Selected Works of J.R.R. Tolkien (British Literature)

  • Duration: 15 Weekly 60-min. Discussions
  • Schedule: Fall 2026
  • Price: $400 first child + $300 per sibling
Videoconference Live Sessions
  • Thursdays, 9:00–10:00 a.m. CT
  • August 20–December 17 (15 sessions, plus breaks on Oct. 8 and Nov. 26 and a catch-up session as needed on Dec. 17)
Objective

To read the major fiction of Tolkien, as well as selected poetry, and to discuss how Tolkien’s Christian worldview and study of medieval literature informed his writing.

Required Book(s)

The suggested ISBN ensures that the pagination of the student’s copy will match the instructor’s copy for ease of reference in class discussions. However, other editions also are permitted.

  • The Hobbit (suggested ISBN 978-0618260300)
  • The Lord of the Rings (complete trilogy; suggested ISBN 978-0395489321)
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (suggested ISBN 978-0358652977; must be a Tolkien translation)
Outline
  1. Literary and Biographical Introduction to J. R. R. Tolkien
  2. The Hobbit
  3. The Hobbit
  4. The Fellowship of the Ring
  5. The Fellowship of the Ring
  6. The Fellowship of the Ring
  7. The Two Towers
  8. The Two Towers
  9. The Two Towers
  10. The Return of the King
  11. The Return of the King
  12. The Return of the King
  13. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  14. Comparison of Drafts: Beren and Luthien
  15. Poetry Read-Aloud and Concluding Discussion
Related Course(s)

Instructor

Miss Grace MacPherson is a homeschool graduate who holds an AA in liberal arts from Casper College and is pursuing a BA in general studies from the University of Wyoming. She also has studied theology, Latin, and the great books at Luther Classical College. She has two years of teaching experience in private schools, first as a teacher’s aide for elementary school, and then as an online high school teacher for Latin and creative writing. She has published two novels, and has copy edited fiction for Kloria Publishing and non-fiction for a variety of publications. She also serves as the marketing director for Into Your Hands LLC. Her writing has won national awards, and she is a regular contributor to LifeDate, the quarterly magazine of Lutherans for Life. Learn more at www.authorgracemacpherson.com.

Our Unique Approach

  • Supporting families in lifelong learning
  • Offering interactive live sessions through small-audience videoconferencing
  • Teaching according to the classical pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty
  • Cultivating the values of Western civilization: natural law, cardinal and theological virtues, Socratic questioning, syllogistic reasoning
  • Promoting the ideals of America’s founding: representative government and the rule of law for protecting people’s God-given rights to life, liberty, and property
  • Standing on the foundation of the historic Christian faith as taught in Holy Scripture and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Augsburg Confession
  • Training homeschool students in specified subjects, with the parent ensuring that the child stays on pace (“Did you finish your reading for tomorrow’s videonconference live session?”) while Lifelong Lyceum handles the details of instruction and assessment
 

Final Call for Fall 2026 Registration

For our Natural Childbirth Class, registration is available now by clicking here.

For all other courses, please browse our catalog of offerings and click here to pre-register. (Lifelong Lyceum will reserve your seat as availability permits and send you an invoice to complete your registration.)

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Testimonials

One would be hard pressed to find someone who understands classical Christian education better than Dr. Ryan MacPherson and his wife Marie. He is a highly respected scholar and they are both firmly grounded in a biblical worldview. I highly recommend their Lifelong Lyceum courses.

—Rev. David Thompson, director of the Center for Apologetics and Worldviews

My high school student was well equipped and deeply edified by Marie MacPherson’s seminars on the Greek tragedies. She guided students with rigorous and thoughtful discernment into meaningful life application and strong scriptural integration. Her teaching cultivated intellectual inquiry, historical perspective, and spiritual reflection. My son benefited tremendously from the fruitful contemplation she fostered throughout the course.

—Kate, Ohio