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J.R.R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings [Hardcover]

Harold Bloom , J. R. R. Tolkien
3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 1999 Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations
The struggle between good and evil in Middle Earth.

The title, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics. This collection of criticism also features a short biography on J.R.R. Tolkien, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.


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From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-Nine critics and scholars give various interpretive evaluations of the classic fantasy trilogy. Bloom honestly admits that he didn't enjoy the books, but many of the writers whose work is excerpted here do not share his views. Each author evaluates the Tolkien novels using different criteria, some discussing their appeal, some their literary merit. Each essay is well defined and laboriously researched, and each opinion is defended within its context. The credentials of the authors are available for perusal. The book is a useful tool for students needing to examine the themes and context of Tolkien's work.

Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Harold Bloom appears to have done little work and put very little thought into this collection of "Modern Critical Interpretations" of Tolkien. His so-called introduction is barely a page long and says nothing of the history of Tolkien criticism. He does not even explain why the included articles were chosen (and there are no introductions to individual articles either). In truth, his introduction is so short, supercilious, and devoid of substance that I do not believe it to even be a sincere scholarly effort-- it more has the character of something that was dashed off in 10-15 minutes.

Nor is a significantly greater effort evident in the selection of articles. The ten articles republished here are all 20-30 years old (written between 1968-1982) and do not reflect current (or even recent) trends in Tolkien criticism. That's not to say that they're bad or completely irrelevant, mind you. However, they are starting to show their age (especially the older ones, like Roger Sale's article and Paul Kocher's contributions, as well as the Jungian approach to ciriticism evidenced by the excerpt from Tim O'Neill's _The Individuated Hobbit_, and Anne C. Petty's application of Joseph Campbell's _Hero with the Thousand Faces_ and Vladimir Propp's _Morphology of the Folktale_ to Tolkien's fiction. Again, it's not that these are bad per se, but the kinds of approaches and methodologies they represent are pretty much passe-- both in literary criticism in general and in Tolkien studies in specific. They make some worthwhile observations, but they just seem old, tired, and a bit too well-worn. The one exception to this is an excerpt taken from Tom Shippey's excellent _The Road to Middle Earth_, one of the most recent works to be reflected here (published in 1982). In short, the essays included here have OK substance, but it's not entirely clear why Bloom chose such old ones-- or whether these were even the best old ones to choose.

All in all, there is enough substance in these old articles to interest a Tolkien fan or scholar in spite of their age-- however, don't expect a lot (or in fact, any) insight from Bloom himself on Tolkien's fiction or on the history of Tolkien criticism, because it just ain't there.

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By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Harold Bloom's name is on the cover, but his contribution to this volume is minimal at best. This book does not actually include any articles *by* Bloom, and his exceedingly brief introduction (barely 1 page long!) says nothing of substance. It does not even explain why the selected articles were chosen for republication or try to provide any sort of context for them-- something that introductions to collections of scholarly articles (especially when they are older articles) really are supposed to do.

The ten articles republished here are all 20-30 years old (written between 1968-1982) and do not reflect current (or even recent) trends in Tolkien criticism. That's not to say that they're bad or completely irrelevant, mind you. However, they are starting to show their age (especially the older ones, like Roger Sale's article, the contributions by Paul Kocher, as well as the Jungian approach to ciriticism evidenced by the excerpt from Tim O'Neill's _The Individuated Hobbit_, or by Anne C. Petty's application of Joseph Campbell's _Hero with the Thousand Faces_ and Vladimir Propp's _Morphology of the Folktale_ to Tolkien's fiction.) Again, it's not that these are bad per se, but the kinds of approaches and methodologies they are pretty much passe-- both in literary criticism in general and in Tolkien studies in specific. They make some worthwhile observations, but they just seem old, tired, and a bit too well-worn. The one exception to this is an excerpt taken from Tom Shippey's excellent _The Road to Middle Earth_, one of the most recent works to be reflected here. In short, the essays included here have decent substance, but it's not entirely clear why Bloom chose such old ones-- or whether these were even the best old ones to choose.

All in all, there is enough substance in these old articles to interest a Tolkien fan or scholar in spite of their age-- however, don't expect a lot (or in fact, any) insight from Bloom himself on Tolkien's fiction or on the history of Tolkien criticism, because it just ain't there.

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5.0 out of 5 stars In-depth analysis for students May 30 2001
Format:Hardcover
Three new additions to Harold Bloom's 'Modern CriticalInterpretations' series will reach high school into college levels, compiling critical articles from a variety of sources and offering the in-depth analysis students will need to assist on detailed reports of an author's single work. Joseph Heller's Catch 22 (0-7910-5927-8) provides articles which examine how the sane can survive under insane wartime circumstances; Elie Wiesel's Night (5924-3) gathers critical writings on his story of life in a Nazi concentration camp, and the focus on Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings (5665-1) considers the contents and impact of the three-volume epic fantasy. All include essays by notable critics who offer different interpretations and focus perfect for classroom discussion or essay pursuit.
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