A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien

The new edition of the definitive academic companion to Tolkien's life and literature A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien provides readers with an in-depth examination of the author's life and works, covering Tolkien's fiction and mythology, his academic writing, and his continuing impact on contemporary literature and culture. Presenting forty-one essays by a panel of leading scholars, the Companion analyzes prevailing themes found in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, posthumous publications such as The Silmarillion and The Fall of Arthur, lesser-known fiction and poetry, literary essays, and more. This second edition of the Companion remains the most complete and up-to-date resource of its kind, encompassing new Tolkien publications, original scholarship, The Hobbit film adaptations, and the biographical drama Tolkien. Five entirely new essays discuss the history of fantasy literature, the influence of classical mythology on Tolkien, folklore and fairytales, diversity, and Tolkien fandom. This Companion also: Explores Tolkien's impact on art, film, music, gaming, and later generations of fantasy fiction writers Discusses themes such as mythmaking, medieval languages, nature, war, religion, and the defeat of evilPresents a detailed overview of Tolkien's legendarium, including Middle-earth mythology and invented languages and writing systemsIncludes a brief chronology of Tolkien's works and life, further reading suggestions, and end-of-chapter bibliographiesA Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien, Second Edition is essential reading for anyone formally studying or teaching Tolkien in academic settings, and an invaluable resource for general readers with interest in Tolkien's works or fans of the films wanting to discover more.

Dr Stuart Lee is a senior member of the Faculty of English at the University of Oxford. He is a teacher and researcher in the areas of Fantasy Literature, War Poetry, Old English, and Digital Humanities. He has published extensively on all of these and most recently edited the 4-volume Critical Assessments of Major Writers: J. R. R. Tolkien for Routledge (2017), and The Keys of Middle-earth (2nd edition) with Elizabeth Solopova. He has led many major Digital Humanities research projects since 1996, most notably a series of digital crowd-sourcing initiatives across Europe, and The First World War Poetry Digital Archive. He is also the Deputy Chief Information Officer at Oxford and a joint Trustee of the Wilfred Owen Estate.

Acknowledgments ix Notes on Contributors xi Editorial Practices and Abbreviations xviii Bibliography xix Abbreviations xx Brief Chronology of the Life and Works of J.R.R. Tolkien xxii Introduction to the Second Edition xxxiv Part I: Life 1 1 A Brief Biography 3
John Garth Part II: The Academic 19 2 Academic Writings 21
Thomas Honegger 3 Tolkien as Editor 34
Tom Shippey 4 Manuscripts: Use and Using 48
Stuart D. Lee Part III: The Legendarium 65 5 Myth-making, Sub-creation, and World-building 67
Carl Phelpstead 6 Middle-earth Mythology: An Overview 79
Leslie A. Donovan 7 The Silmarillion: Tolkien's Theory of Myth, Text, and Culture 93
Gergely Nagy 8 The Hobbit: A Turning Point 104
John D. Rateliff 9 The Lord of the Rings 116
John R. Holmes 10 Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth: A Lifetime of Imagination 127
Elizabeth A. Whittingham 11 "The Lost Road" and "The Notion Club Papers": Myth, History, and Time-travel 140
Verlyn Flieger 12 Poetry 152
Corey Olsen 13 "Minor" Works 166
Maria Artamonova 14 Invented Languages and Writing Systems 177
Arden R. Smith Part IV: Context 189 15 Fantasy: An Introduction 191
Edward James 16 Classical Literature 203
Hamish Williams 17 "On Fairy-stories" and Folktale Research 214
Juliette Wood 18 Old English 224
Mark Atherton 19 Middle English 235
Elizabeth Solopova 20 Old Norse 247
Tom Birkett 21 Finnish: The Land and Language of Heroes 260
Leena Kahlas-Tarkka 22 Celtic: "Celtic Things" and "Things Celtic" - Identity, Language, and Mythology 271
J. S. Lyman-Thomas 23 The English Literary Tradition: Shakespeare to the Gothic 283
Nick Groom 24 Earlier Fantasy Fiction: Morris, Dunsany, and Lindsay 297
Rachel Falconer 25 The Inklings and Others: Tolkien and His Contemporaries 309
David Bratman 26 Later Fantasy Fiction: Tolkien's Legacy 324
Dimitra Fimi 27 Periodizing Tolkien: The Romantic Modern 337
Anna Vaninskaya Part V: Critical Approaches 353 28 The Critical Response to Tolkien's Fiction 355
Patrick Curry 29 Style and Intertextual Echoes 374
Allan Turner 30 The Hero's Journey 386
Anna Caughey 31 Evil 399
Christopher Garbowski 32 Nature 410
Liam Campbell 33 Religion: An Implicit Catholicism 424
Pat Pinsent 34 War 437
Janet Brennan Croft 35 Women 448
Adam Roberts 36 Difference and Otherness 460
Christopher Vaccaro 37 Art 472
Christopher Tuthill 38 Music 485
Bradford Lee Eden 39 Film Adaptations: Theatrical and Television Versions 497
Kristin Thompson 40 Games: Playable Arda 511
Péter Kristóf Makai 41 Fandom 525
Cait Coker General Bibliography 535 Index 544