholics who have delighted in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) have been drawn into that."

This quote is definitely raising a whole lot of warning signals for me. First, it is unattributed (and remember how often Tolkien is misquoted! But I did a bit of searching and found the source.⁵

However, the second sentence in the second paragraph implies that “untold millions of non-Catholics . . . .have been drawn into that” (presumably referencing that “fundamental sanity and sanctity,” which is a more dubious claim (especially if you read Tolkien’s own commentary on "sanity” and “sanctity” in the letter!).

And “equally important”? If that is the case, why is there little evidence of scholars not trained in classical/medieval/Great Books/Catholic theology being invited to participate in this celebration?

That claim that the “sanity and sanctity” “draws” people who are not Catholic into “that” reminds me very much of problems I had with some aspects of Ralph Woods’s concluding essay, “Tolkien and Postmodernism,” in his edited collection, Tolkien Among the Moderns.⁶ Specifically, Woods’s final sentence in which he claims that “many readers of Tolkien have been converted, albeit often unawares, from their hegemonic and triumphalist modernism—not to an anarchic postmodernism, but to the classically Christian virtues of the hobbits and their friends” (275) seems similar to Tolkien’s “fundamental [Catholicism?]” drawing non-Catholic readers into “sanity and sanctity”.

Speaking as an anarchic postmodernist, I doubt that Wood has any more evidence for this claim than Reinhard has for his! In any case, they have no authority to speak for “untold millions” of people who do not share their religious beliefs (actually, I would not grant them authority to speak for anybody but themselves).

Of Famous Quotes and Lasting Legacy

Joseph Pearce, a Tolkien scholar, also looks to that famous Eucharistic quote, which calls to mind Church teaching.

. . . .

“They show the inseparability of love from self-sacrifice and the importance of the acceptance and embrace of suffering as a means of growing in virtue," Pearce stated.

"They also show that the absence of self-sacrificial love leads to the darkness of pride and its self-destructive consequences," he said.

Joseph Pearce was a member of Britain’s National Front for ten years (1975-1986) from age 15-25. He describes that time in a memoir covering his days in the movement, serving his prison sentences, and his prison conversion to Catholicism which, according the title of his journey, converted him from “racial hatred” to “a rational love.”⁷ “Self-sacrificial love” is apparently what converted him from his racism, aka: “darkness of pride and its self-destructive consequences.”

The implication that being a “Catholic” means “not being a racist” is contradicted by the history of racism in American Christianity generally, and in the Catholic Church in particular, in the United States (and in the world). There are of course Catholics doing anti-racist work both in the academy and in the church, but I am not finding any evidence Pearce is among them. The way in which Pearce describes his experiences also limits racism to personal hatred/bigotry (one definition of racism) and does not acknowledge the power of systemic racism which does not require individual hatred to operate.

Professor Reinhard added, "Obviously, The Lord of the Rings is not an allegory of Catholicism, and we have to be careful of drawing one-to-one correspondences between its characters and images and the substance of our faith.

"On the other hand: Tolkien was a daily Massgoer, and the liturgy would naturally leave a strong impression on the imagination. There are the things that people always point to: the similarities between Galadriel and the Virgin Mary," for instance.

We cannot say that Tolkien’s work is an allegory, but really it’s an allegory: Virgin Mary and Galadriel! A number of scholars have already pointed out these similarities, influences, and resonances.

As Tolkien went on to say (I reference the “allegory vs. applicability” section of his foreword all the time): he prefers applicability (the reader’s agency to make meaning) over an allegory imposed by “the domination of the author.”

While many Protestants, Catholics and other varieties of Christian readers apply their experiences and views to interpret the work as Christian, there are atheists, agnostics, animists, and neo-pagans (not to mention fans who come from other world religions and spiritual traditions) who find meaning and aspects of their worldviews in Tolkien’s work (I am one of them).

There is also all the scholarship on Germanic and Celtic pagan elements in Tolkien’s work!

Reinhard and others need to read Verlyn Flieger’s "But What Did He Really Mean" and "The Arch and the Keystone."

As Reinhard commented to the Register, "I'm one of those 'untold millions'" who have been impacted by Tolkien's writing. "Tolkien was the first Catholic author I read in my childhood and my first exposure to Catholic thought."

"He's been a constant companion since childhood, and it's hard to think of a part of my life his writings haven't impacted in one way or another," he said.

I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was ten (in 1965; I do not know if there were millions reading it by then but probably not). I read The Hobbit when I was eight and didn’t like it very much, but that’s another story.

I did not know Tolkien was Catholic (at age ten, growing up in Moscow, Idaho, I’m not sure I knew what “Catholic” even was, nor did I care). I loved Middle-earth, and Tolkien’s work which became one of the cornerstones of my life. At age 67, I’m still working on mapping all the ways in which Tolkien’s fiction (along with Joanna Russ’s) affected my life: but none of the effects can be described as “Catholic.” (One effect was writing a lot of nature poetry; another was a lifelong love for trees.)

A list of the speakers which they explain is “not all-inclusive” presumably meaning others may be added has been uploaded to the website.

Despite Reinhard’s claim about the importance of readers who are not Catholic, after reviewing the (incomplete) list of speakers on the conference webpage, I see little evidence that any attention will be paid to the world that exists outside Catholic readers, writers, and fans. I may change my mind when more speakers are added, but at the moment, just as when I first read about the event, I see this conference as more focused on building walls and gate-keeping than on building bridges and engaging.

I may be wrong and hope I am! For instance, the article linked above includes quotes from two undergraduates who are going to be presenting their work at the conference.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Holly Ordway

Keynote Speaker: Carl F. Hostetter

Dr. Erik Ellis CV Dr. Ellis has taught Tolkien but never published on Tolkien.

Dr. Paul Gondreau No link to the CV but “Selected Publications” are listed at his webpage, and more information is given at his personal website. I found nothing on Tolkien; his specialization is Thomas Aquinas. A number of Tolkienists, including Claudio Testi, have written on Aquinas and Tolkien. Dr. Gondreau gives “lectures for the Thomistic Institute on the Catholic vision of The Lord of the Rings” (Speakers)

Joshua Hren  is a publisher, writer (fiction (stories and novels), poetry, and author of one book on Tolkien, Middle-earth and the Return of the Common Good: J.R.R. Tolkien and Political Philosophy.

Dr. Melinda Nielsen specializes in the classics, works in “the Great Books” at Baylor, and focuses on medieval literature, although she is working on a project on Augustine and C.S. Lewis (nothing on Tolkien though).

Dr. Andrew Seeley ( they misspelled his last name on the list of conference speakers!) has taught "every subject in its [his university’s] demanding, integrated Great Books curriculum" which probably does not include Tolkien. He founded the Boethius Institute, and has a blog

Thomas W. Stanford has published on a number of literary works, but there’s nothing on Tolkien on his university webpage. A search for “Thomas W. Stanford” and “Tolkien” does not bring up any reference to work on Tolkien.

The keynote speakers have both published on Tolkien, and I recognize both their names (although I have not read their work since their scholarship interests and expertise are different than mine). But the rest of the speakers, as far as I can tell from checking faculty pages, CVs when available, and websites, have not published on Tolkien’s work at all (though a number have taught Tolkien).

1. I have re-loaded and saved this article on the archive several times, and it always stops working after a short time. I have a text copy of it, and if you would like a copy, please request it in the comments or, if you don’t want to share your email, email me at robinareid AT fastmail.com.

2. As opposed to the liberal and/or progressive Catholics who also exist! And have for a long time!

3. I would imagine the majority of Tolkien fans are not Catholic given global demographics: according to the 2022 Vatican data, 17.7% of the world's population is Catholic. That means 82.3 of us are not!

4. Stylistic nit-pick: setting up “Catholic” and “non-Catholic” as the two significant categories as opposed to listing the numerous other denominations of Christianity as well as the other world religions and spiritual traditions as well as the atheists and agnostics seems an odd choice (speaking as somebody who would never consider myself as “non-Catholic” even though I am not a Catholic).

5. I did a Google search for the exact quote, “Tolkien's works possess a fundamental sanity and sanctity,” and the only source that came up is this article. I ran the search absent the quotation marks and got the Walking Tree Press page for Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings – Sources of Inspiration, Stratford Caldecott and Thomas Honegger (editors), Cormarë Series No. 18. An abstract for one of the chapters in this anthology begins with: “In the last years of his life, Tolkien received a letter from Carole Batten-Phelps, who wrote of "a sanity and sanctity" in The Lord of the Rings, "which is a power in itself” (“The Influence of Holiness: The Healing Power of Tolkien's Narrative,” by Guglielmo Spirito OFM Conv.). A quick search of my e-book of Tolkien’s Letters brings up a draft reply to Carole Batten-Phelps (#328) which quotes that short phrase, and thanks her for it, saying he was “deeply moved,” and telling her about another letter from “a man, who classified himself as ‘an unbeliever. . .” but who saw Tolkien’s created world as one “‘in which some sort of faith seems to be everywhere without a visible source, like light from an invisible lamp.” Letter #328 is long and well-worth reading (even if contradicted at times by things that Tolkien said in other letters (Flieger, “But What Did He Really Mean”). Whenever I taught Tolkien (either by myself or co-teaching with a medievalist friend), I assigned a number of Tolkien’s letters to be read, carefully choosing ones where he contradicted himself to make it harder for students to fall into the fallacy of authorial intentionality.

6. Reid, Robin Anne. Review: "Tolkien Among the Moderns (2015), ed. by Ralph C. Wood," Journal of Tolkien Research, vol. 6, iss. 1, article 2, 2018, link.

7. I am not linking to the memoir or articles about it, although a Google search will bring up a number of them as well as interviews with Pearce. I cannot speak in any way to his conversion, but I have found little evidence that his conversion from white supremacist to Catholic has resulted in him doing or writing in support of anti-racist efforts (based on what I can find online). But his equating of “white supremacists” and “abortionists” as the equal enemies of “Catholics” and his offering prayer as a way of dealing with the “enemies” (although at least he leaves out “thoughts”) in this commentary written after Charlottesville does not fill me with much optimism. Nor is Pearce shy about his anti-feminism and sexism in the context of Tolkien’s work.