Podcasts by ARC: A Tolkien Podcast
Charlie Lein, Pip Parker, and various guests discuss and analyze each chapter of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Further podcasts by ARC: A Tolkien Podcast
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The Lord of the Rings Read-Through Conclusion from 2020-03-17T18:56:28
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 lon...
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Book 6, Chapter 9: "The Grey Havens" from 2020-03-09T13:37:01
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 ep...
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Book 6, Chapter 8: "The Scouring of the Shire" from 2020-01-11T19:26:13
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."
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Book 6, Chapter 7: "Homeward Bound" from 2019-12-02T18:20:27
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."
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Book 6, Chapter 6: "Many Partings" from 2019-11-11T14:28:39
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 publ...
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Book 6, Chapter 5: "The Steward and the King" from 2019-11-02T13:14:13
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, Chapt...
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Book 6, Chapter 4: "The Field of Cormallen" from 2019-10-21T21:46:23
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!
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Book 6, Chapter 3: "Mount Doom" from 2019-09-30T23:13:42
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!
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Book 6, Chapter 2: "The Land of Shadow" from 2019-09-16T22:01:22
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 La...
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Book 6, Chapter 1: "The Tower of Cirith Ungol" from 2019-09-12T00:11:57
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!
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Book 5, Chapter 10: "The Black Gate Opens" from 2019-09-02T00:57:43
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 ...
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Book 5, Chapter 9: "The Last Debate" from 2019-08-24T13:53:49
Book 5, Chapter 9 gets Charlie and Pip talking about "the deeds of Men," greater evils than Sauron, and much more!
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Book 5, Chapter 8: "The Houses of Healing" from 2019-08-12T22:40:25
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!
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Book 5, Chapter 7: "The Pyre of Denethor" from 2019-07-29T15:58:56
Join Charlie and Pip as they explore the character of Denethor in their FIFTIETH episode!
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Book 5, Chapter 6: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields" from 2019-07-11T12:53:07
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, a...
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Book 5, Chapter 5: "The Ride of the Rohirrim" from 2019-07-01T00:27:25
Can a chapter be both the worst and best? Find out what Pip and Charlie think in this episode of ARC!
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Book 5, Chapter 4: "The Siege of Gondor" from 2019-06-19T20:24:03
Tolkien turns epic in Book 5, Chapter 4, "The Siege of Gondor," and Charlie and Pip are here to break it down.
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Book 5, Chapter 3: "The Muster of Rohan" from 2019-06-02T18:08:04
Dramatic irony and hidden identities abound as Pip and Charlie look at Book 5, Chapter 3, "The Muster of Rohan."
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Book 5, Chapter 2: "The Passing of the Grey Company" from 2019-05-19T21:01:15
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.
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Book 5, Chapter 1: "Minas Tirith" from 2019-05-12T18:26:21
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.
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Book 4, Chapter 10: "The Choices of Master Samwise" from 2019-05-01T22:12:17
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 Book...
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Book 4, Chapter 9: "Shelob's Lair" from 2019-04-08T22:23:56
"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
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Book 4, Chapter 8: "The Stairs of Cirith Ungol" from 2019-04-01T00:55:33
Stories! Laughter! Scenery descriptions! Winnie-the-Pooh! All of your favorite topics appear on this week's episode of ARC.
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Book 4, Chapter 7: "Journey to the Cross-Roads" from 2019-03-24T19:47:15
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."
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Book 4, Chapter 6: "The Forbidden Pool" from 2019-03-09T17:09:50
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!
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Book 4, Chapter 5: "The Window on the West" from 2019-03-04T01:38:53
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."
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Book 4, Chapter 4: "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit" from 2019-02-19T00:06:50
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 t...
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Book 4, Chapter 3: "The Black Gate Is Closed" from 2019-02-12T20:08:38
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-submitt...
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Book 4, Chapter 2: "The Passage of the Marshes" from 2019-02-03T19:43:46
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 ...
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Book 4, Chapter 1: "The Taming of Smeagol" from 2019-01-27T18:28:01
Pip and Charlie kick off Book 4 by discussing Gollum, faulty memories, and some more Shit Said about Tolkien.
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Book 3, Chapter 11: "The Palantir" from 2019-01-22T21:29:24
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...
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Book 3, Chapter 10: "The Voice of Saruman" from 2019-01-12T17:53:38
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."
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Book 3, Chapter 9: "Flotsam and Jetsam" from 2019-01-01T02:18:15
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."
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Book 3, Chapter 8: "The Road to Isengard" from 2018-12-08T21:27:21
Humor and death make good company, apparently, since "The Road to Isengard" is full of both.
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Book 3, Chapter 7: "Helm's Deep" from 2018-11-28T00:24:17
"Helm's Deep" is, uh, a chapter in The Lord of the Rings. Yup. (We're not gaining any new subscribers from this episode.)
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Book 3, Chapter 6: "The King of the Golden Hall" from 2018-11-14T00:44:30
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...
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Book 3, Chapter 5: "The White Rider" from 2018-11-03T21:02:17
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."
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Book 3, Chapter 4: "Treebeard" from 2018-10-22T11:22:24
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.
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Book 3, Chapter 3: "The Uruk-Hai" from 2018-10-10T21:07:05
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."
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Book 3, Chapter 2: "The Riders of Rohan" from 2018-09-23T21:19:44
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."
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Book 3, Chapter 1: "The Departure of Boromir" from 2018-08-25T20:04:36
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 Bor...
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Book 2, Chapter 10: "The Breaking of the Fellowship" from 2018-08-15T17:39:36
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.
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Book 2, Chapter 9: "The Great River" from 2018-08-13T00:32:36
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."
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Book 2, Chapter 8, "Farewell to Lorien" from 2018-07-28T16:25:37
Pip and Charlie say...farewell to Lorien after discussing Book 2, Chapter 8, "Farewell to Lorien." Farewell.
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Book 2, Chapter 7: "The Mirror of Galadriel" from 2018-07-08T17:16:41
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."
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Book 2, Chapter 6: "Lothlorien" from 2018-07-01T20:01:21
Book 2, Chapter 6 brings Pip and Charlie to the dangerous-but-fair, preserved-but-dying forest of Lorien.
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Book 2, Chapter 5: "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum" from 2018-06-26T01:09:06
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 ep...
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Book 2, Chapter 4: "A Journey in the Dark" from 2018-06-18T00:26:04
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."
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Book 2, Chapter 3: "The Ring Goes South" from 2018-06-10T20:50:23
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."
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Book 2, Chapter 2: "The Council of Elrond" from 2018-05-30T23:35:51
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!
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Book 2, Chapter 1: "Many Meetings" from 2018-05-26T11:25:01
Charlie and Pip have made it to Book 2! In this episode, they look at Tolkien's expansion of Middle-earth, his shift to elevated and archaic language, and The Lord of the Rings' consistent relation...
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Book 1, Chapter 12: "Flight to the Ford" from 2018-05-15T00:20:58
With this episode, Pip and Charlie are finishing Book 1 of The Lord of the Rings, and a lo-fi, temporary-use microphone isn't going to stop them. Join them as they look at Pip's favorite chapter of...
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Book 1, Chapter 11: "A Knife in the Dark" from 2018-05-08T00:53:02
Chapter 11 gives Charlie and Pip the opportunity to look at the landscape of Book 1 and some of the big themes of the novel as a whole, including the nature of evil.
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Book 1, Chapter 10: "Strider" from 2018-04-29T21:10:10
THE ONE PODCAST EPISODE YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST LISTEN TO: Pip and Charlie look at the character of Aragorn in Book 1, Chapter 10, while also finding time to peruse and discuss clickbait from GQ. Plus,...
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Book 1, Chapter 9: "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" from 2018-04-14T11:36:15
Charlie and Pip run out of things to talk about because it's such a straightforward chapt...okay, I can't keep this up, they read into and overanalyze a bunch of stupid details in Book 1, Chapter 9...
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Book 1, Chapter 8: "Fog on the Barrow-Downs" from 2018-04-07T18:32:53
Pip and Charlie are back from holiday break to talk about the Barrow-wights, etymologies, and their most important topic yet: rocks. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.co...
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Book 1, Chapter 7: "In the House of Tom Bombadil" from 2018-03-24T23:49:06
Hey-ho merry doll, it's time for Pip and Charlie to spend an entire episode looking at the true hero of The Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incomp...
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Book 1, Chapter 6: "The Old Forest" from 2018-03-18T16:48:45
In episode 6, Charlie and Pip look at the Old Forest, and, try as they might, can't avoid diving into that thorny question: what is up with Tom Bombadil? Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin Ma...
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Book 1, Chapter 5: "A Conspiracy Unmasked" from 2018-03-15T23:00
Pip and Charlie record a special episode in-person to celebrate...the shortest chapter in all of Book 1. Join them as they look at Tolkien's Catholicism, the geography of Middle-earth, and the retu...
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Book 1, Chapter 4: "A Short Cut to Mushrooms" from 2018-03-14T22:00
Book 1, Chapter 4 gets Charlie and Pip thinking about the power of Tolkien's songs and the creepiness of the Nazgul. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed unde...
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Book 1, Chapter 3: "Three Is Company" from 2018-03-13T22:00
As they look at Book 1, Chapter 3, Pip and Charlie turn their attention to classic Tolkien topics: stars, landscape descriptions, and walking...with some special help from CliffsNotes.com. Music c...
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Book 1, Chapter 2: "The Shadow of the Past" from 2018-03-12T22:00
As they look at Book 1, Chapter 2, Charlie and Pip discuss what they call one of Tolkien's "Greatest Hits" chapters, the ethical outlook of the book, and the power of hope and pity. Music credit: ...
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Book 1, Chapter 1: "A Long-Expected Party" from 2018-03-11T22:00
Pip and Charlie get right into it with Book 1, Chapter 1, covering Tolkien's humor, the psychological conflicts of the book, and the transition from The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings. Music cred...
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The Lord of the Rings Read-Through Introduction from 2018-03-10T22:49:58
Join Charlie and Pip as they discuss each chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in the latest series from ARC! In this introductory episode, they discuss the concept for this new podcas...
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