J.R.R. Tolkien: A Critical Study

Description

There is a very great deal we can learn by examining an author’s sources, to which countless source studies of Beowulf, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, James Joyce, and many others stand as proof. But this book J.R.R Tolkien: A Critical Study is about examining his all works. His works were made, what right do we have to gainsay him? Finding a satisfactory answer to that question is partly the subject of this collection. For the moment, suffice it to say that we believe scholars have every right, and moreover, that the value of what we can learn about an author and his works, as well as greater appreciation this engenders. This critical study is concerned with both the theory and the practice of source criticism, as applied to the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. Over the past forty years or so, source study has emerged as one of the most popular approaches in Tolkien studies. And with good reason, for it has long been known that Tolkien drew from a wide range of disparate sources in the construction of his legendarium from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and beyond. An understanding of the sources Tolkien utilized, as well as how and why he incorporated them can enhance readers’ appreciation of his works immeasurably. There has long been a need for a carefully constructed book that addresses two basic aspects of this specialized field of Tolkien studies. First, it should describe the theory and methodology for proper source criticism of Tolkien’s works. Second, it should demonstrate source criticism, translating theory into praxis.