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TOLKIEN

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TOLKIEN

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Also by Brian Rosebury and from the same publisher

ART AND DESIRE: A STUDY IN THE AESTHETICS OF FICTION

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TOLKIEN

A Cultural Phenomenon

BRIAN ROSEBURY

Principal LecturerDepartment of Humanities

University of Central Lancashire

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© Brian Rosebury, 2003

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmittedsave with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under theterms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T4LP.

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication maybe liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published 2003 byPALGRAVE MACMILLANHoundmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010Companies and representatives throughout the world

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the PalgraveMacmillan division of St Martin’s Press LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Unionand other countries.

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataRosebury, Brian.

Tolkien : a cultural phenomenon / Brian Rosebury.–– 2nd ed.p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

1.Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892–1973––Criticism and interpretation. 2. Fantasy literature, English––History and criticism. 3. Middle Earth (Imaginary place) I.Title.

PR6039.O32Z8183 2003823'.91209––dc21

2003053574

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 212 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04

ISBN 978-1-4039-1263-3 ISBN 978-0-230-59998-7 (eBook)

DOI 10.1057/9780230599987

Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003 978-1-4039-1 - 9795

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For Janice,Tom and Will

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Contents

Acknowledgements and Abbreviations viii

Introduction 1

1 The Lord of the Rings: Imagining Middle-earth 11

2 The Lord of the Rings: Achieving the Narrative 60

3 Fiction and Poetry, 1914–73 89

4 Tolkien and the Twentieth Century 134

5 Tolkien in the History of Ideas 158

6 The Cultural Phenomenon 193

Further Reading (and Listening) 221

Notes 225Index 239

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Acknowledgements and Abbreviations

I am grateful to HarperCollins Publishers Ltd for permission toquote from their published works of J. R. R.Tolkien.

I acknowledge permission from Houghton Mifflin Company forquoting from the following: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R.Tolkien.Copyright © 1954, 1965 by J. R. R.Tolkien. Copyright © renewed1982 by Christopher R.Tolkien, Michael H. R.Tolkien and PriscillaM. A. R. Tolkien. Reprinted by permission of Houghton MifflinCompany. All rights reserved. The Two Towers, by J. R. R. Tolkien.Copyright © 1954, 1965 by J. R. R.Tolkien. Copyright © renewed1982 by Christopher R.Tolkien, Michael H. R.Tolkien and PriscillaM. A. R. Tolkien. Reprinted by permission of Houghton MifflinCompany.All rights reserved. The Return of the King, by J. R. R.Tolkien.Copyright © 1955, 1965 by J. R. R.Tolkien. Copyright © renewed1983 by Christopher R.Tolkien, Michael H. R.Tolkien and PriscillaM. A. R. Tolkien. Reprinted by permission of Houghton MifflinCompany. All rights reserved.

In quoting from Tolkien’s principal works I have used the followingeditions. Abbreviations used in the text and notes are shownhere. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd © J. R. R.Tolkien.

The Lord of the Rings, Second edition, 1966:The Fellowship of the Ring (FR)The Two Towers (TT)The Return of the King (RK)

The Hobbit, Fourth edition, 1946Farmer Giles of Ham, paperback edition, 1983

viii

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ABBREVIATIONS ix

Tree and Leaf, Second edition, 1988The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, paperback edition, 1990.Smith of Wootton Major, 1967The Silmarillion, 1977 (S)Unfinished Tales, 1980 (UT)Mr Bliss, 1982Roverandom, 1998

In the case of the series entitled The History of Middle-earth, I haveused the sole available edition: hardback and paperback versionsof these volumes have identical pagination. I have used thefollowing abbreviations:

The Book of Lost Tales I: (LT1)The Book of Lost Tales II: (LT2)The Lays of Beleriand: Lays

I owe warm thanks to many colleagues, students and friends: notleast to Ian Dennis, who introduced me to Tolkien’s work at ‘aformative age’ many years ago, and to Christopher Garbowski, forpersuading me to think further aboutTolkien in the late 1990s, andfor much recent encouragement. The final section of chapter 5 isbased on material presented to the English Department at MarieCurie-Skl/odowska University in Lublin, Poland: I am very gratefulfor their encouragement and hospitality. In expanding the book forthis second edition, I have benefited particularly from consultationwithTerry Hopton on parts of chapter 5, and Christopher Garbowskion both chapters 5 and 6. I have also learned much from the criticalenthusiasm and cultural awareness of the students in my Tolkienclass. Above all, I am deeply grateful to JaniceWardle, both for intel-lectual and for personal support, and to our sons Thomas andWilliam, for their enthusiasm and assistance with parts of chapter 6.For all errors and misjudgements, I am alone responsible.