Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

Baptizing Middle-Earth

From the January 2004 Print Edition

J R. R. Tolkien once wrote ruefully, “Being a cult figure in one’s own lifetime I am afraid is not at all pleasant.” His popularity still has its unpleasant side effects. The peculiar enthusiasms of many of his fans, the existence of fantasy as a lurid paperback genre, and the flavor of the . . . . Continue Reading »