ARC: A Tolkien Podcast

Join Pip and Charlie *one last time* for a relaxed, informal conversation about The Lord of the Rings as a whole and their thoughts on recording a podcast for two years. Buckle up, this is a long one.

It's the final chapter of 'The Lord of the Rings,' and Charlie and Pip are here to analyze its allusions and themes, while also saving time to debate the tone of the ending in the penultimate episode of the entire series. Lie down. Try not to cry. Cry a lot.

The Hobbits come home while Pip and Charlie hit the homeward stretch of the series in Book 6, Chapter 8, "The Scouring of the Shire."

Charlie and Pip inch closer to the end of the book as they look at the real meaning of the Shire in Book 6, Chapter 7, "Homeward Bound."

Indiana University doctoral candidate Luke J. Chambers joins Pip and Charlie to discuss both this chapter and, more importantly, his article, "Enta Geweorc and the Work of Ents," just recently published in volume 16 of the Tolkien Studies journal!

In this special "Mourning Edition" of the show, Charlie and Pip get some bad news from NPR, but that won't stop them from discussing Eowyn and Faramir and everything they represent in Book 6, Chapter 5, "The Steward and the King."

Pip and Charlie have made it to the home-stretch! Join them as they shamelessly impugn Tolkien's own thoughts in episode 57 of ARC!

Finally, Charlie and Pip reach the climax of the entire book. Tune in to hear about the fate of the Ring, the role of chance, and the tension between free will and human nature in this episode of ARC!

Hear what Pip and Charlie have to say about the greatest line in The Lord of the Rings. Plus, a special shout-out to Jeff Goldblum--all this and more in our discussion of Book 6, Chapter 2: "The Land of Shadow."

Charlie and Pip enter Book 6 while Frodo and Sam enter Mordor--it's time to start the FINAL book of The Lord of the Rings!

Brew some coffee, pull up a chair, and listen in to how Book 5 wraps up a central theme of The Lord of the Rings while delivering an emotional climax...and then stick around as Pip and Charlie get distracted by some Tolkien-inspired clickbait (did you know Gandalf might not actually be a wizard???).

Book 5, Chapter 9 gets Charlie and Pip talking about "the deeds of Men," greater evils than Sauron, and much more!

Pip and Charlie talk Christ parallels, beautiful prose, and the book's anti-conservative streak in episode 51 of their 'Lord of the Rings' read-through!

Join Charlie and Pip as they explore the character of Denethor in their FIFTIETH episode!

In this special episode of ARC, Pip and Charlie are joined by Western Michigan University PhD candidate Becky Straple as they examine Eowyn's story arc, medieval "women warriors," eucatastrophes, and a bit of First World War literature!

Can a chapter be both the worst and best? Find out what Pip and Charlie think in this episode of ARC!

Tolkien turns epic in Book 5, Chapter 4, "The Siege of Gondor," and Charlie and Pip are here to break it down.

Dramatic irony and hidden identities abound as Pip and Charlie look at Book 5, Chapter 3, "The Muster of Rohan."

Charlie and Pip report on the Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth exhibit at the Morgan Library, the new Tolkien biopic, and Book 5, Chapter 2, in episode 45 of ARC's LotR read-through.

It's a new book! Pip and Charlie kick off Book 5 and The Return of the King by looking at the Mediterranean aesthetic of Gondor and the growth of Pippin as a character.

In this special episode, Charlie and Pip reach the end of Book IV and The Two Towers. Join them for a discussion on grief, tonal shifts, and their final conclusions on the relationship between Books III and IV. Plus, stay tuned after the discussion for some on-location podcasting from Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, a place that served as an inspiration for Tolkien... Pictures from the trip to Lauterbrunnen can be found on Charlie's Instagram, @leinphotography, or on his Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/leinphotography/33844691318/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/

"Giant spider? That's cool and all, but more importantly, let's do a deep dive on all the definitions of the word 'own.'" --Pip and Charlie

Stories! Laughter! Scenery descriptions! Winnie-the-Pooh! All of your favorite topics appear on this week's episode of ARC.

Pip and Charlie inch closer to uncovering Book 4's main theme and also answer a listener-submitted question as they look at Book 4, Chapter 7, "Journey to the Cross-Roads."

Charlie and Pip celebrate the anniversary of the podcast, look at some medieval law influences in The Lord of the Rings, and take a listener-submitted question in this episode of ARC!

Pip and Charlie talk about time, the relationship between Rohan and Gondor, and the 'Tolkien' movie teaser as they look at Book 4, Chapter 5, "The Window on the West."

Book 4, Chapter 4 gets Charlie and Pip talking about nuances and contradictions within texts, while reader-submitted questions cover topics such as Gandalf's increase in power and the identity of the book's narrator.

Book 4, Chapter 3 prompts Pip and Charlie to discuss the aesthetic of Mordor, the power of laughter, and one of the more problematic aspects of Tolkien's work. Plus, they answer more reader-submitted questions!

The parallel relationship between between Books 3 and 4, Tolkien's First World War influences, and our first listener-submitted question--all this and more on episode 35 of ARC's Lord of the Rings Read-Through.

Pip and Charlie kick off Book 4 by discussing Gollum, faulty memories, and some more Shit Said about Tolkien.

Charlie and Pip take a look back at Book 3 as a whole, and also listen to the voices of the people and their take on The Lord of the Rings...

Pip and Charlie do a deep dive into Saruman's campaign to Make Middle-earth Great Again in Book 3, Chapter 10, "The Voice of Saruman."

Tune in to hear Charlie and Pip's thoughts on stories-within-stories and the secret connection between the Ents and Barrow-wights in Book 3, Chapter 9, "Flotsam and Jetsam."

Humor and death make good company, apparently, since "The Road to Isengard" is full of both.

"Helm's Deep" is, uh, a chapter in The Lord of the Rings. Yup. (We're not gaining any new subscribers from this episode.)

Pip and Charlie tackle one of their favorite chapters by (you're going to want to sit down for this) starting at the beginning, looking at the middle, then moving on to the end. Along the way, they look at how Tolkien gave the Rohirrim a tragic feel in Book 3, Chapter 6, "The King of the Golden Hall."

It's Charlie's and Pip's favorite chapter! ...or not... Still, it's here, and we have to find something to talk about for Book 3, Chapter 5, "The White Rider."

Pip and Charlie talk a little about trees, a little about beards, a lot about Treebeard, and just a tiny bit about Manbeard in this episode of ARC.

Charlie and Pip look at evil as self-defeating, events as echoes, and the problem with orcs in Book 3, Chapter 3, "The Uruk-Hai."

Did you know that Tolkien kinda loved landscape descriptions? The shocking details in this episode of ARC covering Book 3, Chapter 2, "The Riders of Rohan."

Time to dive into a new book! Pip and Charlie talk about Boromir's "victory," Aragorn's choices, and shifting points of view in the first chapter of Book 3 and The Two Towers, "The Departure of Boromir."

We did it! Charlie and Pip finish 'The Fellowship of the Ring' by looking at the meaning of "fellowship," the manipulative behavior of Boromir, and the running themes of Books 1 and 2.

Charlie and Pip get their notes ready and look at uncertainty, doubt, and the desolate but evocative landscape in Book 2, Chapter 9, "The Great River."

Pip and Charlie say...farewell to Lorien after discussing Book 2, Chapter 8, "Farewell to Lorien." Farewell.

Charlie and Pip look at "the long defeat" and compare Lorien and Rivendell as they look at Book 2, Chapter 7, "The Mirror of Galadriel."

Book 2, Chapter 6 brings Pip and Charlie to the dangerous-but-fair, preserved-but-dying forest of Lorien.

Charlie and Pip awaken to find themselves looking at one of Book 2's pivotal chapters, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum." Drums, Balrogs, language writing systems--find it all right here on this week's episode of ARC.

The power of original language, journeys into the unknown, and Tolkien's questionable chapter names--all that and more as Charlie and Pip discuss Book 2, Chapter 4, "A Journey in the Dark."

The past comes back to help our heroes, Tolkien brings in a little Christianity, and fire abounds as Charlie and Pip look at Book 2, Chapter 3, "The Ring Goes South."

Pip, Charlie, and a not-so-special, kind-of-average guest pay tribute to the longest chapter in The Lord of the Rings with a super-sized episode!