Tolkien in the New Century: Essays in Honor of Tom Shippey

Widely considered one of the leading experts on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Thomas Alan Shippey has informed and enlightened a generation of Tolkien scholars and fans. In this collection, friends and colleagues honor Shippey with 15 essays that reflect their mentor's research interests, methods of literary criticism and attention to Tolkien's shorter works. In a wide-ranging consideration of Tolkien's oeuvre, the contributors explore the influence of 19th and 20th century book illustrations on Tolkien's work; utopia and fantasy in Tolkien's Middle-earth; the Silmarils, the Arkenstone, and the One Ring as thematic vehicles; the pattern of decline in Middle-earth as reflected in the diminishing power of language; Tolkien's interest in medieval genres; the heroism of secondary characters; and numerous other topics. Also included are brief memoirs by Shippey's colleagues and friends in academia and fandom and a bibliography of Shippey's work.

Author: John Wm Houghton
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Published: 06/24/2014
Pages: 268
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780786474387
Audience: Young Adult

About the Author
John Wm. Houghton is Firestone Endowment Chaplain and chair of the department of religious studies and philosophy at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He lives in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Janet Brennan Croft is liaison to the school of communication and information and librarian for disability services and copyright at Rutgers University Libraries in North Brunswick, New Jersey. She has written on the Peter Jackson films, J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold, and other authors, and is editor or co-editor of five collections of literary essays and edits the refereed scholarly journal Mythlore. Nancy Martsch is the editor of Beyond Bree, newsletter of the J.R.R. Tolkien Special Interest Group of American Mensa. She lives in Sherman Oaks, California. John D. Rateliff is an independent scholar. He lives in Kent, Washington. Robin Anne Reid is a professor of literature and languages at Texas A&M University-Commerce. She lives in Commerce, Texas.


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