Literature in English, British Isles Commons^™

Critical Insights: The Lord Of The Rings (2022), Edited By Robert C. Evans, Mariana Rios Maldonado

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Mariana Rios Maldonado, of Critical Insights: The Lord of the Rings (2022), edited by Robert C. Evans

The Great Tales Never End: Essays In Memory Of Christopher Tolkien (2022), Edited By Richard Ovenden And Catherine Mcilwaine, Douglas C. Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien (2022), edited by Richard Ovenden and Catherine McIlwaine

The Silmarillion By J.R.R. Tolkien And Shahnameh By Firdausi: A Sadraic Interpretation Of Free Will And Determinism, Mohsen Hanif, Masoud Tadayoni

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Fate, doom, and free will have always proved to be controversial terms among philosophers. The chief problem is whether a deterministic power prescribes the destiny of creatures or they possess pure free will in shaping their destinies. Mulla Sadra, a 17th century Iranian philosopher, believes in a blending of determinism and free will which he develops in the terms of Qaza and Qadar respectively. He introduces a model of fate through which determinism and free will equally participate. Using the human soul as a model, Mulla Sadra points out that people meet their fate through several factors, one of which …

Tolkien, Enchantment, And Loss: Steps On The Developmental Journey (2022) By John Rosegrant, Marilyn R. Pukkila

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Marilyn R. Pukkila, of Tolkien, Enchantment, and Loss: Steps on the Developmental Journey (2022) by John Rosegrant

Switzerland In Tolkien's Middle-Earth: In The Footsteps Of His Adventurous Summer Journey In 1911 (2021) By M.S. Monsch, Christina Scull &. Wayne G. Hammond

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, of Switzerland in Tolkien's Middle-earth: In the Footsteps of His Adventurous Summer Journey in 1911 (2021) by M.S. Monsch.

The Gallant Edith Bratt: J.R.R. Tolkien’S Inspiration (2021) By Nancy Bunting And Seamus Hamill-Keays, Wayne G. Hammond &. Christina Scull

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, of The Gallant Edith Bratt: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Inspiration (2021) by Nancy Bunting and Seamus Hamill-Keays.

Tolkien As A Literary Artist (2021) By Thomas Kullmann And Dirk Siepmann, John R. Holmes

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by John R. Holmes of Tolkien as a Literary Artist: Exploring Rhetoric, Language and Style in "The Lord of the Rings" (2021) by Thomas Kullman and Dirk Siepmann

A Sense Of Tales Untold: Exploring The Edges Of Tolkien's Literary Canvas (2021) By Peter Grybauskas, Dennis Wilson Wise

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Dennis Wilson Wise of A Sense of Tales Untold: Exploring the Edges of Tolkien's Literary Canvas (2021) by Peter Grybauskas

Adapting Tolkien (2021), Edited By Will Sherwood, Douglas C. Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Douglas C. Kane of Adapting Tolkien (2021), edited by Will Sherwood

Musical Scores And The Eternal Present (2021) By Chiara Bertoglio, Brad Eden

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Bradford Lee Eden of Musical Scores and the Eternal Present (2021) by Chiara Bertoglio

The Nature Of Middle-Earth (2021) By J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited By Carl F. Hostetter, Douglas C. Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of The Nature of Middle-earth (2021), by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Carl F. Hostetter

Tolkienian Glôssology: Or A Study Of The Primitive Elvish Vocabulary Of Tolkien’S Qenya Lexicon And Gnomish Lexicon From The Late 1910’S, The Precursors Of Quenya And Sindarin (2020), By Mark T. Hooker, Andrew Higgins

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Andrew Higgins, of Tolkienian Glôssology (2020) by Mark T. Hooker

J.R.R. Tolkien's "Homecoming" And Modern Alliterative Metre, Anna Smol, Rebecca Foster

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son” is a modern English alliterative verse drama written in the metre of Old English poetry and demonstrating his interest in versification and his skill in writing original alliterative verse in new and versatile ways. Tolkien’s originality also lies in his use of alliterative metre in a play, a genre not written by the early English; in fact, “The Homecoming” is Tolkien’s only published drama as well as historical fiction. While Tolkien bases this work on historical events recounted in the Old English poem “The Battle of Maldon,” he also uses his drama …

Tolkien And The Classical World (2021), Edited By Hamish Williams, John Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by John Wm. Houghton, of Tolkien and the Classical World (2021), edited by Hamish Williams

Middle-Earth, Or There And Back Again (2020) Edited By Łukasz Neubauer, Marjorie Burns Professor Emerita

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Marjorie Burns, of Middle-earth, or There and Back Again (2020) edited by Łukasz Neubauer.

Tolkien's Cosmology: Divine Beings And Middle-Earth (2020) By Sam Mcbride, Matthew Dickerson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Matthew Dickerson of Tolkien's Cosmology: Divine Beings and Middle-earth (2020) by Sam McBride

A Wilderness Of Dragons: Essays In Honor Of Verlyn Flieger (2018), Edited By John D. Rateliff, Deidre A. Dawson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Deidre A. Dawson, of A Wilderness of Dragons: Essays in Honor of Verlyn Flieger (2018), edited by John D. Rateliff

Tolkien's Work On The Oxford English Dictionary: Some New Evidence From Quotation Slips, Rachel A. Fletcher

Journal of Tolkien Research

This article presents previously undiscussed material, in the form of citation slips, relating to Tolkien’s work on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The separation of these slips from the OED archives means that they have been almost entirely overlooked, and their relevance to Tolkien studies has not been recognised. Nevertheless, they have the potential to be a valuable resource, especially for understanding the specialist skills Tolkien brought to the dictionary as a scholar of Old English. One item is of particular biographical interest, as it suggests that Tolkien was carrying out work for the OED earlier than previously …

‘Written In A Fair Hand’: The Living Tradition Of Medieval Scripts In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Calligraphy, Eduardo B. Kumamoto

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper examines J.R.R. Tolkien’s calligraphic work in the light of the medieval scripts that possibly or certainly inspired him, aiming to demonstrate how his art was informed by the philological and paleographical dimensions. At first, we explore the context in which Tolkien’s calligraphic skills flourished. After that, the influence of the Anglo-Saxon Square Minuscule, the Insular Half-uncial, and the Uncial scripts is investigated by means of examples taken from Tolkien’s illustrations and manuscripts. The impact of the English Carolingian Minuscule, via Edward Johnston’s Foundational Hand, is also discussed. In the last section, the lettering in the maps prepared for …

Re-Enchanted: The Rise Of Children's Fantasy Literature In The Twentieth Century (2019) By Maria Sachiko Cecire, Andrew Higgins

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Andrew Higgins, of Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children's Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century (2019), by Maria Sachiko Cecire

"Saint Galadriel?: J.R.R. Tolkien As The Hagiographer Of Middle-Earth", Jane Beal Phd

Journal of Tolkien Research

Abstract: Galadriel is perceived in different, sometimes contradictory ways both within the world of Middle-earth and the world of Tolkien scholarship. In some ways, she is a liminal figure, on the threshold between Middle-earth and Valinor, and between secular and sacred influences from the primary world Tolkien actually lived in. One neglected context that may help readers to understand Tolkien’s characterization of Galadriel is the medieval cult of the saints.

The cult of the saints provides specific practices and beliefs that shaped how Tolkien consciously characterized Galadriel as saint-like, especially in terms of her beauty, holiness, and power. Her saintliness …

Simon & Samwise: Big Damn Heroes, Andrew Peterson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Joss Whedon’s seminal TV show Firefly, based on Michael Shaara’s book The Killer Angels, has interesting parallels to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In both tales, nine disparate people band together on a journey to topple a tyrannical force while protecting a hero burdened with the means to end the struggle against a mighty oppressor. Each hero is blessed with a loyal protector who fiercely defends his charge from threats from within their fellowship and from the world at large. A closer look will reveal the similarities between River Tam and Frodo Baggins and between …

Creation And Beauty In Tolkien's Catholic Vision: A Study Of The Influence Of Neoplatonsim In J.R.R. Tolkien's Philosophy Of Life As “Being And Gift” (2020) By Michael John Halsall, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by John Wm. Houghton of Creation and Beauty in Tolkien's Catholic Vision: A Study of the Influence of Neoplatonsim in J.R.R. Tolkien's Philosophy of Life as “Being and Gift” by Michael John Halsall

Utopian And Dystopian Themes In Tolkien's Legendarium (2020), By Mark Doyle, John D. Rateliff

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by John D. Rateliff of Utopian and Dystopian Themes in Tolkien's Legendarium (2020) by Mark Doyle

"The Sweet And The Bitter": Death And Dying In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings (2018) By Amy Amendt-Raduege; And Fantasies Of Time And Death: Dunsany, Eddison, Tolkien (2020) By Anna Vaninskaya, Kris Swank

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book reviews by Kris Swank of "The Sweet and the Bitter": Death and Dying in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (2018) by Amy Amendt-Raduege; and Fantasies of Time and Death: Dunsany, Eddison, Tolkien (2020) by Anna Vaninskaya

Bombadil And Bible Stories: A Biblical Function For Tom Bombadil Within Frodo’S Quest, Clive Shergold

Journal of Tolkien Research

This essay probes the purpose of the encounter between Tom Bombadil and Frodo and his friends, within the overall narrative of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. It asks: Why do the hobbits encounter Tom at this point in their journey? Why does Tom rescue, care for, equip and send them on? Why does Tom not accompany them further, and why does he never meet them again? Then it proposes an explanation based on comparisons with Bible stories that include theophanies and angelic appearances, and shown to provide answers to the questions, and suggestions for Tom Bombadil’s wider …

Tolkien's Lost Chaucer (2019) By John M. Bowers, Nelson Goering

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Nelson Goering of Tolkien's Lost Chaucer (2019) by John M. Bowers

On Ways Of Studying Tolkien: Notes Toward A Better (Epic) Fantasy Criticism, Dennis Wilson Wise

Journal of Tolkien Research

This article examines major academic approaches used in the study of J.R.R. Tolkien. It argues that certain themes from political philosopher Leo Strauss, by helping us to develop a new theoretical lens, can elucidate several politically salient aspects of Tolkien's work, including thymos and his dialectic between ancient and modern. Four previous (though flawed) Straussian interpretations of Tolkien are highlighted. Finally, by analyzing the tensions that arise when pairing critical theory and its attendant bias against nature with Tolkien and epic fantasy, this article argues for the timeliness of a Straussian lens for studying fantasy and Tolkien alike.

Music In Tolkien's Works And Beyond (2019), Edited By Julian Eilmann And Friedhelm Schneidewind, William Sherwood

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Will Sherwood, of Music in the Works of Tolkien and Beyond (2019) edited by Julian Eilmann and Friedhelm Schneidewind

Tolkien And The Classics (2019) Edited By Roberto Arduini, Giampaolo Canzonieri And Claudio A. Testi, Luke Shelton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Luke Shelton, of Tolkien and the Classics (2019), edited by Roberto Arduini, Giampaolo Canzonieri and Claudio A. Testi