There is no shortage of silly, shallow podcasts that watch films or TV shows and the presume they know Tolkien. It is therefore a relief and a pleasure to find Amon Sul where the books are subjected to the thoughtful, knowledgeable and layered reading they deserve. Here Tolkien’s marginalia and early drafts appear alongside pertinent references to medieval philosophy and subtle, informed theological analysis which evince a proper understanding of the metaphysics of Middle Earth and the sensibility of its author. If you, like me, are fatigued with superficial, ill-conceived or utterly misguided approaches to Tolkien then this is the podcast for you.
P.S. the above was written prior to listening to episode 115. That was frustrating but a salutary reminder that watching films is a shallow and diminished enterprise and leaves you oblivious to the philosophical and literary depths and width of the books. And with regards to “deconstruction is OK, I don’t have a problem with it”… well, I and more importantly Tolkien do. Remember Gandalf’s reproof to Saruman: “he who breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.”
