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English Language and Literature

1996

The Hobbit

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

The Critical Response To Tolkien's Fiction, Wayne G. Hammond Oct 1996

The Critical Response To Tolkien's Fiction, Wayne G. Hammond

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

This paper illustrates, primarily by reviewing reviews from The Hobbit to “The History of Middle-earth”, how Tolkien’s critics have approached his works and popularity. The paper also briefly comments on the state of Tolkien criticism in its second half-century.


Point Of View In Tolkien, Christine Barkley Oct 1996

Point Of View In Tolkien, Christine Barkley

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

Many stories are told by more than one teller in Tolkien's works. This paper compares different versions to see what areas of interest or emphasis arise, and what differences might be explained by the specific interests or culture of the teller. The paper also evaluates which kinds of stories are told most often by which tellers.


Publishing Tolkien, Rayner Unwin Oct 1996

Publishing Tolkien, Rayner Unwin

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

During the last thirty years of the Professor’s life, but especially towards the end, Rayner Unwin met, talked with, and worked for, J.R.R. Tolkien. It was a business relationship between author and publisher, but increasingly it became a trusting friendship as well. In an ideal world authors and publishers should always act in partnership. This certainly happened between Professor Tolkien and George Allen & Unwin, but in some respects, the speaker explains, the collaboration had very unusual features.


Power And Knowledge In Tolkien: The Problem Of Difference In "The Birthday Party", Jane Chance Oct 1996

Power And Knowledge In Tolkien: The Problem Of Difference In "The Birthday Party", Jane Chance

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

It is not altogether clear from reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time how political the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo are, even in the introductory chapter “A Long-expected Party”. For there exist power struggles among the different hobbit families in the Shire, absurd in some cases, significant in others. One mark of the ability of Bilbo and Frodo is their sensitivity to the politics of the Shire, a faculty bom of nurture and nature that will enable Frodo’s mission and attract followers. This paper will reveal how Tolkien’s understanding of leadership rests upon what might be termed …


Eating, Devouring, Sacrifice, And Ultimate Just Desserts, Marjorie Burns Oct 1996

Eating, Devouring, Sacrifice, And Ultimate Just Desserts, Marjorie Burns

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

Bilbo’s fear of being eaten is expanded in The Lord of the Rings to include the Dark Lord’s “devouring”. In both the nursery sense of being “eaten up” and in the more sophisticated sense of enslavement, Tolkien uses this theme to discuss selfhood and free will, and to separate those who serve from those who consume and possess.