Tolkien research
The works ofJ. R. R. Tolkienhave generated a body of research covering many aspects of hisfantasywritings. These encompassThe Lord of the RingsandThe Silmarillion,along withhis legendariumthat remained unpublished until after his death, andhis constructed languages,especially theElvish languagesQuenyaandSindarin.Scholars from different disciplines have examined the linguistic and literary origins ofMiddle-earth,and have exploredmany aspects of his writingsfromChristianitytofeminismandrace.
Biographical[edit]
Biographies of Tolkien have been written byHumphrey Carpenter,with his 1977J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography[1]and of Tolkien's wartime years byJohn Garthwith his 2003Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth.[2]Carpenter edited the 1981The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien,assisted byChristopher Tolkien.[3]The brief period after the war when Tolkien worked for theOEDis detailed in the 2006 bookThe Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English DictionarybyPeter Gilliver,Jeremy Marshall andEdmund Weiner.[4]
On Tolkien's writings[edit]
Institutions[edit]
A variety of institutions have developed to support Tolkien research. These includeThe Tolkien SocietyandThe Mythopoeic Society.Tolkien archives are held in theBodleian LibraryinOxford[5]andMarquette UniversityinMilwaukee, Wisconsin.[6] Publishers of scholarly books on Tolkien includeHoughton Mifflin,McFarland Press,Mythopoeic Press,Walking Tree Publishers,Palgrave MacMillan,andKent State University Press.[7]
Journals[edit]
Early publications on Tolkien's writing were essentially fanzines; some, such asMythlore,founded in 1969, developed into scholarlypeer-reviewed(refereed) technical publications; among the "reputable"[7]journals isMallorn[7]by theTolkien Society.Other specialised journals includeTolkien Studies(2004–) andJournal of Tolkien Research(2014–). There are several journals that focus on the literary societyThe Inklings,of which Tolkien was a member, especiallyJournal of Inklings Studies(2011–).[7]
Conferences[edit]
In 1992, the Tolkien Society and the Mythopoeic Society held a joint conference for the centenary of Tolkien's birth, combining papers that were published in the conference proceedings,[8]with a mixed programme of events over a period of eight days, 17–24 August 1992, in Oxford. The Mythopoeic Society has been holding conferences in the U.S. (and once in Canada) nearly annually since 1970. In recent years some conferences have been virtual.[9]
Omentielvais a European bi-yearly conference on research into Tolkien's invented languages.[10]
Fields[edit]
A large literature examines Tolkien'sMiddle-earthfantasy fiction from numerous points of view. Some scholars have investigated itsphilologicalroots in languages such asOld NorseandOld English.[11]Others have exploredits influences from literatureof periods fromclassicalandmedievaltoantiquarianandmodern.Many have examinedits themesincludingits poetry,itsChristian symbolism,issues offeminism,race,andsexuality,and questions such as Tolkien's theory ofsound and language.Others again have studied theliterary devicesthat Tolkien used, such as his use offrame stories,interlacing of narrative,and his intentional creation of anImpression of depth.[12][13][14]These are overviewed in Blackwell's 2014A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien,[14]which effectively marked his acceptance into the English literary canon.[15]
Constructed languages[edit]
Tolkien's constructed languages,QuenyaandSindarin,the main languages ofElves,have inspiredlinguisticresearch.Parma EldalamberonandVinyar Tengwarare published by theElvish Linguistic Fellowshipof theMythopoeic Societya non-profit organization. TheVinyar TengwarandParma Eldalamberonmaterial published at an increasing rate during the early 2000s is from the stock of linguistic material in the possession of the appointedteam of editors(some 3000 pages according to them), consisting of photocopies sent them byChristopher Tolkienand notes taken in theBodleian Libraryaround 1992. An Internetmailing listdedicated to Tolkien's languages, called tolklang, has existed since November 1, 1990.[16]
Bibliography[edit]
Major introductory books[edit]
- Drout, Michael D. C.,ed. (2013) [2007]. "Tolkien Scholarship: Institutions".J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment.Routledge.ISBN978-0-415-86511-1.
- Flieger, Verlyn;Hostetter, Carl F.,eds. (2000).Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth.Greenwood Press.ISBN978-0-313-30530-6.
- Flieger, Verlyn(1983).Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World.Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing.ISBN978-0-8028-1955-0.
- Hammond, Wayne G.;Christina Scull(2005).The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion.HarperCollins.ISBN978-0-00-720308-6.
- Hammond, Wayne G.;Scull, Christina(2006b).The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Reader's Guide.London:HarperCollins.ISBN0-007-14918-2.
- Lee, Stuart D.,ed. (2020) [2014].A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien.Wiley Blackwell.ISBN978-1119656029.
- Olsen, Corey(2012).Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.Boston:Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.ISBN978-0-547-73946-5.
- Pesch, Helmut W.(2003).Elbisch – Grammatik, Schrift und Wörterbuch der Elben-Sprache J.R.R. Tolkiens(in German). Bergisch Gladbach: Bastei-Lübbe.ISBN3-404-20476-X.
- Shippey, Tom(1982).The Road to Middle-earth.George Allen and Unwin.ISBN978-0-04-809018-8.(Revised and expanded 1992, 2005)
- Solopova, Elizabeth(2009).Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and Literary Background of J. R. R. Tolkien's Fiction.New York City:North Landing Books.ISBN978-0-9816607-1-4.
- Whittingham, Elizabeth A.(2008).The Evolution of Tolkien's Mythology: A Study of the 'History of Middle-earth'.McFarland.ISBN978-1-4766-1174-7.
Journals[edit]
- Current
- Tolkien Studies(ISSN1547-3155,West Virginia University Press)[17]
- Mythlore(ISSN0146-9339,Mythopoeic Society)[18]
- Journal of Tolkien Research(ISSN2471-934X,Valparaiso University)[19]
- Mallorn(ISSN0308-6674,The Tolkien Society)[7][20][21]
- Vinyar Tengwar(ISSN1054-7606,Elvish Linguistic Fellowship)[22]
- Transitory
- Fastitocalon: Studies in Fantasticism Ancient to Modern: Immortals and the Undeadbriefly existed in the 2010s.[23][24]
References[edit]
- ^"Tolkien Bibliography: 1977 - Humphrey Carpenter - J.R.R. Tolkien: a biography".The Tolkien Library.Retrieved1 November2016.
- ^Garth, John(2003).Tolkien and the Great War: the threshold of Middle-earth.London:HarperCollins.ISBN978-0-00-711953-0.OCLC54047800.
- ^Carpenter, Humphrey,ed. (2000). "Letter 294".The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien.Houghton Mifflin.ISBN978-0-618-05699-6.
- ^Gilliver, Peter (2006).The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary.Oxford:Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-861069-4.
- ^Barella, Cecilia (2013) [2007]. "Tolkien Scholarship: Institutions". InDrout, Michael D. C.(ed.).J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment.Routledge.pp. 656–659.ISBN978-0-415-86511-1.
- ^"J R R Tolkien Collection - Marquette University Libraries".Marquette UniversityLibraries. 30 November 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 2022-02-26.Retrieved25 January2021.
- ^abcdeCroft, Janet Brennan(2016)."Bibliographic Resources for Literature Searches on J.R.R Tolkien".Journal of Tolkien Research.3(1). Article 2.
- ^Proceedings ofThe J. R. R. Tolkien Centenary Conference1992– separate articles(out of print);– single PDF with index
- ^GoodKnight, Glen H.;Reynolds, Patricia (15 October 1996)."Editorial".Mythlore.21(2): article 1.
- ^Omentielva
- ^Solopova 2009.
- ^Drout, Michael D. C.,ed. (2006).The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment.New York City:Routledge.pp. xxix–xxx.ISBN0-415-96942-5.
- ^Hammond & Scull 2006b.
- ^abLee 2020.
- ^Higgins, Andrew (2015)."A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien, ed. Stuart D. Lee, reviewed by Andrew Higgins".Journal of Tolkien Research.2(1). Article 2.
- ^Bradfield, Julian."The Tolkien Language List".Quettar.org.Retrieved25 January2021.
- ^Tolkien StudiesatWest Virginia University Press
- ^Mythlore
- ^Journal of Tolkien Research
- ^Mallorn
- ^At its issue #15,Tolkien Journalmerged withMythlore.
- ^Vinyar Tengwar
- ^Petersen, Vibeke Rützou (2012)."Review of Fastitocalon. Studies in Fantasticism Ancient to Modern: Immortals and the Undead 1.2 (2010): 91–200".Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts.23(2 (85)): 334–337.ISSN0897-0521.JSTOR24352949.
- ^Croft, Janet Brennan(2010)."Review of Fastitocalon: Studies in Fantasticism Ancient to Modern: Immortals and the Undead".Mythlore.29(1/2 (111/112)): 188–192.ISSN0146-9339.JSTOR26815554.
External links[edit]
- The home page of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship,which publishes the journalsParma Eldalamberon,Vinyar Tengwar,andTengwestie,and sponsors the discussion list, Lambengolmor (discussion list launched 29 May 2002, archives atlambengolmor-l)
- Tolkien's Linguistic Writings and Draftsby Ryszard Derdzinski
- TolkienBooks.net Chronological Book Index- a comprehensive index of Tolkien Publications
- A List of Tolkien's Unpublished and Slightly Published Manuscriptsby Lisa Star (concentrates on linguistic materials)
- Publicationsof the Tolkien Society (UK)
- Tolkien Studiesat Signum University
- The Tolkien Professorwebsite, offering free materials fromCorey Olsen's courses at Signum University