The Literary Role of History in the Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien

ISBN-13: 9781032597683 / Twarda / 2023 / 248 str.

Nicholas Birns

Opis

This volume analyzes the literary role played by history in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. It argues that the events of The Lord of the Rings are placed against the background of an already-existing history, both in reality and in the fictional worlds of the books.

Recenzje

"Nicholas Birns explores diverse and wide-ranging visions of history in Tolkien’s works, including Roman, Mediterranean, Semitic, and Byzantine influences, thus significantly expanding the conventional focus in Tolkien studies on the early Germanic world, while his discussion of the Goths and Lombards provides a detailed and nuanced account of Tolkien’s interest in Germanic histories. Various chapters offer different historical contexts and sometimes surprising insights, such as 18th-century politeness in Théoden and the hobbits; 19th-century Romanticism in the nature-loving Silvan Elves; 20th-century philologists and Tolkien, and the shocking effect of Appendix F in Lord of the Rings. Select a chapter or read the entire book, which examines history in the real world and inside the fiction, from Númenor to the last days of the Dwarves, and suggests ways in which history can be read as an analogue, a limitation, or a creative inspiration for our understanding of Tolkien and his fiction."

--Anna Smol, Mount Saint Vincent University

Spis treści

1. History in the Archives and On The Road  2. Forehistories: Prehistory to the Pre-Roman  3. From Ulfilas to Appendix F: How Tolkien Yearned for, and Gave Up, the Goths  4. Interhistories; Tolkien, Byzantium, and The Worlds of Modern Fantasy  5. Hobbits, the Rohirrim, and the Modern Histories of Politeness  6. Sylvan Historians: The Silvan Elves in Nature and History  7. Philology and History: Tolkien, Auerbach, Said  8. Afterhistories: Or, Why 　Moria Was Not Restored?　

O autorze

Nicholas Birns teaches at New York University and is the author of many books and articles of literary criticism, including co-editing the Cambridge Companion to the Australian Novel.