Cardinal Vices in Middle-earth

This book analyses Tolkien’s approach to the depiction of vices and virtues in three Middle-earth works, The Hobbit , The Lord of the Rings , and The Silmarillion . While providing a general synthetising overview of up-to-date research in the topic, its uniqueness consists in the fact that it goes beyond what has yet been written in the field by attempting to present a complex comparative analysis of the role of the seven cardinal vices and their opposing virtues as recognised by the Catholic Church in the three Tolkien’s works. This book has a threefold aim. The first is to determine how much Tolkien’s depiction of vices and virtues is concordant with their theological understanding. The second is to explore to what extent, in depicting them, Tolkien adhered to the principles of his own theory of sub-creation and the theology of fantasy. And the third is to investigate the differences and similarities in the depiction of the vices and virtues between his three major works.