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The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in "The Lord of the Rings"

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Prospective readers who are hesitating because of the theological tones of the title should stop worrying. Look beyond the author's name (which some of you may recognize as an Episcopalian priest and pretty well-known speaker) and the title indicating it will discuss Tolkien's "Divine Design". No matter what faith you do or do not profess, you cannot escape the fact that faith and scripture were very important to Tolkien himself. If you are interested in how it influenced him as a writer, read this book.

Rutledge has succeeded where few other books about Tolkien have: she presents the underlying grand themes of LOTR in a consistent, coherent and convincing manner. She makes the argument well, that Tolkien understood his work as theological at core, and that there is a continuous theological underpinning to the story. She calls this the "deep narrative", and throughout her book, she is consistently able to draw parallels between the surface narrative (the story) and the deeper theological one.

This is not to say that she at any time makes LOTR an "allegory" per se. LOTR is not, and was not intended by the author to be, a retelling of the Gospel story. LOTR is a stand-alone story, and can be read and enjoyed by anyone just by itself. In fact, the vast majority of us, who came to this story when teenagers or younger, loved the book from the moment we read it. It called something out of our souls, perhaps, and we understood something about the "deep narrative" simply by reading the story. The great gift of Tolkien is his ability to show us core truth about humanity this way, by storytelling.

Nevertheless, his devout Catholic Christianity and understanding of the influence of sin on all, underpins his story. Rutledge is excellent in discussion of how Tolkien shows us the good and evil in all creatures, and the necessity of reliance on Providence and grace. You will find a good explanation of Evil as a third force, between God and his incarnate creatures. She frequently mentions Tolkien's use of "passive voice" to indicate that the characters in LOTR are being used by the "other forces at work". While this comes as no surprise to any careful reader (I am sure all of us have noticed these continued references by Gandalf to "other forces" and being "meant to have" something or other!), once noticed, the passive voice becomes obvious throughout.

Rutledge supports her argument with frequent allusions to Bible passages, both Old and New Testament. And she convincingly argues that Tolkien really believed the small were being called to confound the wise, both in real life and in his book. She argues that scriptural underpinning for LOTR comes through both as direct influence on the story, but more often on the influence on Tolkien himself, who then wrote his values into LOTR. His understanding of the paradox of free will and the call of God, for instance.

All readers interested in the scriptural and theological influences on Tolkien (and they were considerable) will be interested in this book, whether you agree with the entire thesis or not. She does tend to over-reach, at times, for allusions to scripture. She is obviously not a fan of the movie, which she alludes to several times in her footnotes. But she is a careful reader herself. She came very late to the realm of Middle Earth, and does not bring years of "Tolkienalia" to the book, and this is a very great strength. Her decision to discuss the story as it unfolds, rather than break it down into grand concepts, was inspired and makes the book very easy to read.

This is an excellent book for those interested in understanding Tolkien's assertion that his work was fundamentally Catholic; I am not a biblical scholar, so I was very interested in the parallels the author was able to draw between biblical themes and imagery and those in LOTR.

However, the effect of the book for me was marred by factual errors in referencing LOTR. [Ex.: she quotes the fact of Merry's sword being the work of Westernesse, then proceeds to talk about it as if it were made by elves in Gondolin!] There are similar errors throughout -- not a whole lot, but enough to mar the impact of the whole.

Additionally, Rutledge cannot resist doing what she quotes Tolkien as specifically decrying: making direct analogies between a current political situation and the LOTR narrative -- in a one-sided fashion. Again, she did not do this often (and admittedly kept those comments to the footnotes most of the time), but the one-sidedness of the judgement detracted from the impact of her overall thesis.

Worth reading for those interested in seeing the biblical roots of Tolkien's philosophy.

This is a frustrating book because it is well worth reading - and perhaps could have been a classic of Tolkien criticism; but for the fact that that the author's self-indulgence introduced so many jarring and embarrassing anomalous elements.

The basic theme is very strong, and the line of argument about how divine providence or fate permeates Tolkien's world (and his world view) is extremely well argued.

But the author gives the impression of being one of those people who likes the sound of her own voice and airing her passing opinions. So the book is too long, and the superb insights concerning the underlying religious theme of Lord of the Rings are swamped by mere chit chat, or are padded out with other very dubious, trivial or idiosyncratic Christian parallels to the Tolkien.

The very striking and brilliant points, of which there are many, need to be mined out from the dross.

Worst of all, the book was written in the early 2000s during the throes of Bush-Derangement Syndrome (BDR) - in which `reality' for a female US Episcopalian priest comes filtered through the distorting lens of the New York Times and National Public Radio - which are treated here as having quasi-Biblical authority.

From her repeated use of example, she really seems to believe that the USA under George W Bush, the response to 9/11 and the behaviour of the US/UK allies in the Iraq war, is a reasonable routine comparison with Sauron and Saruman, and with the temptations and moral failings of the heroes.

By contrast, Liberals, Democrats and their like are exempted from any except positive mention. The political partisanship is truly stunning, and indeed strikes me as pathological.

The author is utterly in thrall to Political Correctness, which means that all (so far as I could tell) of the (ridiculously over-pressed) examples she uses to draw parallels between the evils of the Lord of the Rings and the evils of everyday life are examples of the evils of US Republicans and Conservatives; and all of the virtues of modern life are of people and incidents which are approved by the Politically Correct.

She is also either a Pacifist, or very close to being one; and to read LotR from a pacifist perspective is to misunderstand it. Tolkien, like most people, was anti-war - but he was not a pacifist; and indeed understood that pacifism led to war and often to defeat - as with the appeasement of Hitler.

The distortion is bad, because JRR Tolkien was himself at the opposite pole from Political Correctness in his personality and in his work: he was so Conservative that his views were even extreme for the early 20th century and before the victory of Progressivism.

Tolkien was indeed so Reactionary that his views are simply off the chart in today's political climate. And he was of course a genius of intellect, insight and creativity. So these views should not be ignored and cannot lightly be dismissed without serious distortion: when the reader finds that he disagrees with Tolkien, there is a distinct possibility that it is Tolkien who was correct and the reader who is wrong, and that Tolkien simply sees deeper.

So Rutledge's, book is worth reading for the serious Tolkien scholar - but must be skim-read and unfortunately cannot be fully enjoyed. However, if a second edition is ever on the cards, this deeply-flawed book could be made into a superb one; simply by the liberal use of a blue pencil to shorten it by half, remove all contemporary references, and rein-in the garrulousness.

Although I haven't finished this book by Fleming Rutledge, I think it's going to be one of my favorites. The title is The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings.

Here is some background to her approach, in the author's own words:

Tolkien did not intend his story to be about Good vs. Evil with clearly defined boundaries. It is significant that in his letters he often puts "good" in quotation marks as if to say "supposedly" good. The book is about the way that evil (understood as power over others) has the capacity to insinuate its way into the hearts and souls of absolutely everyone. Not even Gandalf is immune. That, for me, is the greatness and the subtlety of [LOTR].

My own conviction is that the theological structure of the book (what I call the "deep narrative") pervades the entire work and is subtly disclosed by Tolkien by [his use] of the passive form of the verb in sentences ("Frodo was meant" to have the Ring) and the frequent references to "some other will." The observant reader will gradually come to feel an overpowering sense of the presence of God, or - in an honored theological term now unfortunately less used - Providence. Tolkien uses the passive the way the Bible does, to indicate the active, shaping presence of God ("their eyes were opened," "the rocks were split").*

Tolkien calls God Eru, "The One," or Ilúvatar, "Father of All." In his own words, the One "intrudes the finger of God" into the plot at various identifiable points. It is this One whom Tolkien calls The Writer of the Story, quoting with obvious approval the words of a reviewer who referred to "that one ever-present person who is never absent and never named." **

What seems especially impressive to me is that the author developed most of her understanding and insight simply out of her own love of LOTR. It wasn't until after she had sketched out her book that she read some of the secondary materials. "I came upon Tolkien with virtually no presuppositions. . . . I had a hunch that I had uncovered something in the book that had not yet been sufficiently celebrated."

Rather than break down her commentary into separate chapters with different themes, since she is tracing a single "theme" throughout all of LOTR, Rutledge has chosen to present her material as part of a running "retelling" of Tolkien's pertinent plot points, moving from chapter to chapter in sync with Tolkien's original six books. She tells us in the Introduction: "Instead of identifying various themes and then analyzing them, I have chosen to be guided by Tolkien's own professed trust in the revelatory power of narrative. This power is well known to all who have responded to Tolkien's exceptional skill as a storyteller; it is part of the mystique of the beloved tale. In my discussion, I wanted to hold on to Tolkien's narrative momentum, because it seemed to me that something of fundamental importance was being conveyed precisely through that momentum."

Inter-cut with the commentary and adding further richness to her insight are wonderful quotations from various other sources. This author is obviously well-read and well-rounded herself, and she elaborates on her discussion of LOTR with citations from numerous diverse sources: from Shakespeare to Joseph Conrad, from historical documents to poetry, from the Bible to George Orwell.

One of her reviewers commented: "Fear not! Fleming Rutledge has carefully avoided reducing Tolkien's thrilling stories to doctrine or his characters to typology." No, she has reduced nothing. She has expanded and enhanced and revealed depths I had only vaguely suspected.

Rutledge has said it is her hope that Battle will "give pleasure to those who may already have detected the presence of the sub-narrative, and insight to those who may have missed it on first reading." Whether you fall into one of these categories or not, if you love reading not only what Tolkien has written but also what others have written about him and his works, I recommend that you add this book to your collection.

*Excerpt from roundtable discussion about Return of the King posted on belief.net 12/03.

**From the Introduction to Battle.

Rutledge's book is essentially a series of short meditations followed by a Biblical reference.

She starts at the beginning (i.e The Hobbit) and goes on chronologically, paraphrasing an episode in her own words, then giving a Biblical insight--often quoting a specific Biblical verse-- to show how Tolkien's book harmonizes with the Bible.

What annoyed me was the literalness of the interpretations, and the Protestant approach to salvation. There are discussions of how evil exists in all men, and the need for God's grace. We are told that since all are evil, we should hesitate to fight in war or call those seeking to kill civilians "evil". I even ran across references to "total depravity" of men who need grace to save them, which is not quite the same as the Catholic concept of original sin, where men are good, containing the grace of God, but with flaws that can destroy the best of men...but that God's mercy is so vast that it will extend even to those we see as "evil".

And although most of the Biblical references are valid, some of them seem to stretch the point. One example is Pippin's complaints of inadequate food in Minas Tirith is compared to the disobedient Israelites wanting the fleshpots of Egypt (not, as I saw it, a wry description of growing lads with bottomless stomachs). And when Sam in Mordor sees the star above and remembers that hope exists high above despite his troubles, it is compared to God telling Job that He, God is a bigshot so stop complaining...I myself see the young soldier finding hope in the beauty of a star above the trenches of World War I--and most old fashioned Catholics would remember the hope expressed in the hymn Ave Maris Stella, to Mary, the helper of wanderers here below.

Indeed, what is lacking is what sociologist Andrew Greeley describes in his book "The Catholic Imagination": "....we (Catholics) see the Holy lurking in creation...objects, events, and persons of daily life are revelations of grace". By trying to place each event into a literal biblical straightjacket, the end result is to flatten the joy, wonders and the revelations of grace in Tolkien into dry dogmatism.

However, if you are a dogmatic Biblical Christian who needs literal explanations of why Lord of the Rings is a Christian book, you may enjoy this scholarly work.

I was surprised to find an "about" book that was so riveting. Rutledge is up-front about where she's coming from: a Biblical viewpoint. She backs up her assertions with notations from Tolkien's own writings (from letters) about his intentions for his famous trilogy. No one character was "meant" to be Jesus, for example, although many of the characters show "Christ-likeness" in their actions, words, and attitudes. Rutledge helped me see this. I found this book to be a good read, which I was not expecting. I read it because of my love for the LOTR books, and I was not disappointed. Non-Christian readers may have some difficulty, but Tolkien was a Christian author and his work is steeped in Christian beliefs...although this is not overtly obvious most of the time. Rutledge includes Scripture references to illustrate her points, so anyone could look them up for verification. I highly recommend this book...it was worth the wait.

Long fascinated by the much-loved tale of The Lord of the Rings, I disappointedly find that most non-fiction books cashing in on its religious aspects to be simplistic illustrations of Biblical truths using Tolkien's story. No 'meat and 'taters' as Samwise Gamgee might say. Rutledge's book is very substantial and spiritually nourishing in many ways. She subtitles it 'Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings,' an apt clue to the direction of her well-researched and superbly structured analysis. There are occasional mis-steps, namely irrelevant interjections of her political views while discussing Tolkien's view of 'good v. evil', and mini-critiques of the Jackson films revealing an ignorance of the demands of cinematic drama. But this imperfect vessel - and sister in Christ - produces an overall entertaining, enlightening, and educational read. She follows the narrative storyline of the book, which makes for an enlightening journey through the story. Tolkien once wrote, 'The religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.' (Letters, #142). This comment has long fascinated me as I re-read the story for clues to what this might mean. Rutledge's book is not a Cliff Notes retread, but an innovative means of illustrating Tolkien's concept to those who've read the book. Rutledge, an Episcopal priest, seems to have discovered clues to what Tolkien meant. The few over-labored Biblical connections used to support her interpretations of the Bible are not enough to sour the entire book. Consider them a side trip down the Withywindle, if you will, pending your timely return to the main path by Tom Bombadil. But thank God she was led to write this book. This is an especially satisfying read for those drawn to the story by its spirituality. Her analysis of the scene at the Grey Havens is very well done.

Fleming Rutledge is arguably the ideal critic of The Lord of the Rings. An ardent student of English literature, an orthodox (Episcopal/Anglican) priest, and a gifted writer, she brings to bear impressive resources in analyzing an often- or over-analyzed work. In doing so, she builds an impressive case in support of a seldom-heard conclusion: Tolkien's masterpiece is a masterpiece not only of storytelling, but also of theology and, perhaps, evangelism.

In making this case, Rutledge relies not only on her careful reading of the text (including its prequel, The Hobbit), but also on Tolkien's letters (as indicated by extensive and informative footnoting). In particular, she challenges commonly held ideas about the epic, including but not limited to the following: (1) it is a tale of pure good versus absolute evil; (2) it occurs in another world; and (3) it lacks a divine presence. Other repeated topics include rational inferences as to how Tolkien would feel about modern cultures and wars and Rutledge's juxtaposition of the text and Peter Jackson's film trilogy.

Rutledge's writing is clear and often striking. That said, the book is slightly more repetitive (and thus longer) than it needs to be, and on occasion, it feels like Rutledge is reaching for an appropriate Biblical verse or analogy. Nevertheless, this is a serious, thorough, and important study of the epic--structured not thematically but parallel to the narrative--that future students and critics cannot afford to ignore. And as for Christians who enjoy fantasy literature, this is essentially a collection of essays and sermons focusing on one of fantasy's great works. (For this latter group, this would be an ideal birthday or Christmas gift.) Highly recommended for either group. 4-1/2 gleaming elven jewels.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in how Tolkien's personal faith influenced his writing. The writer makes a compelling and, in the end, convincing argument that LOTR is a fundamentally Christian/Catholic work about a loving God working to save humanity in a pre-Christian world. The author makes good use both of hints in the text of LOTR and The Hobbit themselves as well as of Tolkien's letters to make her points. The book is also generally well-written and shows a reasonably good understanding of Tolkien's world.

Other reviewers have pointed out, however, some of the "factual" inaccuracies in this book. I, too, found them distracting and felt that they detracted from the weight of the author's arguments, but not to a serious, much less fatal, degree.

There were some things that the author did that actually did take away significantly from my enjoyment of the book and from my appreciation for the underlying arguments. First, the author reuses the same biblical quotes on several occasions when a simple reference to the earlier quote would suffice. Attentive readers don't need to get hit in the head with the same text over and over. Second, the author makes repeated negative references to post 9/11 United States foreign policy. Analysis of these issues is not only beyond the author's apparent expertise, but also beyond the scope of the book and would be better left for her own sermons or for cocktail party discussion rather than as part of her literary/religious discussion. Third, there is a fair amount of repetition, particularly in the author's explanation of certain themes in Tolkien and in the Bible. She should explain these well, once, and then simply refer back to her earlier discussion.

Having mentioned these criticisms, there are some small but important things that the author does well (other than the previously-praised elucidation of her primary argument). One of the most important is that she does not treat Tolkien and his work as being unimpeachable monuments of English Literature. I smiled appreciatively when she mentioned Tolkien's verse is not his best writing and when she hinted that some of his descriptions of plant life might have run on a bit longer than many readers might have wished. She also does not suffer from the conceit of many literary critics that they know and understand exactly why the author did everything the author did and that they have a theory that explains perfectly every word of the work under discussion. For example, she admits that Tom Bombadil is something of a mystery and that he may not fit very well into her theory of the work as a whole.

So, overall, I do recommend this book. Anyone who has spent a lot of time with LOTR will learn something interesting and enlightening about this work and will gain greater insight into what Tolkien was trying to teach us. That, in itself, justifies the price of its purchase and the time spent reading it.

Fans of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings have a new scholarly commentary to celebrate: an in-depth survey of themes and hidden allusions demonstrating Tolkien's underlying spiritual design. The Battle for Middle-Earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in "The Lord of the Rings" provides Fleming Rutledge's own interpretation of how Tolkien's faith is embedded in his entire narrative. Chapters assume close reader familiarity with Lord Of The Rings as it considers how Tolkien works religious ideas into the fundamental assumptions of his story line, and how he creates an overwork work reflecting divine design. An intriguing blend of theological and literary analysis evolves.