" J.R.R. Tolkien's zeal for medieval literary, religious, and cultural ideas deeply influenced his entire life and provided the seeds for his own fiction. In Tolkien's Art, Chance discusses not only such classics as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, but focuses on his minor works as well, outlining in detail the sources and influences--from pagan epic to Christian legend-that formed the foundation of Tolkien's masterpieces, his "mythology for England."
Jane Chance, the Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Chair in English at Rice University, has taught medieval literature for forty years, first, at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, after receiving her Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois in 1971, and then at Rice University, beginning in 1973. Former first President and founder of the Consortium for the Teaching of the Middle Ages, Inc., Chance has published twenty-one books and nearly a hundred articles and book reviews, on mythography and the Latin influence on medieval literary culture, Old and Middle English literature, Chaucer, medieval women, and modern medievalism (Tolkien in particular). Winner of many awards and national fellowships, she has edited three book series, most recently the Praeger Series on the Middle Ages, and served as Vice President of the Texas Faculty Association. She serves on several editorial boards, including those for PMLA and postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies.
Jane Chance lives in Galveston and pursues her interests in photography and historic architecture. She lives in a house built by Sam Houston's great nephew, Major Samuel Moore Penfield, which has been awarded Landmark status by the city of Galveston and the Texas Historic Commission. She won the Galveston Historic Foundation award for historical preservation in the construction of her new garage.
