While researching my literary anniversary piece on J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle,” I came across an essay that thoughtfully explores the spiritual shape of the story. The author describes it as “probably the closest thing in Tolkien’s corpus to an autobiographical allegory,” a claim that feels earned the longer you consider the tale.ContinueContinue reading “Lessons from Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” – Word on Fire”
Tag Archives: story-telling
December 4: ‘On Fairy Stories’ Turns 76
Stories shape worlds, worlds shape stories. And sometimes, a story about stories can change how we see both. On Fairy Stories (1947) The essay got a fresh face in 2008. A lecture becomes a touchstone, a scholarly reflection on imagination, myth, and meaning. On December 4, 1947, J. R. R. Tolkien’s essay On Fairy Stories was published in EssaysContinueContinue reading “December 4: ‘On Fairy Stories’ Turns 76”
Early Waters: First Pages of ‘The Gales of November’
When I was writing a commemorative post about the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald, I stumbled across a new book on the subject. That put me in a bit of a quandary: since retiring, I’ve been trying to downsize my personal library from four six-foot bookcases to two. Ouch! If you’re a bookworm, you knowContinueContinue reading “Early Waters: First Pages of ‘The Gales of November’”
November 22: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
Some stories wander through the edges of legend, light and elusive, inviting readers to step into a world both familiar and mysteriously wild. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962) A whimsical collection of Tolkien’s poetry, capturing the playful, enigmatic spirit of Tom Bombadil and his corner of Middle-earth. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil collects poems byContinueContinue reading “November 22: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil”
Lives Transformed Behind Prison Walls: Ligonier Inside – YouTube
“He brought me here, so that my light might shine.” One man says it in his own words best, in the seven-minute-investment of your time.
Veni. Vidi. Scripsi. 