{"product_id":"the-hobbit-party-the-vision-of-freedom-that-tolkien-got-and-the-west-forgot","title":"The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnyone who has read \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e can gather that their author hated tyranny, but few know that the novelist who once described himself as a hobbit \"in all but size\" was--even by hobbit standards--a zealous proponent of economic freedom and small government. There is a growing concern among many that the West is sliding into political, economic, and moral bankruptcy. In his beloved novels of Middle-Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien has drawn us a map to freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eScholar Joseph Pearce, who himself has written articles and chapters on the political significance of Tolkien's work, testified in his book \u003ci\u003eLiterary Giants, Literary Catholics\u003c\/i\u003e, \"If much has been written on the religious significance of \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e, less has been written on its political significance--and the little that has been written is often erroneous in its conclusions and ignorant of Tolkien's intentions.... Much more work is needed in this area, not least because Tolkien stated, implicitly at least, that the political significance of the work was second only to the religious in its importance.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral books ably explore how Tolkien's Catholic faith informed his fiction. None until now have centered on how his passion for liberty and limited government also shaped his work, or how this passion grew directly from his theological vision of man and creation. \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit Party\u003c\/i\u003e fills this void.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe few existing pieces that do focus on the subject are mostly written by scholars with little or no formal training in literary analysis, and even less training in political economy. Witt and Richards bring to \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit Party\u003c\/i\u003e a combined expertise in literary studies, political theory, economics, philosophy, and theology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJonathan Witt, Ph.D.\u003c\/b\u003e, is a former English professor, a Research and Media Fellow at the Acton Institute, and Managing Editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Stream\u003c\/i\u003e. He has written many popular and academic articles, scripted three documentaries that have appeared on PBS, and is the co-author of \u003ci\u003eA Meaningful World\u003c\/i\u003e. He also served as the lead writer for the \u003ci\u003ePovertyCure\u003c\/i\u003e Series and the award-winning film \u003ci\u003ePoverty, Inc\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ignatius Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50357192720658,"sku":"9781586178239","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3f19496c-29a2-40d0-856e-0e83dda8cd79.jpg?v=1728320326","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-hobbit-party-the-vision-of-freedom-that-tolkien-got-and-the-west-forgot","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}