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English Language and Literature Commons

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Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in English Language and Literature

The Balance Of Spectacle And Empathy: Writing And Revising The Stone Skinned: A Novel, James Tickle Dec 2023

The Balance Of Spectacle And Empathy: Writing And Revising The Stone Skinned: A Novel, James Tickle

Honors Program Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.


Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography (2023) By Holly Ordway, Tom Emanuel Dec 2023

Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography (2023) By Holly Ordway, Tom Emanuel

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Tom Emanuel, of Tolkien's Faith (2023) by Holly Ordway


J.R.R. Tolkien's Utopianism And The Classics (2023) By Hamish Williams, Dennis Wilson Wise Nov 2023

J.R.R. Tolkien's Utopianism And The Classics (2023) By Hamish Williams, Dennis Wilson Wise

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Dennis Wilson Wise, of J.R.R. Tolkien's Utopianism and the Classics (2023) by Hamish Williams.


Sam's Song In The Tower: The Significance Of 'Merry Finches' In J.R.R. Tolkien's _Lord Of The Rings_, Jane Beal Phd Nov 2023

Sam's Song In The Tower: The Significance Of 'Merry Finches' In J.R.R. Tolkien's _Lord Of The Rings_, Jane Beal Phd

Journal of Tolkien Research

In The Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee climbs the Tower of Cirith Ungol to try to rescue his master and friend, Frodo Baggins, who has been taken captive by Orcs. When Sam is near despair because he cannot find Frodo, Sam sings a song that makes reference to “merry finches.” What is the significance of this phrase in his lyrics? To answer this question, my essay first explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s ornithological knowledge, especially of finches in England, which is readily demonstrated from a letter he wrote to his son, Christopher Tolkien (July 7, 1944), about his observations of bullfinches …


Otherworldly But Not The Otherworld: Tolkien’S Adaptation Of Medieval Faerie And Fairies Into A Sub-Creative Elvendom, Elliott Thomas Collins Oct 2023

Otherworldly But Not The Otherworld: Tolkien’S Adaptation Of Medieval Faerie And Fairies Into A Sub-Creative Elvendom, Elliott Thomas Collins

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Through a comparative analysis of Lothlorien and the medieval stories of Lanval and Sir Orfeo, this article attempts to shed some light on how the inherently pessimistic and recursive nature of Tolkien's sub-creation affects his adaptation of medieval Faerie into a sub-creative elvendom born of the creative instincts of the elves. In doing so, the article also questions Tolkien's adherence to parameters of Faerie and characteristics of elves as laid out in OFS.


Translating The Hobbit (2023) By Mark T. Hooker, Arden R. Smith Aug 2023

Translating The Hobbit (2023) By Mark T. Hooker, Arden R. Smith

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Arden R. Smith, of Translating The Hobbit (2023) by Mark T. Hooker


Twenty-First Century Receptions Of Tolkien (2022), Edited By Will Sherwood, Kristine Larsen Jun 2023

Twenty-First Century Receptions Of Tolkien (2022), Edited By Will Sherwood, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Kristine Larsen, of Twenty-first Century Receptions of Tolkien (2022), edited by Will Sherwood


Tolkien And Diversity (2023), Edited By Will Sherwood, Kristine Larsen Jun 2023

Tolkien And Diversity (2023), Edited By Will Sherwood, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Kristine Larsen, of Tolkien and Diversity (2023) edited by Will Sherwood


The Interplay Between Language And Culture In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, Mackenzie Wangberg Jun 2023

The Interplay Between Language And Culture In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, Mackenzie Wangberg

Masters Theses

The construction of detailed languages was a lifelong passion of J.R.R. Tolkien. While creating the world of Middle-earth, he assigned different languages to the various cultures which inhabit this fantasy landscape. He carefully matched languages and cultures to try to elicit particular responses from his audience. It is well known that J.R.R. Tolkien wanted certain languages of Middle-earth to sound beautiful and others to sound ugly. Research so far, however, has not answered why the specific phonemes, or sounds, which Tolkien chose for these languages might cause the specific reactions he intended. I have used Tolkien’s influences to explain why …


Exploring Friendships In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Novels And Adaptations: A Study In Social Media, Fandoms, And Variations, Ashley D. Anderson Jun 2023

Exploring Friendships In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Novels And Adaptations: A Study In Social Media, Fandoms, And Variations, Ashley D. Anderson

Student Theses

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy and their adaptations all reveal the importance of friendship and fandom. Utilizing theorists Walter Benjamin and Henry Jenkins the friendship theme is seen in the various stylistic elements in the films and novels; additionally, a look into the fandom presence on social media, their knowledge, and merchandise reveals why the stories have continued to interest audiences over many generations.


The Mythopoeic Code Of Tolkien: A Christian Platonic Reading Of The Legendarium (2021), By Jyrki Korpua, John Wm. Houghton Apr 2023

The Mythopoeic Code Of Tolkien: A Christian Platonic Reading Of The Legendarium (2021), By Jyrki Korpua, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by John Wm. Houghton, of The Mythopoeic Code of Tolkien: A Christian Platonic Reading of the Legendarium (2021), by Jyrki Korpua


The Gallant Edith Bratt: J.R.R. Tolkien’S Inspiration By Nancy Bunting And Seamus Hamill-Keays, María Fernández Portaencasa Apr 2023

The Gallant Edith Bratt: J.R.R. Tolkien’S Inspiration By Nancy Bunting And Seamus Hamill-Keays, María Fernández Portaencasa

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.


Gollum From Medieval Tragedy To Liberal Tragedy In J. R. R. Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings, Masoud Tadayoni, Mohsen Hanif Apr 2023

Gollum From Medieval Tragedy To Liberal Tragedy In J. R. R. Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings, Masoud Tadayoni, Mohsen Hanif

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium represents different archetypal myths that constitute a diverse treasury of literary genres. Tragedy in variegated forms also appears in many of his mythological tales and characters. Gollum in The Lord of the Rings experiences a unique instance of tragedy when it is compared with Tolkien’s earlier sketches of the genre. We demonstrate that the character Gollum sustains a twofold type of tragedy that originates from Tolkien’s perception of medieval and modern spirits of thought. Raymond Williams in Modern Tragedy draws upon historical traditions of tragedy to survey different characteristics of “modern tragedy”. According to him, the cornerstones …


Nólë Hyarmenillo: An Anthology Of Iberian Scholarship On Tolkien (2022), Edited By Nuno Simões Rodrigues, Martin Simonson, And Angélica Varandas., Marjorie Burns Mar 2023

Nólë Hyarmenillo: An Anthology Of Iberian Scholarship On Tolkien (2022), Edited By Nuno Simões Rodrigues, Martin Simonson, And Angélica Varandas., Marjorie Burns

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Marjorie Burns, of Nólë Hyarmenillo: An Anthology of Iberian Scholarship on Tolkien (2022), edited by Nuno Simões Rodrigues, Martin Simonson, and Angélica Varandas.


Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology Through Mythology With The Maker Of Middle-Earth (2022) By Austin M. Freeman, Thomas Honegger Jan 2023

Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology Through Mythology With The Maker Of Middle-Earth (2022) By Austin M. Freeman, Thomas Honegger

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Thomas Honegger, of Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology through Mythology with the Maker of Middle-earth (2022) by Austin M. Freeman