Professor connects Tolkien, Homer

While J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy may be dear to fans young and old, philosophy professor David O’Connor said Tuesday he believes the trilogy is meant to reflect on a darker side of nostalgia at the core of human nature.

In the second installment of Tolkien 2012, the Center for Ethics and Culture’s 10th annual Catholic Literature Series, O’Connor offered a talk titled “Tolkien and Nostalgia,” in which he framed his approach to Tolkien’s great work as a re-imagining of some of the themes of Homer’s “Odyssey.”

To read this fascinating article, see here.