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What Members Thought
The title of this book is not as overblown as it sounds; Shippey is making the case for Tolkien as "an author of the century, the twentieth century, responding to the issues and the anxieties of that century." He puts Tolkien in a group of influential "traumatized authors" who tended to write fantasy and fable because they were convinced that this was the only way to address their experiences. Shippey also discusses Tolkien's ancient sources. I'm familiar with a few of them (Beowulf, some other ...more
I decided to not read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings for the first time in 10 years! (Not sure this was a good idea; I missed it!) I wanted to read something Tolkien-related though. This was a great choice. It was incredibly interesting and incredibly dense. It took a long while to get through, piece by piece, but was worth it.
I particularly enjoyed the exploration of Tolkien’s apparent views on evil. Fascinating, relevant, and inspiring.
The author knows so much about the topics; he’s a ...more
I particularly enjoyed the exploration of Tolkien’s apparent views on evil. Fascinating, relevant, and inspiring.
The author knows so much about the topics; he’s a ...more
Dec 27, 2011
Anthony
marked it as to-read
Mar 15, 2012
Nesrine Muhammad
marked it as to-read
Nov 15, 2013
Bill Forgeard
marked it as future-reference
Feb 22, 2014
Alan
marked it as to-read
Jul 17, 2015
Glen
marked it as to-read
