Boromir’s arc in The Lord of the Rings is tragic and yet there is glory in it. I am really eager to learn, next year, how my students react to this most noble of men—I’ll be teaching the novel for the first time. It’s already in the planning! On the one hand, Boromir is a... Continue Reading →
This past week in my classes, I engaged the students in a discussion of the ethics around Bilbo's actions in the latter half of the novel. I offered the question: What is the difference between a burglar and a thief? On one level, this is a bit of a vocabulary check, and many of the... Continue Reading →
As the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf near Beorn's house in chapter 7 of The Hobbit, Gandalf is telling the little bit that he knows about their soon-to-be host. After telling them that Beorn is a skin-changer, he makes the following curious statement: "At any rate he is under no enchantment but his own." Gandalf then... Continue Reading →
Something Tookish 