The Sweet and the Bitter: Death and Dying in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings examines the ways in which Tolkien's masterwork makes visible the connections between medieval and modern conceptions of dying and analyzes how contemporary readers use The Lord of the Rings as a tool for dealing with death.. Three great themes of death link medieval Northern European culture, The Lord of the Rings, and contemporary culture: the way in which we die, the need to remember the dead, and above all the lingering apprehension of what happens after death. R. Like our medieval ancestors, we still talk about what it means to die as a hero, a traitor, or a coward; we still make decisions about ways to honor and remember the departed; and we continue to seek to appease and contain the dead. Tolkien famously stated that the real theme of The Lord of the Rings was "Death and Immortality." The deaths that underscore so much of the subject matter of T

About the AuthorAmy Amendt-Raduege teaches English at Whatcom Community College, where she leads classes in British Literature, folklore, superheroes, Shakespeare, and, of course, Tolkien. She has published extensively on Tolkien's work.

She has published extensively on Tolkien's work.. Amy Amendt-Raduege teaches English at Whatcom Community College, where she leads classes in British Literature, folklore, superheroes, Shakespeare, and, of course, Tolkien