Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) [Hardcover]

Verlyn Flieger (Editor), Carl F. Hostetter (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy | Publication Date: January 30, 2000

As a scholar of medieval languages and literature, J.R.R. Tolkien brought to his fiction an intense interest in myth and legend. When he died in 1973, he left behind a vast body of unpublished material related to his fictive mythology. Now edited and published as The History of Middle-earth by his son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, these 12 volumes provide a record of the growth of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology from its beginnings in 1917 to the time of his death more than 50 years later. The material in these volumes offers an unparalleled insight into Tolkien's process of myth-making and is a guide to the world of his literary works. This book is the first comprehensive critical examination of Christopher Tolkien's compilation of his father's Middle-earth legends. An opening essay by Rayner Unwin, Tolkien's publisher for many years, surveys the publication history of the collection. The essays that follow, each written by an expert contributor, explore a wide range of topics related to The History of Middle-earth. Included are discussions of Tolkien's languages, the evolution of his vision over time, the shifting importance of central characters, and the effect of his mythology on The Lord of the Rings. By exploring this mythological compendium, the volume sheds further light on the entire body of J.R.R. Tolkien's works and is a valuable resource for all readers interested in his writings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[t]he first sustained to demonstrate the importance of the HOME series for the study of Tolkien's work....[p]rovides a varied though traditional selection of potential approaches to the newly available material of the HOME series. As such, it is a good start and establishes a bridgehead on the new continent that has appeared out of the Tolkien-archives. It also makes clear that much work remains to be done-be this in the area of traditional scholary research, or in the implementation of more recent critical approaches, such as the 'death of the author' or the 'unstable text'....[a] step into the right direction and it is to be hoped that the dialogue wil continue.”–Fleisch La chair Flesh

“This excellent study is aimed at the middle level of Tolkien scholarship....[A]nd should make an excellent addition to the college library.”–Beyond Bree

“[T]hese analyses are refreshingly free of turgid prose or theoretical bias. The author's obvious appreciation for their subjects of study does not preclude either ritical acuity or scholarly rigor....[T]his is a well-produced book on acid-free paper--both its physical package and its intellectual content are designed to last.”–The Monthly Bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society

“These essays are rich in complexity and detail and are recommended for college-level students of Tolkien's writings....An excellent set of technical discussions on the inviting world of Tolkien.”–Reviewer's Bookwatch

About the Author

VERLYN FLIEGER is Professor of English at the University of Maryland, where she teaches courses in Tolkien, Medieval Literature, Comparative Mythology, and Fantasy and Science Fiction.

CARL F. HOSTETTER is a computer scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press; First Edition edition (January 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313305307
• ISBN-13: 978-0313305306
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,330,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some *REAL* scholarship here!, October 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) (Hardcover)

Good Tolkien criticism is sadly rare. Given the amount of fan fluff that's out there, this collection of 14 essays, edited by well-established Tolkien scholars Verlyn Flieger and Carl Hostetter, comes as welcome relief. The essays, all of which are based to varying degrees on the mammoth 12-volume _History of Middle-Earth_ (hereafter abbreviated as HoME) that was recently completed by Christopher Tolkien are divided up into three main sections. Section 1 deals directly with the contents of HoME and what it tells us about Tolkien's creative processes, the history of his ideas and his constantly niggling and tweaking of them. Mostly, these essays help 'make sense' out of the complex assemblage of texts, fragments, etc., that make up HoME. One essay also considers the literary value of HoME, raising the thorny question of whether it's useful only as a scholarly tool or whether there is some actual literary merit to the drafts and fragments contained within. Section 2 is rather short and has three essays on Tolkien's invented languages, focussing on how HomE contributes to our understanding of the development of those languages. The last section deals with more conventionally literary questions, specifically examining how the material in HoME sheds light on questions about plot, influences, sources, structure, etc. A particularly insightful essay here is Paul Thomas's essay on Tolkien's narrative voices in the The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and the various drafts thereof-- noting specifically how (and speculating on why) Tolkien changed the nature of the narrative voice between drafts and final product. A few essays in this latter group revisit topics that have already been discussed near-exhaustively (e.g. the influence of Germanic mythologies on Tolkien), but the scholarship is sound and rigorous all the way through. Highly recommended to Tolkien scholars and to Tolkien fans who want an example of what *real* scholarship (as opposed to fannish pseudo-scholarship a la Michael Martinez) looks like.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for all Tolkien fans and scholars!, January 22, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) (Hardcover)

These essays are rich in complexity and detail and are recommended for college-level students of Tolkien's writings: they discuss the history of his Middle-Earth world, from the concept of Elvish language and the structure of Elvish verse to Tolkien's lyric poetry. An excellent set of technical discussions on the inviting world of Tolkien.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, November 24, 2004

By 

Critic (Hacienda Heights, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) (Hardcover)

The price is pretty steep for this text, and that will scare plenty of people away from buying it from a major book distributor. Still, that should not prevent them from checking it out at their local library. The contributions from various scholars are great, particularly, for me, the chapter, "Gandalf and Odin." If I can ever use it in a class, I will. Good stuff, I say.