| Publication years of primary & secondary literature |
|---|
|
• See all by decade • 1966 • 1969 • 1974 • 1975 • 1977 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 1988 • 1992 • 1994 • 1995 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 2019 • 2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023 • 2024 |
The Flame Imperishable: Tolkien, St. Thomas, and the Metaphysics of Faërie is a book by Jonathan S. McIntosh about J.R.R. Tolkien's creation story of Arda in relation to the theology and metaphysical ideas of Thomas Aquinas and the concept of faërie. It was published by Angelico Press in December 2017.
Its title refers to the Flame Imperishable, used by Eru Ilúvatar to form the beginnings of Eä,[1] thought to be associated with Airefëa.
- "Jonathan McIntosh['s]...focus on the creation story within the larger Silmarillion, combined with his attention to Tolkien's views on creation and sub-creation, allows him to develop a careful and insightful analysis that will greatly enrich our understanding of Tolkien's work."
- —Holly Ordway
- "While many scholars have explored Tolkien's literary and philological influences, his philosophical and theological sources have attracted far less scrutiny--apart from general religious motives and themes. McIntosh shines a brilliant light into this lacuna, revealing Tolkien's debts to St. Thomas Aquinas, and along the way situating Tolkien among the line of theological philosophers extending from antiquity, through the Middle Ages, and on into Tolkien's own day."
- —Jason Fisher
- "A trustworthy guide to the radiant sense of being in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, which truly illuminates the realism of Tolkien’s project."
- —Alison Milbank
External links[]
See also[]
- The Philosophy of Tolkien
- The Ring and the Cross
- Interrupted Music: The Making of Tolkien's Mythology