Romanticism, Symbolism and Onomastics in Tolkien’s Legendarium

E.B. Burgum once wrote in the Kenyon Review (1941): “He who seeks to define Romanticism is entering a hazardous occupation which has claimed many victims”. However there is no denying that sensibility is one of the consensual pointers. And if one seeks to explore Professor Tolkien’s motives behind the unfolding of his Legendarium, there is again no denying that his self-avowed extreme sensitivity to words and languages is not only a pointer but also lies at the root of his entire writing process. Such visceral fascination for the beauty and musicality of words can be found in the etymology and symbolism of personal and place names throughout Middle-earth. As a contribution to the study of romanticism in Tolkien’s works, this paper examines the possible characteristics of this complex movement that find an echo in the author’s onomastic sub-creation and the latter’s subsequent relation to the characters, places and objects in Middle-earth

Perspectives on Just War in Tolkien’s Legendarium

The Ainulindalë shows that in Middle-earth war is not an option: the seeds of harmony and discordance are sown at the outset and between the alpha and the omega, races and individuals will attune to the Great Music or take part in the discordance. Their trajectories highlight the perspectives of their Creator or, from the standpoint of the reader, of their sub-creator. Owing to the centrality of warfare in the history of Middle-earth, this paper will look into the motivations of the races and people engaged in conflicts, whether they be waged with seemingly justifiable intentions or not, whether they be defensive, preventive or aggressive. In the light of scholarly viewpoints (such as that of Saint Augustine) and judging by the short and long-term outcomes of hostilities in the history of Middle-earth, an attempt will be made to identify perspectives on the concept of “just war” in Tolkien’s secondary world.

Augustinian and Boethian Insights into Tolkien’s Shaping of Middle-earth

Among the thinkers who contributed to the intellectual character of the medieval period are Augustine of Hippo (354-430) and Boethius (ca. 480–524 or 525). Some Tolkien scholars have already pondered upon the possible influence of these two philosophers and theologians on the writings of the medievalist and Christian professor J.R.R. Tolkien. This paper follows their lead and tries to identify further medieval undertones in the history of Middle-earth by placing particular emphasis on the much debated issues of predestination, prescience and free will. Among the possible pointers taken into account are visions, dreams, prophecies and even etymological references. They are examined with a view to shedding light on these essential issues which generations of thinkers have been grappling with and not surprisingly, still are

Peter Jackson’s Adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: Cash or Kudos?

On July 7, 2012, the French daily newspaper, The Monde, published a four-page article on J.R.R. Tolkien including an interview with Tolkien’s son Christopher who was invited to express his views on Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Christopher clearly bemoaned “the gap between the beauty, the gravitas of the [original] work and what it had become” and added: “Such degree of commercialization reduces the aesthetic and philosophical impact of this creation to nothing” (my translation from the French). Based on the results of a questionnaire sent to thousands of students of higher education in the City of Angers, France, this article attempts to shed more light on the subject and examines the impact of Peter Jackson’s films on the respondents’ appreciation of and interest in J.R.R. Tolkien’s written works

Hermeneutical Perspectives on Tolkien’s Rhetorical Craftsmanship

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A high-precision polarimeter

We have built a polarimeter in order to measure the electron beam polarization in hall C at JLAB. Using a superconducting solenoid to drive the pure-iron target foil into saturation, and a symmetrical setup to detect the Moller electrons in coincidence, we achieve an accuracy of <1%. This sets a new standard for Moller polarimeters.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, submitted to N.I.

Chemosensory dysfunction in Cushing's syndrome

PURPOSE Cushing's syndrome (CS) can lead to structural changes in the brain and cognitive impairment, but chemosensory function has not been investigated yet. The aim was to analyze sense of smell and taste in patients with CS and explore the effect of therapy. METHODS The study cohort comprised 20 patients with florid CS treated between 2018 and 2020 in the outpatient clinic of the LMU Munich. We compared these 20 patients with CS to 40 healthy subjects matched for age, sex, and smoking status. Patients' sense of smell and taste was examined at diagnosis and 3 months after successful therapeutic surgery leading to clinical and biochemical remission. Odor threshold, discrimination, and identification were measured with \textquotedblSniffin' Sticks\textquotedbl, taste was measured with \textquotedblTaste Strips\textquotedbl. Perceived sense of smell and taste was retrieved via a questionnaire. RESULTS Patients with florid CS had significantly reduced smell (total smell score 30.3 vs. 34.4, p < 0.0005) and taste scores (9.5 vs. 12.0, p < 0.0005) compared to controls and significantly more frequently hyposmia (55 vs. 2.5%, p < 0.0005), hypogeusia (40 vs. 0%, p < 0.0005), and self-reported chemosensory impairment (60 vs. 0%, p < 0.0005). Three months after successful surgery, CS patients showed significant improvement of odor threshold (8.1 vs. 7.0, p < 0.0005), odor discrimination (12.0 vs. 11.0, p = 0.003), total smell score (33.4 vs. 30.3, p < 0.0005), and taste (11.5 vs. 9.5, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Chemosensory dysfunction is a novel and clinically relevant feature of CS