Did Tolkien Really Hate Allegory? (Mythic Mind, ep. 171)
Mythic MindEpisode 171
Did Tolkien Really Hate Allegory? (Mythic Mind, ep. 171)
In this episode
Tolkien is known to despise allegory, but he is also clear that fiction, including his own, has a relationship with the primary world that can be used as a conduit for truth. In this lesson from the 2025 Lord of the Rings study, I discuss Tolkien’s approach to allegory and application.
Chapters
- Introduction
- Defining the course
- Tolkien’s motive
- Universal human themes
- Power and atomic imagery
- Religious underpinnings
- Romance as a genre
- Truth in myth and story
- The nature of good fiction
- Significant symbols
- Transformation through myth
- Concluding remarks
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