62. Tolkien Still Matters : with Nick Groom, author of Tolkien in the 21st Century
Exploring Tolkien1 Aug 2023

62. Tolkien Still Matters : with Nick Groom, author of Tolkien in the 21st Century

This week Michael and I talked with Professor Nick Groom, author of Tolkien in the 21st Century: The Meaning of Middle-earth Today, releasing Sept. 5, 2023 (apologies for some some of the echo in the audio!). Professor Groom’s book is a detailed, in-depth, but very readable look into MIddle-earth, and how he perceives Tolkien as more relevant than ever before–particularly in a post-COVID culture. This was a refreshing discussion that dove deep into things including:

  • Professor Groom’s thoughts on the ambiguity of evil in Middle-earth
  • How Tolkien’s themes are vital in a post-lockdown era
  • Why he believes The Rings of Power is a great story in the tradition of Middle-earth adaptations–but definitely isn’t Tolkien’s story.

Then, join us in our extended episode (https://theonering.com/members) where we:

  • Does The Rings of Power deserve the amount of criticism we give it?
  • Who is his favorite character in all of Middle-earth?
  • What should be done to encourage young artists to write great new stories again?

🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! Nick Groom is the Professor of Literature in English at the University of Macau, held positions at universities of Chicago, Stanford and Exeter where he holds an Honorary Professorship, and for many years taught the only UK undergraduate course in Tolkien. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Tolkien in the 21st Century (US version) Twenty-First-Century Tolkien (UK version) The Last Ringbearer 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

Episoder(163)

122. The Real Misty Mountains : The Hobbit #11

122. The Real Misty Mountains : The Hobbit #11

The first part of Chapter 4, Over Hill and Under Hill, is unique for it’s direct correlation with Tolkien’s own past.  We discuss: Tolkien’s hiking experience and how it influenced this section of Th...

12 Nov 20240s

121. Tolkien Gave Up on Fixing The Hobbit : The Hobbit #10

121. Tolkien Gave Up on Fixing The Hobbit : The Hobbit #10

When Tolkien attempted to rewrite the Hobbit in 1960, he just gave up halfway through Chapter 3. In this episode we look at: Changes in time and distance Changes in Prose and style Why he gave up His...

5 Nov 202445min

120. Where the Children’s Story Ends and the Epic Story Begins : The Hobbit #9

120. Where the Children’s Story Ends and the Epic Story Begins : The Hobbit #9

In the second half of Chapter 3, A Short Rest, Tolkien seems to start a shift from a children’s story to more of an epic quest.  What prompted this change?  We have our thoughts, including: How Elron...

29 Okt 202442min

119. The Rings of Power Leaves us with Dwarf Politics and Randomly Shouting Elves

119. The Rings of Power Leaves us with Dwarf Politics and Randomly Shouting Elves

We did it!  And this time we wrangled Dan in to give us his BIG THOUGHT again! 🙂 In this final episode of Season 2, one dwarf delved too deep (and then we find out the real problem there–political in...

8 Okt 20242h 8min

118. Yes. Elrond kissed Galadriel.

118. Yes. Elrond kissed Galadriel.

Yeah.  They kissed. We also get the worst battle in the history of Middle-earth, the greatest smith of Eregion acceds to Sauron willingly, the dwarves turn back and entire army to face one person, and...

1 Okt 20242h 15min

117. Clueless Elves, Big Beasts, and Bombadil Inverts Tolkien’s Words

117. Clueless Elves, Big Beasts, and Bombadil Inverts Tolkien’s Words

Michael is back as we examine how wrong The Rings of Power treats the elves (as simple imbeciles), how the Númenoreans are now deciding rulers based on what big animals do, and how Tom Bombadil invert...

24 Sep 20240s

116. Hollywood Doesn’t Understand the Númenoreans’ Faith

116. Hollywood Doesn’t Understand the Númenoreans’ Faith

It was disappointing but not surprising to see how badly Hollywood writers treat the Númenorean’s faith.  We take a deep look at episode 5 of season 2 of The Rings of Power (Michael is still moving ac...

17 Sep 20240s

115. Tom Bombadil has Become Obi-Wan in The Rings of Power

115. Tom Bombadil has Become Obi-Wan in The Rings of Power

Not sure how this Tom Bombadil came into existence–but he’s definitely incredibly different from Tolkien’s Bombadil.  He’s involved.  He cares about everything.  He lies to Gandalf.  He explains every...

10 Sep 20240s

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