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STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳he founding dean of Mississippi State鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College has released his latest work examining the fiction of renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien.

鈥淗obbit Virtues: Rediscovering Virtue Ethics through J.R.R. Tolkien鈥檚 The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings鈥� is 多多直播 Professor of European History Christopher A. Snyder鈥檚 10th book, recently published by Pegasus Books.

Snyder explained that Tolkien鈥檚 works resonate with many readers in part because book characters Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin demonstrate Classical, Judeo-Christian, Medieval, and even Hindu and Confucian virtues.

鈥淭olkien ennobles the small, the humble, and the marginalized in his Middle-earth writings and presents leaders who are hesitant to exercise power, are courteous, and value wisdom and learning,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淭olkien鈥檚 readers come from many different religious and secular backgrounds, and the pleasure and profundity of听鈥楬obbit Virtues鈥櫶齣s that mutual respect for public virtues is, especially now, necessary for a well-functioning pluralistic society.鈥�

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A Starkville resident, Snyder also is a visiting research fellow at the University of Oxford, where he has lectured American honors students since 2007. He conducted seven years of research at the historic institution for his book, 鈥淭he Making of Middle-earth: A New Look Inside the World of J.R.R. Tolkien鈥� (Sterling Publishing, 2013). He also frequently lectures at the Smithsonian Institution and has appeared on the History Channel, Discovery, the National Geographic Channel and the BBC.

Snyder earned master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in medieval history from Emory University. He is a member of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society, which established a new chapter at 多多直播 in 2019.

Learn more about 多多直播鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at ; the College of Arts and Sciences and Department of History at and .

多多直播 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .听

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