198. Yannick Imbert on J.R.R. Tolkien

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Yannick Imbert to discuss his book From Imagination to Faerie: Tolkien’s Thomist Fantasy. Who was J.R.R. Tolkien, and why does he matter today? What was Tolkien’s Roman Catholicism and his own view of theology, language, and myth? What is “faerie”? What is “subcreation”? Writing, “Tolkien’s theory of fantasy is essentially a theological one”, Yannick takes us through how Tolkien’s Thomism impacts his view of the imagination, and how he sees good stories (even among the unbelievers) pointing toward their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Talking through issues of antithesis and common grace, sin and beauty, the need to engage both reason and imagination, as well as the divide between Rome and Protestantism – what can we both learn and critique of Tolkien’s work? A conservative in the realm of poetry and the arts, we both begin and end on the legacy of Tolkien today, and how he will likely be remembered indefinitely into the future.Book: From Imagination to Faerie: Tolkien’s Thomist FantasySome other resources by Dr. Imbert:Reclaiming the “Dark Ages”: How the Gospel Light Shone from 500-1500 - Also hear our previous interview hereOther resources:“Beowulf: The Monster and The Critics” by J.R.R. TolkienEngaging Thomas Aquinas; A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Mary: Mother of God? by Leonardo De Chirico- Also hear our previous interview hereBiblical Critical Theory by Christopher WatkinOriginal Sin by Henri BlocherThe Defense of the Faith; Common Grace and the Gospel by Cornelius Van TilThe Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til by Lane TiptonPaul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics; A Christian Approach to Interdisciplinary Studies; “The Christian Academy: Antithesis, Common Grace and Plato’s View of the Soul” by William DennisonSaint Thomas Aquinas; The Everlasting Man by G. K. ChestertonThe Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas by Etienne GilsonChristianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen (also here)Justified in Christ: The Doctrines of Peter Martyr Vermigli and John Henry Newman and Their Ecumenical Implications by Christopher Castaldo“The Patristic Roots of the Reformed Faith” (Pastor Jason Wallace; Ancient Paths TV)