Waltham – Author and lecturer Sean McDonough, Ph.D., will discuss the celebrated classic, The Hobbit, in a talk entitled “There, and Back Again and Beyond: Exploring the Meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit,” Saturday, Dec. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Waltham Public Library, Lower Level Lecture Room, 735 Main St. The public is invited to attend free of charge.
First published on September 21, 1937, Tolkien's masterful work is more than a children's classic tale.? The story ties deeply into Tolkien's methodology and his faith.? The Hobbit is an upcoming film series, with the release of the first film, An Unexpected Journey, expected in December 2012. The Desolation of Smaug will be released in 2013, and There and Back Again, in 2014.
“We'sl explore what makes Bilbo's “There and Back Again” journey so compelling, and how it connects with the deeper history of Tolkien's Middle Earth,” McDonough said. “The Hobbit becomes a gateway into the life, learning and faith of the man dubbed “The Author of the Century” — to quote the title of Thomas Shippey's insightful book on Tolkien. We'sl see that far from being an escape from reality, Tolkien's works, including The Hobbit, can be seen as an escape to reality.
“My own love for The Hobbit and the rest of Tolkien's work took root in my boyhood, and it has flourished as I have read them in turn to my children.”
A professor of New Testament, McDonough teaches a course on Tolkien at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, and is working on a book comparing Tolkien's fiction to the apocalyptic literature in the Bible.
For more information, call 781-314-3425.
