A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War
How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18
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4.7 • 39 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Had there been no Great War, there would have been no Hobbit, no Lord of the Rings, no Narnia, and perhaps no conversion to Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
The First World War laid waste to a continent and brought about the end of innocence—and the end of faith. Unlike a generation of young writers who lost faith in the God of the Bible, however, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis found that the Great War deepened their spiritual quest. Both men served as soldiers on the Western Front, survived the trenches, and used the experience of that conflict to ignite their Christian imagination.
Tolkien and Lewis produced epic stories infused with the themes of guilt and grace, sorrow and consolation. Giving an unabashedly Christian vision of hope in a world tortured by doubt and disillusionment, the two writers created works that changed the course of literature and shaped the faith of millions. This is the first book to explore their work in light of the spiritual crisis sparked by the conflict.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are two of the best-known Christian writers of the 20th century. Their works have influenced millions of readers and have informed spiritual discussion in the public square for many decades. What is less well known about these two men is that they enjoyed a deep friendship and a shared life experience as soldiers in WWI. Loconte, associate professor of history at the King's College in New York City, explains that the fighting in the trenches and the thrill of survival all provided context for their later fictional writing; echoes of the war can be found everywhere in their powerful stories. Loconte offers the real-life tale behind the optimism and final triumph of good over evil that shine from Lewis and Tolkien's works: "No matter how desperate the circumstances... the characters in their stories retain the capacity to resist evil and choose the good," and it is in this choosing that redemption is finally achieved. This is a wonderful account of two remarkable Christian writers.
Customer Reviews
Moments That Make Us
This book features both realistic accounts of WWI and shows the influence this momentous event had on two of the most inspirational authors of the 20th
Century. From the account of trench warfare to the struggles of both Tolkien and Lewis in their time on the front lines, this book explores the effect of warfare on the common soldier.
Though the war was a great tragedy in many ways, through the hardships and losses, two great authors were formed. Both took their experiences in battle and worked them into their epic fantasies. Because of the realism depicted in the battles and warfare in their stories, they still have a grip on people today, and they have become classics.
If you enjoy Tolkien’s tale of Hobbits, Men, Elves, and Dwarves, and Lewis’s tale of Narnia and Aslan, you might find how the authors grew to tell these stories a fascinating experience.
The front line of battle
Loconte’s strongest and most convincing argument lies in his assertion that Tolkien and Lewis, almost alone among all writers and artists in the English-speaking world, held the line against both extremes of, on the one hand, the attempt to remake Western political and social institutions into conformity with one-world utopian dreams or, on the other, abandoning any attempt at political or social reform by surrendering to hopelessness and despair in the belief that anarchy was inevitable. Instead, these two intelligent yet realistic men chose to embrace the Christian theodicy that Evil is great but that God is Greater and that all of us are foot-soldiers at the front line of battle: our eternal destiny depends on where our loyalties lay. This is a fine work of well-researched history and deep theology.