J.R.R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances: Views of Middle-Earth(Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy)

Although Tolkien's literary works have, over the past few decades, attracted a considerable and varied body of criticism, much of this material is inaccessible, unreflective, and repetitive. Most criticism has concentrated on his sources and biographical influences, but such studies generally do not look beyond his interest in medieval literature. Nonetheless, Tolkien's writings have links and resonances with the whole of English literature from Old Norse traditions to contemporary literary thought. This book corrects a striking imbalance in Tolkien scholarship by placing his works within a larger literary context. The volume ranges over the entire history of English literature, including oral narrative tradition, Anglo-Saxon poetry, medieval romance, Renaissance poetics, 19th-century adventure stories, modern art, and contemporary fantasy. Each chapter is written by an expert contributor who demonstrates Tolkien's relation to an earlier literary movement and examines the literary resonances of his works from a variety of informed perspectives. By grounding Tolkien's writings within the larger canon of literature, the book argues that his works actually fall within the mainstream literary tradition.

Table of Contents:
Introduction by Daniel Timmons Tolkien the Bard: His Tale Grew in the Telling by C. W. Sullivan III The Dragon-Lore of Middle-earth: Tolkien and Old English and Old Norse Tradition by Jonathan Evans J.R.R. Tolkien and the True Hero by George Clark Tolkien's Versecraft in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Geoffrey Russom The Monsters Are Talismans and Transgressions: Tolkien and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Roger C. Schlobin The Sins of the Middle-earth: Tolkien's Use of Medieval Allegory by Charles W. Nelson Is Tolkien a Renaissance Man? Sir Phillips Sidney's Defense of Poetry and J.R.R. Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" by Tanya Caroline Wood Weaving Nets of Gloom: "Darkness Profound" in Tolkien and Milton by Debbie Sly Gagool and Gollum: Exemplars of Degeneration in King Solomon's Mines and The Hobbit by William N. Rogers II and Michael R. Underwood "Joy Beyond the Walls of the World": The Secondary World-Making of J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis by David Sandner Taking the Part of Trees: Eco-Conflict in Middle-earth by Verlyn Flieger Women Fantasists: In the Shadow of the Ring by Faye Ringel Loss Eternal in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth by W.A. Senior Orcs, Wraiths, Wights: Tolkien's Images of Evil by Tom Shippey Bibliography Index

About the Author :
GEORGE CLARK is Professor Emeritus and Adjunct in English at Queen's University at Kingston. He has published a book on Beowulf and numerous scholarly articles. DANIEL TIMMONS is Communication Instructor at Ryerson Polytechnic University. He has published articles and reviews on Tolkien, William Golding, and the theory of the fantastic.