THIS YEAR, I have decided to embark on a thorough reading of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. (This will be concurrent with finishing the remaining plays of the Shakespeare 2020 project which I had not gotten to last year.) Please join me on this expedition, not only into the tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth, but the lesser-known poems, stories, essays and letters of this luminary Catholic storyteller and sage!
Books You’ll Need (and their abbreviations):
These are the collections we will be reading from over the course of the project, in roughly the order they show up in the schedule, with a link to their respective Amazon pages in case you need to stock up. Most of them are available more cheaply as Kindle ebooks than in print; a few (namely the later collections of short stories and poems) are even in the public domain and available as free PDFs with a little Googling.
- [LT] The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
- [LOTR] The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition
- [FR] The Fellowship of the Ring
- [TT] The Two Towers
- [RK] The Return of the King
- [SI] The Silmarillion
- [UT] Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth
- [TH] The Hobbit
- [TR] The Tolkien Reader
- [MC] The Monsters and the Critics
- [SM] The Smith of Wootton Major
- [FC] Letters from Father Christmas
Preliminary Notes
Letters. Beginning on January 2, the plan is to read one of the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien every day (excepting holidays) until the end of the year. There are 354 letters in this collection, most of them quite short. At the end of each month in the schedule, you will find a Letter Goal so that you can catch up if you have fallen behind.
Lent. With gratitude to Michael G. Fischer, creator of the Lenten Lord of the Rings reading plan, we will be following an adapted version of last year’s schedule to read the entirety of the Lord of the Rings cycle (more or less) during the season of Lent. This schedule is set up such that we depart with the fellowship from Rivendell on Ash Wednesday and arrive with them at Mount Doom on Good Friday. To make the timing work, you will see that we begin with The Fellowship about two weeks before Lent and continue with Return of the King into the first week of Easter. It demands a chapter a day (sometimes two in the beginning), which can at times be arduous work, much like the hobbits’ own journey “There and Back Again!”
Interspersed throughout the Lord of the Rings, we will also read the myth “Ainulindalë” on the creation of Middle-Earth, the essay “On Fairy-Stories,” and the short story “Leaf by Niggle,” which beautifully illustrates Tolkien’s theory of what a ‘fairy story’ ought to be.
Shakespeare. I will be reading the remaining Shakespeare plays from 2020 in two big chunks, one in January and the other in April (divided up by the Lenten Lord of the Rings block), concluding with All’s Well That Ends Well in the first week of May. If you were not participating in the Shakespeare 2020 reading project or already read these plays (and good for you!), you can sit these weeks out.
The Rest of the Year. From May to October, we will go back “to the beginning” of Middle-Earth with the epic myths of The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales, which fill in much of the background and history underlying The Lord of the Rings. In November, we will spend three weeks reading The Hobbit, the humble tale that started it all, hopefully now with the fresh eyes of a year immersed in the vast world of Middle-Earth which sprung up around it. Finally, in the last weeks of the year, we will conclude by reading some of Tolkien’s short stories and assorted essays not related to Middle-Earth, ending in Christmastide with the Letters from Father Christmas he wrote every year to his children.
Complete Works? This is not an exhaustive survey of the works of Tolkien (for example, the twelve-volume History of Middle-Earth series which is currently being edited and released by his son Christopher is excluded, and I’m sure there are other short stories, essays and letters outside these collections which have escaped my notice), but I believe it is a thorough and representative reading of his major and minor works. And it will be great fun!
January 2021: Beginning Letters; Remedial Shakespeare
Jan 2: Begin Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Jan 3-9: Venus and Adonis; A Lover’s Complaint; The Passionate Pilgrim
Jan 10-16: The Merchant of Venice
Jan 17-23: Much Ado About Nothing
Jan 24-30: As You Like It
End of January Letter Goal: 30
February 2021: Macbeth; Lenten Lord of the Rings
Jan 31-Feb 6: Macbeth
Feb 8: Begin Lord of the Rings
| Mon Feb 8 | LOTR, Prologue | Concerning Hobbits, and other matters | |
| Tue Feb 9 | FR I-1 & I-2 | A Long-expected Party & The Shadow of the Past | |
| Wed Feb 10 | FR I-3 & I-4 | Three is Company & A Short Cut to Mushrooms | |
| Thu Feb 11 | FR I-5 & I-6 | A Conspiracy Unmasked & The Old Forest | |
| Fri Feb 12 | FR I-7 & I-8 | The House of Tom Bombadil & Fog on the Barrow-Downs | |
| Sat Feb 13 | FR I-9 & I-10 | At the Sign of The Prancing Pony & Strider | |
| Sun Feb 14 | FR I-11 & I-12 | A Knife in the Dark & Flight to the Ford | |
| Mon Feb 15 | FR II-1 | Many Meetings | |
| Tue Feb 16 | FR II-2 | The Council of Elrond | |
| Wed Feb 17 Ash Wednesday | FR II-3 | The Ring Goes South | |
| Thu Feb 18 | FR II-4 | A Journey in the Dark | |
| Fri Feb 19 | FR II-5 | The Bridge of Khazad-dum | |
| Sat Feb 20 | FR II-6 | Lothlórien | |
| Sun Feb 21 | FR II-7 | The Mirror of Galadriel | |
| Mon Feb 22 | FR II-8 | Farewell to Lórien | |
| Tue Feb 23 | FR II-9 | The Great River | |
| Wed Feb 24 | FR II-10 | The Breaking of the Fellowship | |
| Thu Feb 25 | TT III-1 | The Departure of Boromir | |
| Fri Feb 26 | TT III-2 | The Riders of Rohan | |
| Sat Feb 27 | TT III-3 | The Uruk-hai | |
| Sun Feb 28 | TR, pp. 33-99 | “On Fairy-Stories” |
End of February Letter Goal: 57
March 2021: Lenten Lord of the Rings cont.
| Mon Mar 1 | TT III-4 | Treebeard | |
| Tue Mar 2 | TT III-5 | The White Rider | |
| Wed Mar 3 | TT III-6 | The King of the Golden Hall | |
| Thu Mar 4 | TT III-7 | Helm’s Deep | |
| Fri Mar 5 | TT III-8 | The Road to Isengard | |
| Sat Mar 6 | TT III-9 | Flotsam and Jetsam | |
| Sun Mar 7 | TR, pp. 100-120 | “Leaf by Niggle” | |
| Mon Mar 8 | TT III-10 | The Voice of Saruman | |
| Tue Mar 9 | TT III-11 | The Palantír | |
| Wed Mar 10 | TT IV-1 | The Taming of Sméagol | |
| Thu Mar 11 | TT IV-2 | The Passage of the Marshes | |
| Fri Mar 12 | TT IV-3 | The Black Gate is Closed | |
| Sat Mar 13 | TT IV-4 | Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit | |
| Sun Mar 14 | TT IV-5 | The Window on the West | |
| Mon Mar 15 | TT IV-6 | The Forbidden Pool | |
| Tue Mar 16 | TT IV-7 | The Journey to the Crossroads | |
| Wed Mar 17 | TT IV-8 | The Stairs of Cirith Ungol | |
| Thu Mar 18 | TT IV-9 | Shelob’s Lair | |
| Fri Mar 19 | TT IV-10 | The Choices of Master Samwise | |
| Sat Mar 20 | RK V-1 | Minas Tirith | |
| Sun Mar 21 | SI, i | “Ainulindalë” | |
| Mon Mar 22 | RK V-2 | The Passing of the Grey Company | |
| Tue Mar 23 | RK V-3 | The Muster of Rohan | |
| Wed Mar 24 | RK V-4 | The Siege of Gondor | |
| Thu Mar 25 | RK V-5 | The Ride of the Rohirrim | |
| Fri Mar 26 | RK V-6 | The Battle of the Pelennor Fields | |
| Sat Mar 27 | RK V-7 | The Pyre of Denethor | |
| Sun Mar 28 Palm Sunday | RK V-8 | The Houses of Healing | |
| Mon Mar 29 | RK V-9 | The Last Debate | |
| Tue Mar 30 | RK V-10 | The Black Gate Opens | |
| Wed Mar 31 | RK VI-1 | The Tower of Cirith Ungol |
End of March Letter Goal: 88
April 2021: Concluding Lord of the Rings & Shakespeare
| Thu Apr 1 Holy Thursday | RK VI-2 | The Land of Shadow | ||
| Fri Apr 2 Good Friday | RK VI-3 | Mount Doom | ||
| Sat Apr 3 Holy Saturday | No Reading – Reflection | |||
| Sun Apr 4 Easter Sunday | RK VI-4 | The Field of Cormallen | ||
| Mon Apr 5 | RK VI-5 | The Steward and the King | ||
| Tue Apr 6 | RK VI-6 | Many Partings | ||
| Wed Apr 7 | RK VI-7 | Homeward Bound | ||
| Thu Apr 8 | RK VI-8 | The Scouring of the Shire | ||
| Fri Apr 9 | RK VI-9 | The Grey Havens |
Apr 11-17: Trolius and Cressida
Apr 18-24: Antony and Cleopatra
Apr 25-May 1: Coriolanus
End of April Letter Goal: 117
May 2021: All’s Well That Ends Well; Beginning the Quenta Silmarillion
May 2-8: All’s Well That Ends Well
| May 10-15 | SI, ii | “Valaquenta” | ||
| May 16-22 | SI 1-3 | “Of the Beginning of Days” “Of Aulë and Yavanna” “Of the Coming of Elves and the Captivity of Melkor” | ||
| May 23-29 | SI 4-6 | “Of Thingol and Melian” “Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië” “Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor” |
End of May Letter Goal: 147
June 2021: Silmarillion cont.
| May 30-June 5 | SI 7-9 | “Of Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor” “Of the Darkening of Valinor” “Of the Flight of the Noldor” | ||
| June 6-12 | SI 10-12 | “Of the Sindar” “Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor” “Of Men” | ||
| June 13-19 | SI 13-15 | “Of the Return of the Noldor” “Of Beleriand and its Realms” “Of the Noldor in Beleriand” | ||
| June 20-26 | SI 16-18 | “Of Maeglin” “Of the Coming of Men into the West” “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin” |
End of June Letter Goal: 177
July 2021: Finishing the Silmarillion; Children of Húrin
| June 27-July 3 | SI 19 | “Beren and Lúthien” | ||
| July 5-10 | SI 20-21 | “Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad” “Of Túrin Turambar” | ||
| June 11-17 | SI 22-23 | “Of the Ruin of Doriath” “Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin” | ||
| July 18-24 | SI 24 | “Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath | ||
| July 25-31 | UT I-2 | Narn i Hîn Húrin (The Tale of the Children of Húrin |
End of July Letter Goal: 207
August 2021: Unfinished Tales of the First and Second Age
| Aug 1-7 | UT I-1 | “Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin” | ||
| Aug 8-14 | SI, iii | “Akallabêth” | ||
| Aug 15-21 | UT II-1 | “A Description of the Island of Númenor” | ||
| Aug 22-28 | UT II-2 | “Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife” |
End of August Letter Goal: 238
September 2021: Unfinished Tales of the Second and Third Age
| Aug 29-Sep 4 | UT II-3 | “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” | ||
| Sep 5-11 | UT II-4 | “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” | ||
| Sep 12-18 | SI, iv | “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age” | ||
| Sep 19-25 | UT III-1 | “The Disaster of the Gladden Fields” |
End of September Letter Goal: 268
October 2021: Unfinished Tales of the Third and Fourth Age
| Sep 26-Oct 2 | UT III-2 | “Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan” | ||
| Oct 3-9 | UT IV 1-3 | “The Drúedain” “The Istari” “The Palantíri” | ||
| Oct 11-16 | UT III-3 | “The Quest of Erebor” | ||
| Oct 17-23 | UT III-4 | “The Hunt for the Ring” | ||
| Oct 24-31 | UT III-5 | “The Battles of the Fords of Isen” |
End of October Letter Goal: 298
November 2021: The Hobbit; Adventures of Tom Bombadil; Essays on Beowulf
| Mon Nov 1 | TH 1 | An Unexpected Party | |
| Tue Nov 2 | TH 2 | Roast Mutton | |
| Wed Nov 3 | TH 3 | A Short Rest | |
| Thu Nov 4 | TH 4 | Over Hill and Under Hill | |
| Fri Nov 5 | TH 5 | Riddles in the Dark | |
| Sat Nov 6 | TH 6 | Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire | |
| Sun Nov 7 | TH 7 | Queer Lodgings | |
| Mon Nov 8 | TH 8 | Flies and Spiders | |
| Tue Nov 9 | TH 9 | Barrels out of Bond | |
| Wed Nov 10 | TH 10 | A Warm Welcome | |
| Thu Nov 11 | TH 11 | On the Doorstep | |
| Fri Nov 12 | TH 12 | Inside Information | |
| Sat Nov 13 | TH 13 | Not at Home | |
| Sun Nov 14 | TH 14 | Fire and Water | |
| Mon Nov 15 | TH 15 | The Gathering of the Clouds | |
| Tue Nov 16 | TH 16 | A Thief in the Night | |
| Wed Nov 17 | TH 17 | The Clouds Burst | |
| Thu Nov 18 | TH 18 | The Return Journey | |
| Fri Nov 19 | TH 19 | The Last Stage | |
| Nov 21–27 | TR pp. 191-251 MC 1-2 | “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil” “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” “On Translating Beowulf” |
End of November Letter Goal: 326
December 2021: Assorted Stories and Essays; Letters from Father Christmas
| Nov 28-Dec 4 | TR pp. 121-187 MC 3 | “Farmer Giles of Ham” “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” | ||
| Dec 5-11 | TR pp. 1-27 MC 5 | “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son” “English and Welsh” | ||
| Dec 12-18 | SM MC 7 | The Smith of Wootton Major “Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford, 1959” | ||
| Dec 19-23 | Available online MC 6 | “Mythopoeia” “A Secret Vice” | ||
| Dec 26-31 | FC | Letters from Father Christmas |
End of December Letter Goal: 354
