Tolkien's Mythic Meaning: The Reader's Ontological Encounters in The Lord of the Rings

Abstract

TThis thesis explores how J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) compels literary belief that bridges into a reader's experience in a way that can lead to life transformation. By coming to an understanding of Tolkien's sub-creativity and how it relates to creativity in the reader, this thesis interprets how Tolkien instilled LOTR with meaning to awaken religious sensibility, creating conditions for belief that may be interpreted as an ontological encounter with God 'outside' the story. Mythos, 'the regenerative power of story', affectively mediates experience, whether stories be told, read, or heard. Sub-creation is both the activity of producing mythos and the final result of a storyteller's efforts. LOTR stems from what Tolkien called his own personal 'linguistic predilections', portraying a particular otherworld derived through his own unique creativity. It has remained popular since it was published in the mid-1950s, and from its first page, readers are introduced to a cosmos according to its own literary plane. As a long narrative within a unique mythical historical setting, it demonstrates how characters participate in that world. The thesis considers how and why readers may find this relatable in their own particular ways. While arguing that the backdrop of LOTR's mythological history was integral to the meaning of the story, Tolkien said he was 'fundamentally concerned with the problem of the relation of Art (and Sub-creation) and Primary Reality'. That he distinguished art and sub-creation from reality and emphasised a like relationship between them implies that his 'fundamental concern' was analogical in nature. However, he also made clear this relation is damaged and needs restoration. Throughout the argument, the distinctness of this relation is developed and illustrated as instrumental to Tolkien's creativity. Tolkien was clearly trying to communicate certain meaning through LOTR from a personalised aesthetic in a particular way. When he asserted that 'art is the operative link between imagination and the final result, sub-creation', he indicated that poetic meaning (art) is that which bridges the reader's imagination into the pages of LOTR. If participation in the story causes readers to come away with an affective resonance from the story, it is reasonable to question why. One answer stems from Tolkien's particular method and outlook on the world and how he sub-created a literary world analogous to this. There is no telling how stories will resonate, but their lastingness affirms their significance to the human imagination. Readers experience LOTR at a 'different stage of the imagination' whereby religious sensibility may be awakened by virtue of its mythos. This thesis explores how and why LOTR can awaken a reader's 'religious sense' and lead to personal life formation.

Date of Award	27 Mar 2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Deirdre Brower Latz (Main Supervisor) & RMS UnKnown (Co Supervisor)