Myth Expert Can Comment on Lord of Rings Film

Newswise — An expert in the same scholarly fields that J.R.R. Tolkien studied is available to comment as the "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" film approaches its Dec. 17 release date.

"Tolkien wrote that he wanted 'to modernize the myths and make them credible,’" said Gettysburg College English Prof. Christopher R. Fee. "He has breathed new life into the ancient bones of the gods, heroes, and kings of yore. Americans are thirsting for these kinds of stories right now. People are longing to see clear-cut good battle clear-cut evil to a clear-cut conclusion. A fantasy setting makes the painful aspects of the struggle easier to watch."

Fee can place "The Lord of the Rings" in its mythological and historical contexts. He can also comment on the films' simplification of Tolkien's imaginary world and its moral vision.

Fee is a co-author of "Gods, Heroes, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain" (Oxford University Press) and author of the forthcoming "Mythology in the Middle Ages" (Praeger Publishers). Fee, as Tolkien was, is a medievalist and Anglo-Saxonist. Fee is popular among students as an eloquent and enthusiastic teacher.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. With approximately 2,500 students, it is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park. The college was founded in 1832.