Reading Tolkien

In this episode, Sridhar and Benjamin discuss Tolkien's darkest work, The Children of Húrin. Join us as we delve into issues of fate, free-will, and theodicy.

In this episode, I interview Hungarian Tolkienist Gergely Nagy, who has written a plethora of (admittedly heavy!) papers on Tolkien and theory, Tolkien and metafiction, and other topics. Join us as we delve into Tolkien's theory of fiction, the strategies he used to make his texts feel 'historical', and a range of other fascinating topics!

In this, the inaugural episode with my brilliant new cohost Sridhar Bhagavathula, we discuss the place of The Lord of the Rings in the 21st century over a glass of wine (well, one of us, at any rate). Topics range from the reception of the Jackson films, adaptation, to Tolkien's Catholicism, a queer readings of Tolkien. Join us as we begin a new epic phase of the podcast!

In this episode, I offer brief thoughts with regard to the recently released synopsis for the Lord of the Rings on Prime show. I also update listeners on a few matters. During my remarks, I refer and quote from Daniel Stride's blog on the Amazon show, available here.

In this fascinating discussion, Dr Dennis Wise (University of Arizona) and I talk about a range of topics related to Tolkien studies, including the state of the academic field, the place of Critical Theory in the reception of Tolkien, theories about metafiction in Tolkien's fiction, the 'ontological' status of Tolkien's creation myth, and how we can approach Tolkien through the theories of Leo Strauss.

Dr Wise is a lecturer in the Writing Program at UofA, and he has published extensively on Tolkien and other SF/F topics in a range of journals. His website is https://english.arizona.edu/people/dennis-wise

In this, our third episode at Reading Tolkien, we explore Tolkien's little known but fascinating and often moving unfinished novel, 'Aldarion and Erendis'. Join us as we discuss Tolkien's writing process, the effect that this story has (retrospectively) on the moral character of The Lord of the Rings, and other topics.

Here, I interview blogger and SF writer Daniel Stride, who blogs at https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/

Daniel blogs on Tolkien's work, among other topics.

In this, our premier episode, I explain the intent of the podcast and Razib and I discuss the latest news in regards to the upcoming Amazon Second Age show.