The Life and Legacy of J. R. R. Tolkien

More than half a century after his passing, join me as I explore the life and legacy of one of the most monumental cultural figures of the modern world: J. R. R. Tolkien.


My novel, Winter Without End, is available from Fenris Publishing in both ebook and paperback format— imagine a cross between Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road:

https://www.fenrispublishing.com/winter
https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Without...

A post-apocalyptic story told through the eyes of a dog, Winter Without End follows a Labrador retriever who, after being abandoned by his human family in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic, makes an uneasy alliance with a wounded wolf in order to survive.

You can follow me for updates here:   / cardinal_west  


Additionally, special thanks are owed to the following people:

These dedicated Tolkien scholars, whose work was instrumental in the making of this video:
Humphrey Carpenter
Ryszard Derdziński
Michael D. C. Drout
Verlyn Flieger
Karen Wynn Fonstad
John Garth
Carl. F. Hostetter
Maria Kamenkovich
Paul H. Kocher
Peter Kreeft
Stuart D. Lee
Jared Lobdell
Olga Markova
Holly Ordway
Joseph Pearce
John D. Rateliff
Brian Rosebury
Tom Shippey
Christopher Tolkien
Ralph C. Wood

Pianistec, for allowing me to use his music in this video:
   / @pianistec  
https://songwhip.com/pianistec

The moderators of Tolkien Gateway, for creating and maintaining such an informative resource:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/

In addition to being listed in the end credits, all artists from the Tolkien Fandom whose work was featured in this video are listed below in alphabetical order, with relevant links, and permission was obtained from all artists, save for those who explicitly allow the credited use of their artwork as listed on their websites or galleries:
Frédéric Bennett: https://www.artstation.com/frederic_b...
Ralph Damiani: https://www.artstation.com/ralphdamiani
Matt DeMino: https://www.artstation.com/mattdemino
Jenny Dolfen: https://goldseven.wordpress.com/
Anke Eißmann: http://anke.edoras-art.de/anke_home.html
David Greset: https://www.artstation.com/gresetdavid
Jonathan Guzi: https://www.deviantart.com/jonathanguzi
Anna Kulisz: https://www.deviantart.com/alasseaear...
Ted Nasmith: http://www.tednasmith.com
Jan Pospíšil: https://www.janpospisilart.com/
Peter Xavier Price: https://www.deviantart.com/peet
Rearda: https://www.deviantart.com/rearda
Šárka Škorpíková: https://www.deviantart.com/sarkaskorp...


00:00:00 Opening and Preamble
00:04:37 Chapter I – Concerning Tolkiens
00:10:40 Chapter II – The Early Years of John Ronald
00:29:12 Chapter III – Loss, Love, and Language
00:40:21 Chapter IV – Tolkien’s Fellowship
00:46:37 Chapter V – First Days at Oxford
01:02:48 Chapter VI – The Gathering Shadow
01:18:49 Chapter VII – The Great Battle of His Time
01:32:36 Chapter VIII – Standing Among the Ashes
01:51:04 Chapter IX – Deep Roots
02:33:55 Chapter X – A Mythology for England
02:58:06 Chapter XI – Coal-Biters and Inklings
03:22:48 Chapter XII – An Unexpected Success
03:47:49 Chapter XIII – One Ring to Rule Them All
03:58:39 LotR – Allegory vs. Applicability
04:02:22 LotR – Three Primary Themes
04:09:19 LotR – Hobbits, Towers, and Wraiths
04:18:22 LotR – The Nature of Evil, Fate, and Free Will
04:27:16 LotR – Memory and Sorrow
04:30:53 LotR – Implicit Religion
04:40:59 LotR – A European Epic
04:54:03 LotR – Heroic Archetypes
05:10:38 LotR – The Joining of Past and Present
05:15:38 LotR – The Orc and Human Nature
05:18:04 LotR – Mythic Depth
05:20:43 Chapter XIV – All Who Wander
05:33:30 Chapter XV – A Light in the West
06:09:15 End Credits