JRR Tolkien- A "Cunning" Catholic

 

A scholarly thesis and lesson plan examining the theory that JRR Tolkien's fairytales were developed by simply taking the writings of the Saints (The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross, The Mansions by St. Teresa of Avila, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, etc.), Catholic History, and lives of the Saints (St. Joan of Arc, St. Patrick, St. Michael the Archangel, etc.) and converting them into fairytale form. 

 

When interviewed about how JRR Tolkien developed his storyline, Tolkien stated that he was concerned in part that "he did not have the cunning to write the story".   The dictionary definition of "cunning" being that "the goal of being cunning is to disguise your intentions".   This admission alone would imply that JRR Tolkien's fairytales were actually "disguised stories".

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When asked how he developed his characters, JRR Tolkien stated that "once you had a name, you had the story".   The assertion of this thesis is that if JRR Tolkien started with the name "Joan of Arc", the fairytale story would follow.  For example, in The Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkien wrote about "Eowyn of the Mark", a maiden who wore white armor and fought in battle.  This is very similar to the storyline of Joan of Arc.

In regards to Catholic writers like St. Teresa of Avila (a Doctor of the Church). JRR Tolkien's writings provide over sixty instances where St. Teresa's writings have been paraphrased or illustrated in fairytale form.  

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In Summary, the thesis is that JRR Tolkien's fairytale The Lord of the Rings is "three stories written simultaneously with same words".  The first is the fairytale storyline that we all recognize and love.  The second is that of a Catholic Recusant (a Catholic defying the "reforms" of the Tudor Monarchs).  The third is that of a devout Christian trying to unify his soul with the fiery love of God (as described in the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Teresa "the Little Flower", St. Catherine of Siena and St. Ignatius Loyola).