Film and literature are rarely, if ever, neutral. They are saturated with ideas of their creators and they invite the viewer or reader to think with them. What’s great about that interaction is that it is not bound by time. Stories that are decades removed from their original authors can be read by modern audiences and have a meaningful impact on their world.

The author of The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, had some strong thoughts about the modernizing world, and they can be seen in his books. From his opinions about the disappearing countryside to his opposition to the mechanization of society, he was a bridge between an old world and an ever increasingly modern society. Modernization hasn’t stopped since The Fellowship of the Ring was first published in 1954 and we are still reading Tolkien’s books today.

In this episode we ask: How is The Lord of the Rings a commentary on our modern age? How does narrative act as both a mirror and a lens? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.