Tolkien's Intellectual Landscape

by E.L. Risden

Overview

The work of J.R.R. Tolkien has had a profound effect on contemporary fiction and filmmaking. Often disparaged by critics, Tolkien's fiction created a market for the "fantasy trilogy" and his academic work represents an innovative contribution to the field of philology. In the 20th century, his fiction bridged the gap between "learned" and "popular" readerships. Today the fantasy genre continues to grow--even as publishers cut back on creative fiction--moving energetically into film, gaming and online fan fiction. This book describes how Tolkien's imaginative landscape continues to entertain and inspire, drawing new generations to Middle-earth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476619989
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/07/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

E.L. Risden, emeritus professor of English at St. Norbert College, lives in De Pere, Wisconsin, where he continues to write literary and movie scholarship, speculative fiction, and occasional poetry.
E.L. Risden, emeritus professor of English at St. Norbert College, lives in De Pere, Wisconsin, where he continues to write literary and movie scholarship, speculative fiction, and occasional poetry.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction. The “Author of the Century” in His Century: Extending the Intellectual Landscape
1. Tolkien as Scholar, Narrator, Stylist
2. Heart of Darkness, Heart of Light: Externalizing the Internalized Quest
3. The World of the Text and the Expanding Waste Land
4. Tolkien on Heroism: Beorhtnoth, Aragorn, and Arthur
5. Epic, Faërie, and Myth: The Mortal and the Monstrous Body
6. Tolkien and Myth: Orientalism and Occidentalism
7. Good and Evil, Choice and Control
8. Teaching Tolkien and His World, and Why He Matters
Afterword. Mechanized Landscape and Spiritual Landscape—In Retrospect
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Highly recommended”—Choice; “there are many great nuggets of insight into Tolkien’s themes and techniques to be found here, and much else of great value besides”—Magonia; “this is a book which it is easy to commend...it is full of gems”—Journal of Tolkien Research.

From the Publisher