J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century FROM OUR EDITORS
End-of-the-millennium polls crowned J.R.R. Tolkien as "the most influential author of the century" and named his saga The Lord of the Rings as "the book of the century." Former Oxford don Tom Shippey concurs, and he examines Tolkien's masterpiece (and The Hobbit) as an ever-expanding mythological and cultural map to our times. According to Shippey, Tolkien's popularity and critical appeal owe much to his deep immersion in linguistics and philology. This fascinating study places a classic in a new light.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Recent polls have consistently declared that J. R. R. Tolkien is "the most influential author of the century" and The Lord of the Rings is "the book of the century." In support of these claims, Tom Shippey, a prominent medievalist and scholar of fantasy, now presents us with a fascinating companion to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, focusing in particular on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
The core of the book consists of three chapters that examine The Lord of the Rings as a linguistic and cultural map, as a twisted web of story, and as a response to the meaning of myth. Shippey presents a unique argument to explain the nature of evil and gives readers a compelling insight into the complicated interweaving of the many strands of the story. Other chapters examine The Hobbit, explaining the hobbits' anachronistic relationship to the heroic world of Middle-earth; show the fundamental importance of The Silmarillion to Tolkien's canon; and take an illuminating look at Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, and other lesser-known works in connection with Tolkien's life.
FROM THE CRITICS
Observer
Shippey's witty, combative book is illuminating�the central chapters demonstrate the ingenious articulation of the trilogy, the profundity of its thought about suffering, and evil, both personal and institutional, cosmic and frankly devilish.
Independent
Shippey succeeds brilliantly�[His] exploration of Tolkien's themes, especially the nature of evil, power, and what one character calls 'the long defeat,' is superb�Taking on the critics on their own ground, Shippey reveals Tolkien's use of a complex narrative structure and the flexibility with which he moved between different literary modes.
Publishers Weekly
In a wonderfully readable study aimed at not just the Tolkien fan but any literate person curious about this fantasy author's extraordinary popularity, British scholar Shippey (The Road to Middle-earth) makes an impressive, low-key case for why the creator of Middle-earth is deserving of acclaim. (Recent polls in Britain have consistently put The Lord of the Rings at the top of greatest books of the century lists.) Having taught the same Old English syllabus at Oxford that his subject once did, Shippey is especially well qualified to discuss Tolkien's Anglo-Saxon sources, notably Beowulf, for the elvish languages and names used in the fiction. The author's theory on the origin of the word hobbit, for example, is as learned as it is free of academic jargon. Even his analyses of the abstruse Silmarillion, Tolkien's equivalent of Joyce's Finnegans Wake, avoid getting too technical. In addition, Shippey shows that Tolkien as a storyteller often improved on his ancient sources, while The Lord of the Rings is unmistakably a work of its time. (The Shire chapters, like Orwell's 1984, evoke the bleakness of late-'40s Britain.) In treating such topics as the nature of evil, religion, allegory, style and genre, the author nimbly answers the objections of Tolkien's more rabid critics. By the end, he has convincingly demonstrated why the much imitated Tolkien remains inimitable and continues to appeal. (May 16) Forecast: With the long-awaited part one of the Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, due for movie release later this year, this, like all Tolkien-related titles, will benefit from hobbit fever. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"One of the best, if not the best, piece of ... literary criticism I have ever read on Tolkien."
Booknews
Shippey, who taught at Oxford U. at the same time and with the same syllabus as Tolkien, argues in favor of Tolkien's literary merits and offers a unique and revealing reading of the books that introduced the imaginary world of Middle-earth. A meditation on the evolution of a modern myth that expanded our view of the ongoing struggle between good and evil, this study examines the criticisms leveled against Tolkein as well as how his influence has extended beyond literature. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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