The road to Middle-earth / Tom Shippey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shippey, T. A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973--Criticism and interpretation.

Tolkien, J. R. R.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973--Knowledge and learning.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973.

Fantasy literature, English--History and criticism.

Fantasy literature, English.

Middle Earth (Imaginary place).

Myth in literature.

Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

xviii, 398 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

Revised and expanded edition.

Place of Publication:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003.

Summary:

The Road to Middle-earth, Tom Shippey's classic work, now revised and expanded in paperback, explores J.R.R. Tolkien's creativity and the sources of his inspiration. Shippey shows in detail how Tolkien's professional background led him to write The Hobbit and create a timeless charm for millions of readers. He argues convincingly that the source of Tolkien's inspiration lay not just in his love of fable but in his love of language. While examining the foundations and literary structures of Tolkien's most popular work, The Lord of the Rings, in rich detail, Shippey also discusses the contribution of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales to Tolkien's great myth cycle, showing how the more "difficult" books can be fully appreciated. He goes on to examine the remarkable twelve-volume History of Middle-earth, written by Tolkien's son and literary heir Christopher Tolkien, which traces the creative and technical processes by which Middle-earth evolved.

Contents:

1 'Lit. and Lang.' 1

2 Philological Inquiries 28

3 The Bourgeois Burglar 55

4 A Cartographic Plot 94

5 Interlacements and the Ring 135

6 'When All Our Fathers Worshipped Stocks and Stones' 177

7 Visions and Revisions 223

8 'On the Cold Hill's Side' 271

9 'The Course of Actual Composition' 289

Appendix A Tolkien's Sources: The True Tradition 343

Appendix B Four 'Asterisk' Poems 353.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 362-379) and index.

ISBN:

0618257608

OCLC:

51855017