Recent polls have consistently declared that J.R.R. Tolkien is "the most influential author of the century," and The Lord of the Rings is "the book...
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Dec 13, 2007
Martine
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Tom Shippey is a Professor of Philology at Oxford, specialising in Old English and Old Norse. So he was well placed to explain what made J.R.R. Tolkien, himself a Professor of Philology at Oxford, tick. By analysing the texts Tolkien himself read and translated, Shippey introduces the reader to Tolkien's literary and linguistic sources of inspiration, many of which can be traced in The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien works. Other chapters focus on historical, political, ethical and religious
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Jun 01, 2010
Michael
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A lot of interesting stuff going on in here, and this book made it clearer to me just how complex Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth was. For any fan of LOTR, this is a good read.
That said, the title is silly. What the shit does it mean to be "author of the century"? I was left unconvinced after finishing the book. Tolkien has made a contribution that created its own GENRE, and there's definitely something to be said for that. And the books have stood the test of time More...
That said, the title is silly. What the shit does it mean to be "author of the century"? I was left unconvinced after finishing the book. Tolkien has made a contribution that created its own GENRE, and there's definitely something to be said for that. And the books have stood the test of time More...
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Sep 20, 2010
Margaret
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This is a marvelous examination and celebration of the works of the man who has often been declared the most influential author of the century. Shippey seeks to support this claim by exploring Tolkien's writings in detail, from The Hobbit book: The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, to the lesser-known works like Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wootton Major.
Shippey is himself a scholar in the same area as Tolkien, and this gives him a deep familiarity with the works and lan More...
Shippey is himself a scholar in the same area as Tolkien, and this gives him a deep familiarity with the works and lan More...
Aug 10, 2010
Kirsten
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 04, 2011
This book was extremely helpful, aside from a few dry moments. Despite all of the criticisms of Tolkien, the critics can't really explain why his books remain and are re-read while the avant-garde stuff definitionally sucks after a year.
Pros:
1) Excellent discussion of the Christian doctrine(s!) of evil.
2) Fun to watch the language games (though this gets old after a while .
3) The discussion on the "war horn" was stirring (pun intended).
Cons:
1) Some sections (like the first 50 pa More...
Pros:
1) Excellent discussion of the Christian doctrine(s!) of evil.
2) Fun to watch the language games (though this gets old after a while .
3) The discussion on the "war horn" was stirring (pun intended).
Cons:
1) Some sections (like the first 50 pa More...
Aug 15, 2009
Tifany
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This is a great book both for Tolkien fans, and fans of science fiction and fantasy in general, as a nice portion of it is devoted to the ghettoization of genre fiction in critical venues. The title refers to a poll in the UK of significant authors of the twentieth century in which Tolkien came out as the top runner, flabbergasting the academy. The larger portion of the book is devoted to exploring Tolkien's use of philology to reconstruct a missing mythology of England (as opposed to Norse or
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May 04, 2010
Jackmccullough
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I didn't quite know what to expect here, but I was thinking more of a biography, which this isn't.
If you don't know Tolkien's work pretty well you won't get much from this, unless you're reading Tolkien right along with Shippey. This is a scholarly and analytic exploration of Tolkien, and pretty much all of Tolkien. Shippey talks a little about where the books came from, and a lot about where some of the ideas in the books came from, and an exploration of how Tolkien's studies in his More...
If you don't know Tolkien's work pretty well you won't get much from this, unless you're reading Tolkien right along with Shippey. This is a scholarly and analytic exploration of Tolkien, and pretty much all of Tolkien. Shippey talks a little about where the books came from, and a lot about where some of the ideas in the books came from, and an exploration of how Tolkien's studies in his More...
Jul 24, 2011
Justin
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Tom Shippey believes J.R.R. Tolkien is the author of the century and does not care who knows it. After laying out the case against—the opinions of literati and the intellectual elite, many of whom obviously never read Tolkien—Shippey moves on to the case for—facts regarding The Lord of the Rings sales figures and its dominance of pretty much any reader survey.
Written by one of Tolkien’s academic successors, Author of the Century is not a biography of J.R.R. Tolkien. Rather, it take More...
Written by one of Tolkien’s academic successors, Author of the Century is not a biography of J.R.R. Tolkien. Rather, it take More...
Apr 11, 2010
Timothy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 19, 2011
Sherwood
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I really appreciate Shippey's view of Tolkien. Of all the biographies of JRRT I resonate best with Shippey's. He's also intelligent on the writing itself, without slipping into Moorcockian sneer or hagiography.
It's more of an exploratory essay. He discusses what Tolkien's definition of philologist was: not just the quantifier of old words (to paraphrase) but those words within their literary context. Yes, it makes sense, and of course you see this attitude in everything Tolkien did: More...
It's more of an exploratory essay. He discusses what Tolkien's definition of philologist was: not just the quantifier of old words (to paraphrase) but those words within their literary context. Yes, it makes sense, and of course you see this attitude in everything Tolkien did: More...
Jun 21, 2009
Ryan Patrick
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I have been reading a fair bit of fantasy and science fiction lately, something that I have generally avoided for many years. It's not that "speculative fiction" is not interesting to me, but rather that I question its quality and such a use of my time. The books that I have been reading have been helping me to think about the nature of "literature." I'm not trained in literary criticism at all, so I really struggle to differentiate real literature - what I consider to be thi
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Oct 21, 2007
http://nhw.livejournal.com/148170.html[return][return]this is a very good book, well worth the investment. Shippey argues strongly that Tolkien wanted to achieve the same for the relationship of England with the history of English that Lönnrot did with the Kalevala for Finnish, or that the Grimm brothers (philologists as well as compilers of fairy-tales) did for German. He argues even more strongly, backed by empirical evidence of opinion polls and popular votes (and this was before the BBC Big R
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Nov 04, 2011
Valentina
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I liked Tom Shippey ever since I've watched him on The Lord of the Rings extended edition DVD-s(the Appendices). His understanding of Tolkien's work, his deep respect and love for the Professor is evident throughout the book. He offers us a fascinating insight into Tolkien's major works, ie. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion but also his shorter works, such as: Leaf by Niggle, Farmer Giles of Ham, and Smith of Wootton Major. Written in a clear and accessible style, J.R.R. To
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Aug 04, 2011
Jeff
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Very very interesting. It details how much of his motivation for creating the mythologies he did started from his interest in linguistics and creating languages, and then creating a place and a culture for those languages to exist. He wanted to create an natively English mythology, rather than having to rely on Norse or Roman constructs.
Mar 31, 2008
Kathy
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Tom Shippey is a Professor of Philology at Oxford. In fact, he holds the same professorship that Tolkien himself held. His analysis of the philological and linguistic inspiration for Tolkien's work is engaging and accessible. His argument for Tolkien's place among the authors of the century is convincing and sometimes subversive. I particularly enjoyed his comparison between Tolkien and Joyce, and I liked Shippey's common sense notion that the animus (or former animus) against Tolkien among
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Aug 06, 2011
Holly
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Shippey provides incredible insight into not only Tolkien's life but his mind. I particularly enjoyed the argument about the nature of evil as well as the chapter about The Hobbit. Reading this only made me love Tolkien's work more, and I think it really proves that Tolkien was truly a master of his craft!
Apr 27, 2011
Peggy
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A really fascinating analysis of tons of elements of Tolkien's works. Sometimes Shippey tries to fit too much into too little a space, but overall he makes some really interesting points.
May 13, 2011
Louise
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This is a very good read for me, and Shippey is a marvelous author, definitely a scholar but knows how to keep the reader on tenterhooks and gives useful information. I'm thinking of buying this.
Oct 24, 2011
Brice
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Do you like Tolkien's work?
Have you read more than just the Lord of the Rings?
Then read this, and the sky will erupt into champagne and butterflies.
Have you read more than just the Lord of the Rings?
Then read this, and the sky will erupt into champagne and butterflies.
Jan 06, 2012
Colin
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Great book for understanding the literary genius Tolkien was and why his stories continue to have such a great impact on our imagination and culture. You will never look at his writings the same way ever again!
May 02, 2010
Steve
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The title is silly, but once you get beyond that, it's a good read. Only made my appreciation for J.R.R. grow.
Aug 09, 2008
Robert
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Tolkien does not get much respect from the literati, but this book makes a pretty good case that the Lord of the Rings is underappreciated as literature. It delves into Tolkien's work on languages, and how that affected his writing process, and his development of the elvish languages within the book. If you are a LOTR fan, this is essential reading, but even if you are not, it will at least help you appreciate the complexity of what Tolkien accomplished.
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Nov 08, 2011
Steve
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A very useful background to Tolkien and TLoTR.
Shippey has the background in Anglo-Saxon and Middle English, so there are many great insights. Summary: LoTR grew out of Tolkien's assimiliation of Anglo-Saxon, and Norse literture and language.
Shippey has the background in Anglo-Saxon and Middle English, so there are many great insights. Summary: LoTR grew out of Tolkien's assimiliation of Anglo-Saxon, and Norse literture and language.
Oct 01, 2009
Sofia
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A book that demonstrates why Tolkien is so great? LOL, DEFINITELY my cup of tea.
Jun 05, 2009
Jill
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If you love philology or Tolkien's works, or both, you will find this a stunning read...
Feb 28, 2008
Kevin
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This is my first ever attempt at an entire book of literary critisism. While it was rather thick, and took awhile to get through, I very much enjoyed reading it. The book is pretty much the author's arguments as to why JRR Tolkien should be considered as the best author of the 20th century. I have to admit, he makes a very strong and convincing argument. Reading this makes me appreciate the Lord of the Rings story even more!
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Aug 14, 2010
Sara
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While it took a lot of concentration to get through this book it was one that was well worth the effort - I definitely feel like I understand Tolkien and his work after reading this, and it made me very eager to re-read his work, and possibly even dive into the Silmarillion (Shippey offers a kind of guide to reading it in this volume).
Interesting and compelling, but definitely not easy reading.
Interesting and compelling, but definitely not easy reading.
Sep 27, 2011
Mark
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A spirited defense of Tolkien's importance as an author. Shippey is a philologist, like Tolkien, and is able to shed much light on the philological studies that inspired Tolkien's work.
Feb 12, 2008
Heather
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You must like Tolkien AND linguistics to enjoy this book. It's less of a biography and more of an analysis about how Tolkien came up with his ideas and inspiration, as well as a great interpretation of the underlying themes in the Lord of the Rings. It also made me realize that I probably will never ever read the Silmarillion unless I decide to study Tolkien academically.
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