Synopses & Reviews
Middle Earth, Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo: The places and characters that sprang from the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien will live forever in the imaginations of millions of readers. In
Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, Michael Stanton, a scholar of science fiction and fantasy literature, offers an extraordinary encounter with
The Lord of the Rings. Believing that there is no epic of contemporary literature to match
The Lord of the Rings, Stanton delves critically into the richness of the story. He explores the intricacies of its dialogue and illuminates the idiosyncratic nature of it characters. He looks at places, dreams, notions of time and history. Eschewing academic jargon, Stanton provides an intriguing look at Tolkien's fantasyscape that ultimately shows how all of these parts meld into a singularly compelling work of art that lives and breathes. For those who have read and loved
The Lord of the Rings, Stanton embarks on an exploration of Tolkien's genius, painting a rich and wonderful critical portrait of the world he created, a portrait that no one who truly hopes to understand Tolkien's vision will want to be without.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [191]-193) and index.
About the Author
Michael Stanton has been teaching English literature at the University of Vermont since 1971. During his tenure there, he inaugurated the standard course on science fiction and fantasy literature and has taught Tolkien's
The Lord of the Rings every year. He has written on science fiction and fantasy literature as well as on Dickens and Melville.
Table of Contents
Part One * Acknowledgements * Preface * Backgrounds * Geography, History, Theme *
The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue and Book One *
The Fellowship of the Ring: Book Two * A Short Interlude *
The Two Towers: Book Three *
The Two Towers: Book Four *
The Return of the King: Book Five *
The Return of the King: Book Six *
Part Two * The Elves * The Dwarves * The Ents * Humankind * Darkness, Evil, and Forms of the Enemy * On Languages * Mind, Spirit, and Dream in
The Lord of the Rings * Hobbits in Hollywood: The
Fellowship Film * Afterword * Notes * Bibliography * Index
Part One * Acknowledgements * Preface * Backgrounds * Geography, History, Theme * The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue and Book One * The Fellowship of the Ring: Book Two * A Short Interlude * The Two Towers: Book Three * The Two Towers: Book Four * The Return of the King: Book Five * The Return of the King: Book Six * Part Two * The Elves * The Dwarves * The Ents * Humankind * Darkness, Evil, and Forms of the Enemy * On Languages * Mind, Spirit, and Dream in The Lord of the Rings * Hobbits in Hollywood: The Fellowship Film * Afterword * Notes * Bibliography * Index