A detailed and fascinating journey to the roots of The Lord of the Rings, by award-winning Tolkien expert Professor Tom Shippey.

The Road to Middle-Earth is a fascinating and accessible exploration of J.R.R.Tolkien's creativity and the sources of his inspiration. Tom Shippey shows in detail how Tolkien's professional background led him to write The Hobbit and how he created a work of timeless charm for millions of readers. He discusses the contribution of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales to Tolkien's great myth-cycle, showing how Tolkien's more 'complex' works can be read enjoyably and seriously by readers of his earlier books, and goes on to examine the remarkable 12-volume History of Middle-earth by Tolkien's son and literary heir Christopher Tolkien, which traces the creative and technical processes through which Middle-earth evolved. The core of the book, however, concentrates on The Lord of the Rings as a linguistic and cultural map, as a twisted web of a story, and as a response to the inner meaning of myth and poetry.

By following the routes of Tolkien's own obsessions - the poetry of languages and myth - The Road to Middle-earth shows how Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, Grimm's Fairy Tales, the Elder Edda and many other works form part of a live and continuing tradition of literature. It takes issue with many basic premises of orthodox criticism and offers a new approach to Tolkien, to fantasy, and to the importance of language in literature.

This new edition is revised and expanded, and includes a previously unpublished lengthy analysis of Peter Jackson's film adaptations and their effect on Tolkien's work.

The definitive guide to the origin of J.R.R. Tolkien's books, from The Hobbit to The History of Middle-earth series -- includes unpublished Tolkien extracts and poetry. Charts the background to the writing of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and subsequent Tolkien volumes. The Lord of the Rings was voted 'The Nation's Big Read' and 'The Book of the Century', winning each vote with an overwhelming majority Published during The Lord of the Rings' 50th anniversary year Fully revised and updated by the author, and includes a brand new analysis of Peter Jackson's film trilogy Tom Shippey's profile raised through his appearances on The Lord of the Rings DVDs

About the Author

Professor Tom Shippey taught at Oxford, overlapping chronologically with Professor Tolkien and teaching the same syllabus, giving him an intimate familiarity with the poems and the languages which formed the main stimulus to Tolkien's imagination. He subsequently held the same Chair of English Language and Medieval Literature at Leeds University which Tolkien held early in his career, and currently holds the Walter J. Ong Chair of Humanities at Saint Louis University, USA.

Reviews

"Shippey's exploration of Tolkien's themes, especially the nature of evil, is superb" Independent

"Shippey's research seems limitless. He writes with unusual clarity and presents his arguments well" Sunday Times

"Shippey deepens your understanding of the work without making you forget your initial, purely instinctive response to Middle-earth and hobbits" Houston Chronicle

Book Information
ISBN 9780261102750
Author Tom Shippey
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 350g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 32mm