Patrick Curry

• 1. Biographical Foundations And Education

  ›

  Patrick Curry was born in Winnipeg, Canada, during the year 1951. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and graduated in 1978. His academic path shifted toward logic and scientific method when he earned a Master of Science from the London School of Economics in 1980. The journey continued to University College London where he completed his Ph.D. in history and philosophy of science by 1987. Professional appointments followed decades later with lectures on cultural astronomy at Bath Spa University starting in 2002. He also taught cosmology and divination at the University of Kent at Canterbury beginning in 2006. Curious about spiritual paths, he maintained a long relationship with Buddhism under the guidance of Kōbun Chino Otogawa. This background in both hard sciences and Eastern philosophy shaped his unique approach to cultural studies.

  1

• 2. Astrology And Divination Scholarship

  ›

  The publication of Astrology, Science and Society marked an early entry into his scholarly career in 1989 through Boydell & Brewer. A second book titled Prophecy and Power: Astrology in Early Modern England appeared that same year via Polity Press and Princeton University Press. He explored Victorian and Edwardian astrology in A Confusion of Prophets published by Collins & Brown in 1992. Later works like Astrology, Science and Culture: Pulling Down the Moon emerged in 2004 alongside Roy Willis. His focus expanded to include general divination practices with a 2010 release from Ashgate Publishing. These texts examined how belief systems interacted with scientific rationalism during different historical periods. The books often challenged the strict separation between modern science and ancient predictive arts. Critics noted his willingness to treat these subjects as valid areas of academic inquiry rather than dismissing them outright.

  27

• 3. Tolkien Studies And Ecological Critique

  ›

  Defending Middle-Earth arrived in 1997 and became a central point of contention within Tolkien scholarship. Juliette Wood reviewed the work for Gale Academic and found the resacralisation of the environment interesting yet problematic. She criticized Curry for launching a diatribe against critics after presenting examples on both sides of the debate. Stratford Caldecott offered a more favorable view in The Chesterton Review by noting Curry loved the source material enough to defend it passionately. Caldecott argued that Curry successfully painted Tolkien as a Green subversive opposing global monoculture. Adam Schwartz took a harsher stance in VII magazine claiming ideological commitments clouded Curry's comprehension of radicalism. Schwartz insisted that scholarly analysis and political advocacy must remain distinct discourses. This blending of academic rigor with polemic created a divide among reviewers who valued objectivity above all else.

  345

• 4. The Concept Of Enchantment In Modern Life

  ›

  Enchantment: Wonder in Modern Life appeared in 2019 through Floris Books and tackled the state of contemporary culture directly. Bernice Martin reviewed the book for The Times Literary Supplement and noted Curry came to Buddhism via the New Age movement from a Christian background. The text indicts reductive modern secular and technocratic culture while offering alternatives rooted in wonder. Martin admired how Curry used collective examples like Princess Diana's funeral alongside personal experience to build his argument. He drew upon Tolkien's writings to illustrate what is wrong with current societal structures. The work suggests that enchantment differs fundamentally from magic yet remains essential for human flourishing. Critics found value in this attempt to rebuild a sense of meaning within a disenchanted world.

  6

• 5. Academic Reception And Critical Debates

  ›

  Tom Shippey reviewed Deep Roots in a Time of Frost in the Journal of Tolkien Research during 2014. He listed themes including the nature of enchantment and opposition to modernism as central to the collection. Shippey agreed with Curry regarding early literary modernists but disagreed on whether modernism remained a major continuing threat today. He expressed unhappiness with Curry's view of co-dependent power between corporate finance capital and the political state. Despite these disagreements, Shippey suggested Tolkien would endorse Curry as the critic closest to the secret of enchantment. Other scholars praised his insights while finding his ideological bias unsatisfactory. The debate highlighted tensions between pure scholarship and works that explicitly advocate for specific political or ecological outcomes.

  7