LEAVES OF A MALLORN:
Essays and Reflections
on Tolkien’s Masterworks
Over his long lifetime, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien wrote an entire rich and glorious world that has enchanted millions of readers. It has inspired and energized generations of writers, fired the imaginations of filmmakers, musicians, and artists, and brought the persistent flame of hope to a century that has wearied humanity near to death with relentless threat and darkness.
This flame of hope glowed in Tolkien’s stories through terror after terror, loss after loss, battle after battle, even through its darkest moments and stretches of despair. I read and reread his great trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”, finding it a healing refuge for my own wounded life. I have not been alone in this. Not at all.
I was offered a chance to facilitate an online course on Tolkien’s world. I accepted gladly, and after several repetitions of the course I had accumulated many essays on various lessons of the course. “Leaves of a Mallorn” is my collection of the best of those essays.
I hope that the reader of Tolkien’s works can find some stimulating and illuminating things here.
