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The Classical Mind

The Classical Mind

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Sep 1, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min · 10 segments

The middle book of a trilogy is always the dark one, and *The Two Towers* is no exception. Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson return to Middle-earth for the second leg of *The Lord of the…

The middle book of a trilogy is always the dark one, and *The Two Towers* is no exception. Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson return to Middle-earth for the second leg of *The Lord of the Rings*, and this time things really are on the edge of the knife. Gollum, Hugh of Saint Victor, Ents and the Entmoot, Gimli, Sarumon and Gandalf, and Boromir and Faramir. It’s all there! Endnotes \* **Junius:** Tolkien’s *The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún* \* **Wesley’s endnote:** *Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-earth* This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theclassicalmind.com/subscribe

The middle book of a trilogy is always the dark one, and *The Two Towers* is no exception. Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson return to Middle-earth for the second leg of *The Lord of the…

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Speakers: Junius JohnsonHostWesley WalkerHost

Top entities: Faramir×36 Gandalf×45 Boromir×35 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien×29 Pippin Took×4

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalAudience≈322 followers

Welcome Back to The Two Towers0:02 – 1:12

Wesley WalkerHost

0:02

Welcome to The Classical Mind, a podcast about the great books in the Western canon.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:06

We're your hosts.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:07

I'm Father Wesley Walker.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:08

I'm Dr. Junius Johnson.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:10

Junius, it's good to see you.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:12

Welcome back to part two of Lord of the Rings.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:15

How have you been finding this read through?

Junius JohnsonHost

0:19

Oh, amazing.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:21

I think this is only my second time through.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:24

And

Junius JohnsonHost

0:25

yeah, and not that I didn't like it the first time through.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:27

It just it's a commitment, you know, and there's always so many books to read.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:31

But I was excited when we put it on this season because I had already been trying to clear my way towards reading it again.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:39

And this gave me excitement.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:40

Not only an excuse, but a necessity.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:42

And I think I mentioned this before.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:45

I started reading it several months ago because I didn't want to get to this point and be struggling to get through it.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:51

And I got into it so much that I finished it several months early.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:56

So it's been delightful and it's been really good to come back and – So many great lines in it, so many great encounters and scenes, a lot of subtlety in the way it's put together, just a lot to notice.

Junius JohnsonHost

1:10

And, yeah, it's just been an absolute delight.

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FaramirEntityLord Of The Rings character
99%36 mentions
GandalfEntityLord Of The Rings character
97%45 mentions
BoromirEntityLord Of The Rings character
96%35 mentions
John Ronald Reuel TolkienPersonWriter and academic
94%29 mentions
Pippin TookEntityLord Of The Rings character
92%4 mentions
LegolasEntityLord Of The Rings character
91%15 mentions
Frodo BagginsEntityLord Of The Rings character
89%41 mentions
The Two TowersBookNovel by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
87%10 mentions
Samwise GamgeeEntityLord Of The Rings character
86%23 mentions
Middle-earthEntityFantasy world
84%10 mentions
Hugh of Saint VictorPersonGerman theologian and writer
82%5 mentions
The Lord of the RingsBookNovel by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
81%27 mentions
GimliEntityLord Of The Rings character
79%22 mentions
GollumEntityLord Of The Rings character
77%42 mentions
HobbitEntity
75%3 mentions
Wesley WalkerEntity
74%10 mentions
SauronEntityLord Of The Rings character
72%8 mentions
Peter JacksonPersonNew Zealand filmmaker and entrepreneur
70%6 mentions
ThéodenEntityLord Of The Rings character
69%11 mentions
GondorEntity
67%11 mentions
East of EdenBookNovel by John Steinbeck
65%5 mentions
Bilbo BagginsEntityFictional character
64%4 mentions
Book of JobBookBook
62%2 mentions
SarumanEntityLord Of The Rings character
60%41 mentions
Battle of Helm's DeepEntity
58%4 mentions
Völsunga sagaBookBook
57%4 mentions
The Empire Strikes BackMovie1980 film
55%1 mention
EntEntity
53%3 mentions
The Legend of Sigurd and GudrúnBookBook by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
52%2 mentions
Cain and AbelEntity
50%4 mentions
GaladrielEntityLord Of The Rings character
48%4 mentions
Thorin OakenshieldEntityFictional character
47%6 mentions
TreebeardEntityLord Of The Rings character
45%6 mentions
AugustiniansEntity
43%3 mentions
PalantírEntityFictional objects
42%1 mention
Norse mythologyEntityFictional world
40%3 mentions
OdinEntityGod
38%4 mentions
The HobbitBookNovel by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
36%3 mentions
AragornEntityLord Of The Rings character
35%9 mentions
The ShireEntityRegion
33%2 mentions
The Wizard of OzMovie1939 film
31%1 mention
OrthancEntity
30%1 mention
Gríma WormtongueEntityFictional character
28%2 mentions
Denethor IIEntityLord Of The Rings character
26%1 mention
ValarEntity
25%1 mention
World War IIEventWar
23%1 mention
ArkenstoneEntityFictional objects
21%1 mention
Minas TirithEntity
19%2 mentions
Eru IlúvatarEntityLord Of The Rings character
18%3 mentions
OdysseusEntityGreek hero
16%1 mention

Tolkien's WorksLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy > Character Analysis
Moral PhilosophyLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy > Themes
Contrasts in CharactersLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy > Character Development
Symbolism and AllegoryLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy > Narrative Techniques
Environmental ThemesLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy > Cultural Impact
Narrative TechniquesLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy
Character DevelopmentLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy
Character AnalysisLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy
Cultural ImpactLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy
ThemesLiterature > Fiction > Fantasy
FantasyLiterature > Fiction
Literature
FictionLiterature

Welcome Back to The Two Towers0:02 – 1:12

Wesley WalkerHost

0:02

Welcome to The Classical Mind, a podcast about the great books in the Western canon.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:06

We're your hosts.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:07

I'm Father Wesley Walker.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:08

I'm Dr. Junius Johnson.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:10

Junius, it's good to see you.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:12

Welcome back to part two of Lord of the Rings.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:15

How have you been finding this read through?

Junius JohnsonHost

0:19

Oh, amazing.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:21

I think this is only my second time through.

Wesley WalkerHost

0:24

And

Junius JohnsonHost

0:25

yeah, and not that I didn't like it the first time through.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:27

It just it's a commitment, you know, and there's always so many books to read.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:31

But I was excited when we put it on this season because I had already been trying to clear my way towards reading it again.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:39

And this gave me excitement.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:40

Not only an excuse, but a necessity.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:42

And I think I mentioned this before.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:45

I started reading it several months ago because I didn't want to get to this point and be struggling to get through it.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:51

And I got into it so much that I finished it several months early.

Junius JohnsonHost

0:56

So it's been delightful and it's been really good to come back and – So many great lines in it, so many great encounters and scenes, a lot of subtlety in the way it's put together, just a lot to notice.

Junius JohnsonHost

1:10

And, yeah, it's just been an absolute delight.