A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918
Written by Joseph Loconte
Narrated by Dave Hoffman
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
Had there been no Great War, there would have been no Hobbit, no Lord of the Rings, no Narnia, and perhaps no conversion to Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
The First World War laid waste to a continent and brought about the end of innocence—and the end of faith. Unlike a generation of young writers who lost faith in the God of the Bible, however, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis found that the Great War deepened their spiritual quest. Both men served as soldiers on the Western Front, survived the trenches, and used the experience of that conflict to ignite their Christian imagination.
Tolkien and Lewis produced epic stories infused with the themes of guilt and grace, sorrow and consolation. Giving an unabashedly Christian vision of hope in a world tortured by doubt and disillusionment, the two writers created works that changed the course of literature and shaped the faith of millions. This is the first book to explore their work in light of the spiritual crisis sparked by the conflict.
Joseph Loconte
Joseph Loconte, PhD, is a Presidential Scholar in Residence at New College of Florida and the C. S. Lewis Scholar for Public Life at Grove City College. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 (Thomas Nelson, 2015). Dr. Loconte's commentary on religion and public life appears in the nation's leading journals and newspapers, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Affairs, the New Criterion, National Geographic, Law and Liberty, the National Interest, and National Review. For ten years he served as a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered. He was the winner of the 2017 Best Article award from the Tolkien Society for his article "How J. R. R. Tolkien Found Mordor on the Western Front."
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Reviews for A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War
159 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Greatly recommended to anyone interested in Tolkien, C.S. Lewis or the ideas they've shared and strengthened - as well as WW1 history. A conciliation and inspiration for these bizarre times we're now living through - and for all that is yet before us.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a thoughtful and insightful work about Lewis and Tolkien as well as the Zeitgeist of pre and post World War 1. Lewis and Tolkien emerged from the horrors as counter-voices to the cultural accommodation of many Christian leaders as well as the cynical despair of artists and intellectuals. A feature of this book is how the central thesis resonates with our own period in history.
My only complaint is with the narration of this audio. Frequently the narrator pronounced words peculiarly: the Somme (Soam-ah), Magdalene College (as it looks rather than as it is rightly pronounced) and other oddities. I think this is the fault of the producer rather than the narrator. Possibly it is my English bias rather than North American. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As an English teacher who was introduced to literature by Tolkien, and as a Christian who was sharpened in my faith by Lewis, I must admit I was constantly close to tears as I listened to this book. This is the best non-fiction text I have read since Mere Christianity--which I esteem as perhaps the greatest non-fiction text of the 20th century, at least. Bravo, Joseph Laconte, for a masterful synthesis of historical, biographical and literary analysis of the two most significant authors of our time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book!
Very interesting history on the war, and the impact it played on Lewis and Tolkiens stories. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book! Inspiring work that is needed in our time of despair.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This audiobook was absolutely outstanding. A beautiful triple braided cord of literature.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I did not know how great an impact the war had on Tolkien and Lewis. Very interesting. There's also a great deal about The Great War itself - and an account of the spiritual and philosophical climate before and after the war. In the last part of the book, Joseph Loconte sums up some major themes from LOTR and the Narnia Chronicles.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A nice documentary-style book, but comes across as thematically repetitive and stretched thin over the same few points, and perhaps could have benefitted from tighter editing. Quite informative all the same.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a very interesting read for anyone who has read “The Lord of the Rings” and "The Chronicles of Narnia.” It shows how some the imagery in both works came from their experiences in World War I. The author shows how their works went against the prevalent thinking during that time. There is personal information on how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien became friends and through that friendship C.S. Lewis became a Christian.