Tolkien : A Cultural Phenomenon

This comprehensive and discriminating account of Tolkien's work has been revised and expanded, to take account both of recent developments in scholarship, and of the recent films directed by Peter Jackson.

With the appearance of the remarkable movie version of The Lord of the Rings, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have risen to new heights of popularity, but Tolkien''s literary reputation is still bitterly contested. This comprehensive introduction to Tolkien aims to explain his work clearly, to analyse the mixed reception he has received from critics, and to suggest a positive but level-headed view of his importance as a literary figure. Written in a fluent and accessible style, it is designed for both students and scholars, and for the general reader.

It includes:

· an extended analysis of Tolkien''s greatest work, The Lord of the Rings;
· critical appraisals of his other creative writings, from The Hobbit and The Silmarillion to a host of shorter narratives and poems;
· a discussion of Tolkien''s life and career against the background of the twentieth century;
· a demonstration of the unity which underlies Tolkien''s ideas about art, religion, morality and politics; and
· an analysis of the cultural ''after-life'' of The Lord of the Rings, culminating in a discussion of Peter Jackson''s film adaptation