English Language and Literature Commons^™

Reading Tolkien In Chinese: Religion, Fantasy, And Translation (2024) By Eric Reinders, Giovanni Carmine Costabile

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Giovanni Carmine Constabile, of Reading Tolkien in Chinese: Religion, Fantasy, and Translation (2024) by Eric Reinders

Mapping Middle-Earth: Environmental And Political Narratives In J. R. R. Tolkien’S Cartographies (2024) By Anahit Behrooz, Stefan Ekman

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Stefan Ekman, of Mapping Middle-earth (2024) by Anahit Behrooz

“Giving Up Their Dead”: _The Homecoming Of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’S Son_ And _A Sleep Of Prisoners_, Janet Brennan Croft

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son (published in 1953, though substantially written by 1945) is perhaps studied more frequently for its critical apparatus (the introduction on the Battle of Maldon titled “Beorhtnoth’s Death” and the postscript on ofermod) and as a source for Tolkien’s thoughts on war and heroism than as an actual play to be performed. Recently Tolkien’s own recording of the play, performing both voices and including sound effects, became more widely available, encouraging us to consider it AS a play again.

Christopher Fry’s A Sleep of Prisoners (1951) shares a number of characteristics with …

Germanic Heroes, Courage, And Fate: Northern Narratives Of J.R.R. Tolkien’S Legendarium (2024) By Richard Z. Gallant, Andrew Higgins

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Andrew Higgins, of Germanic Heroes, Courage, and Fate: Northern Narratives in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium (2024) by Richard Z. Gallant

The Literary Role Of History In The Fiction Of J.R.R. Tolkien (2024), By Nicholas Birns, Thomas Honegger

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Thomas Honegger, of The Literary Role of History in the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien (2024) by Nicholas Birns

From Imagination To Faërie: Tolkien’S Thomist Fantasy (2022) By Yannick Imbert, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by John Wm. Houghton, of From Imagination to Faërie: Tolkien’s Thomist Fantasy (2022) by Yannick Imbert

Gifted Amateurs And Other Essays On Tolkien, The Inklings, And Fantasy Literature (2023), By David Bratman, Douglas Charles Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of Gifted Amateurs and Other Essays on Tolkien, the Inklings, and Fantasy Literature (2023), by David Bratman

Translating And Illustrating Tolkien (2023) Ed. By Will Sherwood, Arden R. Smith

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Arden R. Smith, of Translating and Illustrating Tolkien (2023), ed. by Will Sherwood

Tolkien: Uomo, Professore, Autore (2023), Ivano Sassanelli

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Ivano Sassanelli, of Tolkien: Uomo, Professore, Autore (2023)

Tolkien And The Relation Between Sub-Creation And Reality (2023), Edited By Guiseppe Pezzini And Eden O'Brien, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by John Wm. Houghton, of Tolkien and the Relation between Sub-Creation and Reality (2023), edited by Guiseppe Pezzini and Eden O'Brien

George R.R. Martin And The Fantasy Form (2019) By Joseph Rex Young And Tweaking Things A Little: Essays On The Epic Fantasy Of J.R.R. Tolkien And G.R.R. Martin (2023), By Thomas Honegger, Andrew Higgins

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Andrew Higgins of George R.R. Martin and the Fantasy Form (2019) by Joseph Rex Young and Tweaking Things a Little (2023) by Thomas Honegger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 …

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.

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

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

The Fall Of Númenor (2022) By J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited By Brian Sibley, Douglas C. Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of The Fall of Númenor (2022) by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Brian Sibley

The Enigma Of Goldberry: Tolkien’S Narrative Braiding Of Genre- And Symbol-Related Vocabularies In The Withywindle River-Daughter, Derek Simon

Journal of Tolkien Research

The enigma of Goldberry continues to stimulate diverse readings of her narrative in the Withywindle Cottage episode. The root contention of this article is that Goldberry’s enigma is textured through Tolkien’s complex narrative braiding of multiple genre- and symbol-specific vocabularies woven together throughout her episode. The effort to interpret the enigma of Goldberry needs to be grounded in the philological, lexical, and thematic signifiers circulating in her storyline. These mythopoeic signifiers are variously conveyed by the genre- and symbol-related vocabularies influencing her enigma in the narrative. Where much of the critical commentary has justifiably considered a single strand of source …

Law, Government, And Society In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Works (2022), By José María Miranda Boto, Douglas C. Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of Law, Government, and Society in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Works (2022) by José María Miranda Boto.

Tolkien, Race, And Racism In Middle-Earth (2022) By Robert Stuart, Dimitra Fimi

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Dimitra Fimi, of Tolkien, Race, and Racism in Middle-earth (2022) by Robert Stuart