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John Garth | May 16, 2020 THE WORLDS OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN Book Talk Tolkien scholar John Garth discusses his book, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earth, setting the record straight over many of the claims popularly made about what places influenced Tolkien, as well as advancing many new claims. Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. |
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Benjamin Weber |
January 22, 2020 "Caught in a Net of Words: J.R.R. Tolkien's Translation of BEOWULF" Dr. Benjamin Weber, Assistant Professor of English at Wheaton College, discusses J.R.R. Tolkien's translation of Beowulf and the impact of Tolkien's learning in medieval literature on his creative process. Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. |
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David Downing |
November 14, 2019 "When is a Dragon More Than a Dragon: the Imaginative Worlds of Lewis and Tolkien" In this inaugural lecture, Dr. David C. Downing explores how the differing spiritual journeys of C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien influenced their creative processes. |
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Laura Schmidt |
January 23, 2019 "Tolkien’s Beginnings: Friendship, War, Love, and Writing" Laura Schmidt examines author J.R.R. Tolkien’s early years and the context of his burgeoning relationships and writing influences, particularly in the midst of World War I. Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. |
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Visit the Wade Center's YouTube page for more video recordings of past events. |
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"'Dreaming in the Margins': Tolkien’s Engagements with THE BATTLE OF MALDON" with Benjamin Weber
February 1, 2024
Weber discusses J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation of the Old English poem The Battle of Maldon with reference to both Tolkien’s fiction and scholarship on Old English literature. Respondent: Jim Beitler. Co-sponsored by the Old English Reading Group, Wheaton College Tolkien Society, Wheaton College English Department, and the Marion E. Wade Center.
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Two Book Launch events for "Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography" with Holly Ordway
September 25-26, 2023
Watch the Mead Spiritual Formation Endowment events with Holly Ordway about J.R.R. Tolkien's spiritual development, how faith inspired his writings, and how aspects of Tolkien’s faith inspire Christians today to grow in their own spiritual lives.
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Book Launch for WONDERS OF CREATION by Kristen Page
November 30, 2022
Dr. Kristen Page explores the beloved fictional landscapes of Narnia and Middle-earth as a means of discovering what we might learn from C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien about the real life landscapes in the world in which we live.
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TOLKIEN'S MODERN READING Book Launch with Holly Ordway
February 25, 2021
In her book, Holly Ordway challenges the widely accepted view that Tolkien read little of modern literature, and that the inspiration for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit was fundamentally medieval and nostalgic.
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"Un-Splintering the Refracted Light: Tolkien, Mythology, and the Old Testament" by Joel D. Ruark
January 21, 2021
This virtual talk by Joel D. Ruark suggests that Tolkien's mode of mythological thought is derived from the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, and explores how Tolkien works out these metaphysical ideas through the metaphor of light. Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society.
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Hansen Lectures by Kristen Page on Lewis and Tolkien
In the 2020-2021 Hansen Lectureship series, “Creation’s Call: Stewardship Lessons from Middle-earth and Narnia,” Dr. Kristen Page uses the fictional landscapes of Tolkien and Lewis to aid in developing a greater appreciation for God’s creation and the stewardship of our world.
Other Past Events
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Fr. Daren J. Zehnle |
January 16, 2018 "Joy Like Swords: Hobbits, Franciscans, and the Crucifix" Fr. Zehnle explores the phrase “their joy was like swords,” from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the mingling of joy and sorrow, death and eucatastrophe. Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. |
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Panel | September 26, 2017 "Panel Discussion on the film: Tolkien & Lewis: Myth, Imagination, & the Quest for Meaning" The film was shown at the Wade Center and followed by a panel discussion with Marjorie Lamp Mead, Rolland Hein, Jerry Root, and Bob Huck. |
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Richard G. Leonberger | September 22, 2017 "The Road Goes Ever On": Donald Swann's Song Cycle with Poetry by J.R.R. Tolkien A lecture recital with Richard G. Leonberger (tenor) and William Phemister (pianist). Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. Recording allowed by kind permission of the Donald Swann Estate. |
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William Struthers | February 1, 2017 "A Tolkien Testimony: Middle-earth on the Brain" Dr. Struthers, Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, shares about the impact J.R.R. Tolkien's works have had on his life. Co-sponsored by the Wade Center and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. |
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Philip Ryken | 2015-2016 Hansen Lectures on J.R.R. Tolkien by Philip Ryken Lecture series titled: "The Messiah Comes to Middle-earth: Images of Christ’s Threefold Office in The Lord of the Rings." |
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Colin Duriez (Audio Only) |
April 30, 2015 "Inklings in Wartime" British scholar, Colin Duriez, explores how C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and other Inklings identified modern warfare as a powerful image of the deeper battle between good and evil. |
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Olga Lukmanova (Audio Only) |
January 29, 2015 "Tolkien to Russia: There and Back Again" Dr. Lukmanova, Wheaton’s first Fulbright Scholar and Associate Professor at the Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, provides a brief look into the history of reception of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books in Russia. See also: a video made by her students. |
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Melody Green (Audio Only) |
January 23, 2014 "Created in the Image of a Creator: Tolkien's Theology of Sub-Creation" Dr. Green speaks on Tolkien's poem "Mythopoeia," the essay "On Fairy Stories," and the short story "Leaf by Niggle." |
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Chris Mitchell (Audio Only) |
January 24, 2013 "The Gospel as Fairy-Story: The Literary Art of J.R.R. Tolkien" Dr. Mitchell explores what Christian themes lay behind the captivating fairy stories of The Hobbit and Tolkien's other books. Lecture co-sponsored by the Wheaton College Tolkien Society. |
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Doug Adams (Audio Only) |
April 20, 2011 "The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films" After nearly a decade of writing and research, Doug Adams explores The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films in this lecture and in his book of the same title. The study brings an unprecedented exploration of Howard Shore’s film soundtracks, with extensive musical examples, original manuscript excerpts, and glimpses into the creative process by the composer. |
