How to Misunderstand Tolkien

How to Misunderstand Tolkien
Author: Bruno Bacelli
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2022-09-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1476649839

J.R.R. Tolkien is an author beloved by many, but people forget the hostile reception of his work from several literary critics, who despised (and some who continue to despise) him and his readers. Other intellectuals and critics have a more positive opinion of his work, but some read aspects of his books or his beliefs to fit their own agendas. Over the decades, scholars have claimed that Tolkien represents a myriad of (sometimes contradictory) political positions. Whether these scholars act out of disdain for Tolkien or from a simple misread of his works, the outcome is a muddled distortion of who Tolkien really was. This book peels back the discourse in an attempt to reveal the true nature of an author who so often defies categorization. Using all possible nuance, chapters explore the villains of Lord of the Rings, its female heroines and its moral compass, as well as its definitions of heroism and failure. This book hopes to provide a uniquely accurate and objective assessment of one of the most misunderstood writers of our time.

How to Misunderstand Tolkien

How to Misunderstand Tolkien
Author: Bruno Bacelli
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2022-09-02
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1476686947

J.R.R. Tolkien is an author beloved by many, but people forget the hostile reception of his work from several literary critics, who despised (and some who continue to despise) him and his readers. Other intellectuals and critics have a more positive opinion of his work, but some read aspects of his books or his beliefs to fit their own agendas. Over the decades, scholars have claimed that Tolkien represents a myriad of (sometimes contradictory) political positions. Whether these scholars act out of disdain for Tolkien or from a simple misread of his works, the outcome is a muddled distortion of who Tolkien really was. This book peels back the discourse in an attempt to reveal the true nature of an author who so often defies categorization. Using all possible nuance, chapters explore the villains of Lord of the Rings, its female heroines and its moral compass, as well as its definitions of heroism and failure. This book hopes to provide a uniquely accurate and objective assessment of one of the most misunderstood writers of our time.

Tales from the Perilous Realm

Tales from the Perilous Realm
Author: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 444
Release: 2008
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780547154114

Never before published in a single volume, Tolkien's four novellas ("Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major," and "Roverandom") and one book of poems ("The Adventures of Tom Bombadil") are gathered together in a fully illustrated set.

The Body in Tolkien's Legendarium

The Body in Tolkien's Legendarium
Author: Christopher Vaccaro
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2013-08-29
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0786474785

The timely collection of essays is thematically unified around the subject of corporeality. Its theoretical underpinnings emerge out of feminist, foucauldian, patristic and queer hermeneutics. The book is organized into categories specific to transformation, spirit versus body, discourse, and source material. More than one essay focuses on female bodies and on the monstrous or evil body. While Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is central to most analyses, authors also cover The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and material in The History of Middle-earth.

Tolkien and the Modernists

Tolkien and the Modernists
Author: Theresa Freda Nicolay
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2014-05-21
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1476617201

The Lord of the Rings rarely makes an appearance in college courses that aim to examine modern British and American literature. Only in recent years have the fantasies of J.R.R. Tolkien and his friend, C.S. Lewis, made their way into college syllabi alongside T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land or F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This volume aims to situate Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings within the literary period whose sensibility grew out of the 19th-century rise of secularism and industrialism, which culminated in the cataclysm of world war. During a pivotal moment in the history of Western culture, both Tolkien and his contemporaries--the literary modernists--engaged with the past in order to make sense of the present world, especially in the wake of World War I. While Tolkien and the modernists share many of the same concerns, their responses to the crisis of modernity are often antithetical. While the work of the modernists emphasizes alienation and despair, Tolkien's work underscores the value of fellowship and hope.

Jesus and the Powers

Jesus and the Powers
Author: N. T. Wright
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2024-03-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310162254

An urgent call for Christians everywhere to explore the nature of the kingdom amid the political upheaval of our day. Should Christians be politically withdrawn, avoiding participation in politics to maintain their prophetic voice and to keep from being used as political pawns? Or should Christians be actively involved, seeking to utilize political systems to control the levers of power? In Jesus and the Powers, N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird call Christians everywhere to discern the nature of Christian witness in fractured political environments. In an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crises, Jesus is king, and Jesus’s kingdom remains the object of the church's witness and work. Part political theology, part biblical overview, and part church history, this book argues that building for Jesus's kingdom requires confronting empire in all its forms. This approach should orient Christians toward a form of political engagement that contributes to free democratic societies and vigorously opposes political schemes based on autocracy and nationalism. Throughout, Wright and Bird reflect on the relevance of this kingdom-oriented approach to current events, including the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the China-Taiwan tension, political turmoil in the USA, UK, and Australia, and the problem of Christian nationalism.

Ancient Symbology in Fantasy Literature

Ancient Symbology in Fantasy Literature
Author: William Indick
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0786492333

Archetypal symbols in ancient myths as well as the folktales, nursery stories, and fairytales of the Middle Ages are the blueprints of modern fantasy literature. This book explores the modern dreamscape of present-day fantasy, using the ancient myths and traditional fairytales as guides and shining the light of psychological insight onto every symbolic figure and theme encountered. Chapters are dedicated to all of the significant archetypes: heroes and princesses, fairy godmothers and evil witches, wizards and dark lords, magic, and magical beasts are all explored. The analyses and interpretations are informed by classic psychoanalytic studies; the works of fantasy literature examined in this book include the most popular and influential in the genre.

Frodo's Wound

Frodo's Wound
Author: Krishnan Venkatesh
Publisher:
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-10
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780881468014

Why do lovers of J.R.R. Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy return to it again and again through their lives? Why does each rereading seem more nourishing? FRODO'S WOUND is a collection of essays that approaches these questions from various angles. It argues that while epic conflict and heroic warriors may provide the initial allure to the book, what lingers and deepens with each reading is its emotional complexity, its knowledge of loss and grief, and its yearning for something only dimly understood. Uniquely, it is a study of Tolkien that barely mentions Christianity and assumes no broad knowledge of the mythological world of Middle-earth. Instead, the book offers a series of close readings that reveal Tolkien's subtlety and sensitivity, and does not shy away from probing the significance of his occasional clumsiness. FRODO'S WOUND shows why Tolkien is a great writer, and why THE LORD OF THE RINGS is really a book for older adults--indeed, for anyone who has ever lost their way.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford
Author: Brad Duke
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2008-07-15
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786440481

Harrison Ford has been labeled one of the top 100 stars of all time, the sexiest man alive, and the highest-grossing actor in the history of film, yet he still has the appeal of an average guy to whom the common man can relate. He has worked in more than 40 films, as well as in narration roles, documentaries, award shows, and television appearances. He has won more than two dozen awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. This biographical and filmographic work covers Ford's personal life and career, concentrating on his efforts in the film industry. It examines in great detail more than 30 films, including American Graffiti, the several Star Wars outings, Blade Runner, The Fugitive, and Air Force One. It discusses the films' inceptions, writing, casting, sets, schedules, stunts, filming obstacles, openings, earnings, controversies, and reviews. Quotes and intimate anecdotes from the casts and crews are an added bonus. Numerous photographs, a complete film and television listing, a bibliography and index complete the work.

A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien

A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien
Author: Stuart D. Lee
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 590
Release: 2020-06-02
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1119656028

This is a complete resource for scholars and students of Tolkien, as well as avid fans, with coverage of his life, work, dominant themes, influences, and the critical reaction to his writing. An in-depth examination of Tolkien’s entire work by a cadre of top scholars Provides up-to-date discussion and analysis of Tolkien’s scholarly and literary works, including his latest posthumous book, The Fall of Arthur, as well as addressing contemporary adaptations, including the new Hobbit films Investigates various themes across his body of work, such as mythmaking, medieval languages, nature, war, religion, and the defeat of evil Discusses the impact of his work on art, film, music, gaming, and subsequent generations of fantasy writers