Product Description

Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review, Volume III is the third book in the first scholarly series published by an academic press for the purpose of presenting and reviewing the growing body orf critical commentary and scholarship about J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Essays in this volume include "Tolkienian Linguistics at 50" by Carl F. Hostetter, "Dream Visions of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings" by Amy M. Amendt-Raduege, "Three is Company: Novel, Fairy Tale, and Romance on the Journey through the Shire" by Martin Simpson, and "Beowulf as Fairy-Story: Enchanting the Elegaic in The Two Towers." Eleven essays, plus bibliography for 2004, the year’s work in review, and an extensive book review section.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1491673 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 278 pages

Customer Reviews

CELLAR DOOR
Again presenting a daunting range of ideas and interpretations of Tolkien, Volume III addresses details large and small. Opening with the remarkable "Fitting Sense to Sound" Ross Smith explores a dimension that is important to all communication and writing, including Tolkien's direct comments concerning sound, meaning and his lovely "cellar door". As the articles progress this volume proves to be the most difficult and abstract of the series to date. Many of these articles again provide a compelling new perspective -- especially Maria Prozesky's essay on the contrasts between oral and literate cultures. This essay reaches well beyond such implications as they apply to Tolkien's writing to trends within contemporary culture. Other articles felt a bit forced -- none more so than James Obertino's. His attempt to construct parallels between Tacitus' writings on the Romans in Germany, the interpretations of "barbarism" and various populations in "The Lord of the Rings" was, for me, hard to follow -- though I'm sure some worth exists. But overall, Studies Vol. III is another compelling and inviting edition that continues to demonstrate what a singular accomplishment Tolkien's work represents. And in addition to the essays this volume again contains reviews of other books -- a very helpful resource in exploring the vast number of ideas and topics the legendarium enfolds -- along with a summary of Tolkien Studies for the year 2003.

What is unusual this time out is the number of typos throughout the book. Among too many others, including rudimentary production problems like word spacing inconsistencies, is a recurring problem that is initially amusing and, by the end of the essay, flat out annoying. That is the persistent error of publishing the word "themselves" as "thems Elves." Indeed they is.