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J.R.R. Tolkien's Arda illustrates how he incorporated and built on aesthetics, ideals, and philosophies that were, during his lifetime, associated with the Romantics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien is a celebration of Romanticism's multiplicity, offering fresh perspectives on Tolkien's relationship with English, Scottish, German, transatlantic, musical and artistic Romanticisms, working in concert to open up our discussions of Tolkien's Romantic Spirit. By embracing this approach, the volume avoids generalisations or vague definitions of Romanticism and the Romantic, paving the way for future scholarship that seeks to understand Tolkien's stylistic and thematic connections with Romanticism. The contributions to this volume by Elliott Greene, Valentina P. Aparicio, Lynn-Forest Hill, Sharin Schroeder, Mariana Rios Maldonado, Verlyn Flieger, Chiara Bertioglo, Annise Rogers, David Smith, Kacie Wills, Christopher Hagen, Adam Neikirk, John R. Holmes, Austin Freeman, Brandon Wernette, Eva Lippold and Nick Groom by no means exhaust the discussion on Tolkien's Romanticism. Rather, they aim to ignite further exploration by embracing Romanticism's ever-growing cast of voices and spirits.

The theory of Northern Courage was J.R.R. Tolkien's designation for the heroic ethos found in 'Germanic' or Northern heroic lays and epics. Tolkien admired the nobility of the old heroes, such as Beowulf, but wrestled with the inherent cruelty of the Welands, Ingelds, and Gunnars that is also expressed within this heroic framework. This volume explores the means in which this conflict of nobility and cruelty, virtue and vice, expresses itself in Tolkien's narrative fiction. Such means include the use of secondary-world chroniclers narrating a secondary-world history and tales to a secondary-world audience through illustrative narratives that dramatize the moral and ideological views of the narrators themselves. The narratives are often tragic, but they serve to highlight the different aspects of Northern courage through the examples of the Fingolfians, Fëanorians, and subsequently the Edain and Dúnedain. The moral and ideological views expressed by these secondary-world narrators parallel Tolkien's own personal correspondence and academic essays, which also criticized the vices and praised the virtues of Northern courage.

The present collection, Nólë Hyarmenillo ('Lore from the South' in Quenya), features essays written by Spanish and Portuguese scholars on diverse topics related to Tolkien and his legendarium, ranging from an analysis of film posters and adaptations, to studies of comparative literature, ecocritical analysis and the role and impact of Tolkien's works in contemporary subculture. As such, the anthology also reflects the growing bonds between two national communities of scholars, who over the past decade have consolidated research on Tolkien's legendarium at various large universities on the Iberian peninsula.

Law and government are aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien's works that have not received much scholarly attention. However, they are present in many facets of his sub-creation. In describing the various societies that populate it, Tolkien addressed aspects of their legal and governmental systems, such as the succession of kings, inheritance, or the Mayor of Michel Delving. In many cases, he did so to add a further thread to the rich tapestry of his descriptions.But in other cases, law appears as an important narrative element, functioning as a test of spirit for the characters who encounter it. Thus, the trial of Beregond reveals Aragorn's justice, while Turgon's ordering the execution of Ëol shows his ruthlessness.Law and philology appear together in several passages of Tolkien's work. It is no coincidence that the most relevant objects of his sub-creation, the One Ring and the Silmarils, are described in archaic legal terms. In parallel, law and the tools of government are used as a humorous element in other fragments.Law and government are, in short, present in Tolkien's work. They are not a central element, but, without what is studied in this book, Arda would have been much poorer.

Who was Edith Bratt? Millions saw Hollywood's fantasy version of J.R.R. Tolkien's one and only love, Edith Bratt, in the 2019 movie, Tolkien. Fact, though, is stranger than fiction, and more interesting. Edith's story reveals a gallant heroine suffering under "The Shadow of the Past." Edith was Ronald's "lover," and much like her mother, Edith risked all for the man she loved. New research finds a financially independent and strong woman who was not only John Ronald's equal, but his muse, his anchor of stability in the present, and his hope for the future. This presentation of Edith's life presents a new look at the previously censored depth of her passion with Ronald Tolkien that was ignited in 1909 at the Faulkner boarding house in Birmingham. The blow of their separation from 1910 to 1913 is seen as the likely impetus to Ronald Tolkien's escape into Fantasy with his invented languages, mythology, and art. Their reunion and commitment to a life together was the incentive that saved Ronald Tolkien from his years of partying and pranks in Oxford. Tolkien then imagined a new life in enchanted Kortirion/Warwick with Edith, lauded in poetry and blessed by the Elves. When World War I threatened to void all they had waited for, they became for each other the promise of a seemingly impossible future. Keeping a broader biographical scope leads to a recalibration of the importance and contributions of Tolkien's literary group, the TCBS, previously fostered by a tight focus on Tolkien's academic pursuits. Admirers, enthusiasts, and students of Tolkien will find much new material to enrich their understanding and appreciation of Tolkien. Placing the development of John Ronald Tolkien's Elvish languages, mythology, and art during the crucial years of 1916-18 in a new biographical context that includes the importance and significance of Edith Bratt culminates in the pivotal story of Lúthien and Beren with new unsuspected sources and the complementary artwork of The Fair Towns of Holy Tol Eressëa. A fresh awareness of the compelling and pervasive influence and effect of Tolkien's biography on his oeuvre suggests new views and possibilities for further investigations.

The world of Tolkien's imagination is a virtually boundless universe, one in which multiple layers of cultural heritage revolve around his enduring passion for storytelling, fascination with languages and devotion to the Catholic faith. In effect, much of his fiction is an eclectic, though, at the same time, remarkably coherent, mixture in which certain elements of the old lore appear to be constantly reinvented, reimagined and reinterpreted to suit the tastes of the Professor's readers and listeners. It is a constant mediation between the world of the past (ancient, medieval or other) and the world in which he lived, an informed dialogue tinted by the writer's personal convictions and beliefs.Ever since the dawn of Tolkien scholarship, the majority of serious academic discussions concerning his works and ideas have brought into play this very dialogue, an oft-repeated journey, back and forth (much like Bilbo's own quest in The Hobbit), between Tolkien's Middle-earth and the other realms of human imagination, chiefly, though not exclusively, located in the north-western fringes of the European continent. It is precisely this kind of journey (or, rather, journeys), perilous and full of pitfalls, that the reader will undertake in the present book, guided by a group of six authors from Poland, scholars whose academic interests (apart from Tolkien) are wide and varied, ranging from the Greek Antiquity to the age of Queen Victoria.And so, to Middle-earth or, rather, there and back again! Let us delve into those multiple layers of Tolkien's fiction in search for some of the foremost sources of his literary inspiration. In this way, we might be able to observe Tolkien's worldbuilding processes at work and, by going there and back again, catch a glimpse of what, in his essay "On Fairy-stories", the writer himself referred to as "forming mental images of things not actually present".

"Something has gone crack," Tolkien wrote about the first death among his tight-knit fellowship of friends in 1916, and the impact of the war haunted his writing for the rest of his life. In Tolkien's body of work, the Great War serves as a source of imagery, motifs, and examples of military operations and strategy; of central themes about conflict, comradeship, duty, and the destruction of the environment; and of personal trauma which he worked out in meaningful symbolic form throughout his life.In this volume, we collect a variety of perspectives on the war's impact on Tolkien's writing, building upon earlier work in this area by filling in gaps in the scholarship and incorporating new material. We trace major themes in Tolkien's legendarium that had their roots in, or were heavily influenced by, his war experiences. It is essential to any study of the Great War not to assume that only the most frequently heard voices are important; the experiences and viewpoints of participants outside of the mainstream are also necessary to give us a full picture of the impact of war, and were not neglected by Tolkien. We therefore also explore issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality.At this point in the study of J.R.R. Tolkien's life and works, the centrally important topic of his Great War experience is by no means exhausted. Our hope is that this collection is not the last word on the topic, but instead sparks new ideas and future scholarship.

J.R.R. Tolkien's literary cosmos may not be the most elaborate of the imaginary worlds in existence, it is certainly the most influential. The posthumous editorial work of Tolkien's son Christopher has also shown that Arda remains unrivalled in its consistency and complexity. Additionally, the re-publication of Tolkien's Andrew Lang lecture 'On Fairy-stories' (originally delivered 1939) and its interpretation within the discourse of literary fantasy has further strengthened his position as one of the foremost proponents of literary world-building or, as he himself preferred to call it, (literary) subcreation.The contributions to this volume by Tom Shippey, John Garth, Mark J.P. Wolf, Kristine Larsen, Andrew Higgins, Allan Turner, Gergely Nagy, Renée Vink, and a dozen other scholars, discuss not only Tolkien's theoretical concepts as well as his literary work but also explore the relationship between Tolkien's approach with that of other 'literary world-builders' whose imaginary worlds have attracted readers and scholars alike.

The origins of this collection, and of the whole Tolkien and the Classics project, are twofold. First, there is the ever-growing awareness of the importance of making scholars and critics realize how much J.R.R. Tolkien is, in all respects, a great literary classic, comparable to those already accepted as 'canonical'. Second, the desire to offer a publication that could be enjoyed, and made actual use of, by students and teachers of secondary schools and universities.This collection of mainly short essays, each one exploring a parallel between Tolkien and the Classics of Western literature, is divided into three sections:• Tolkien and Authors from Antiquity (four essays)• Tolkien and Authors from the Middle Ages (six essays)• Tolkien and Authors from the Modern Period (eleven essays)The present volume has its origin in the endeavours of the Study Group organised by the Associazione Italiana Studi Tolkieniani (AIST = Italian Association of Tolkien Studies), a team of scholars who periodically decide on a common topic of research that, as a consequence, will be the subject of meetings in which each contributor presents his or her results to the others. The criticisms, comments, and suggestions provided in these meetings are then taken into account for the revisions and incorporated into the final versions of the essays.

Is Tolkien's work Christian or pagan? This question has intrigued readers and scholars ever since The Lord of the Rings has been published. Even today this important problem has not been given the full critical attention it deserves, and the present volume is an attempt to provide an answer.The volume contains a comprehensive bibliography on the subject, detailed indices, a foreword by Verlyn Flieger, and an afterword by Tom Shippey.Claudio Antonio Testi graduated in Philosophy at the University of Bologna and received a Ph.D. summa cum laude in Philosophy at the Pontificia Università Lateranense. He is the President of the Philosophical Institute of Thomistic Studies, Vice President of AIST (Italian Association of Tolkien Studies), and at the Dominican Philosophical Study of Bologna he holds courses on Tolkien and on Formal Logic. As a scholar he has written 43 papers (published, among others, in Tolkien Studies and Hither Shore), two books, and edited 15 volumes, two of them in collaboration with Roberto Arduini for Walking Tree Publishers.Critical voices on the book"[Testi] has brought his readers the best of both schools. He has shown how they work, and best of all, shown how they can work together." (Verlyn Flieger)"Both admirers and critics, however, have now been helped to a better and truer understanding of Tolkien's work by this admirable exposition, the deepest appreciation yet written of Tolkien's Catholicity, and one he himself would certainly have welcomed and approved." (Tom Shippey)

This volume "binds" a collection of selected papers that emerged from the J.R.R. Tolkien-lecture-series initiated at the University of Augsburg in 2014. Each of the papers is representative of the editors' interest in the interdisciplinary potentials of Tolkien's works and the joint venture to make his legacy visible and accesible from the viewpoint of numerous academic disciplines. Our contributors are experts as well as junior scholars from the fields of Literature and Linguistics, Geography, History, as well as Communications and Cultural Studies.

"It is precisely against the darkness of the world that comedy arises, and it is best when that is not hidden."With these words Tolkien replied to Rayner Unwin's comments upon first reading Book 1 of Lord of the Rings. Rayner had not commented on the comedy of Book 1 but on the overpowering effect of "the struggle between darkness and light", as he put it, and that omission disappointed Tolkien. If this was the response of Tolkien's famous first reviewer, it is not surprising that academic studies have also tended to overlook or disregard both the presence of humour in Tolkien's work and the effect of his work to inspire humour in readers' and artists' responses.Laughter in Middle-earth: Humour in and around the Works of JRR Tolkien more than compensates for this critical oversight. From onomastic studies and parody, to historical, literary, and social contexts, a history of illustrations, textual interpretations, heroic forms of defiant laughter, and then to a reminiscence of the Inklings' tastes in humour, these scholarly articles analyse the broad range of comedy which arises against the darkness of the world in Tolkien's narratives. As well, interspersed between these studies are numerous comic illustrations, some of which appear in print for the first time, from well-known Tolkien illustrators.As Eru is reported saying, in a typically egregious internet appropriation of Tolkien, "There is no joke that hath not its uttermost source in me." This book demonstrates that humour is truly a significant aspect of Middle-earth and its influences. Eru, like Tolkien himself, could, indeed laugh.

For years, Allan G. Turner has contributed to the academic study of the field of Fantasy literature, with special focus on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. His colleagues and friends, in co-operation with Walking Tree Publishers, have thus decided to honour him with a festschrift on the occasion of his 65th birthday. The volume comprises contributions by Tom A. Shippey, Wolfram R. Keller, Andrew 'Chunky' Liston, Julian M. Eilmann, Doreen Triebel, James Fanning, Thomas Honegger, and Dirk Vanderbeke, who explore the various aspects of the creation of secondary worlds in literature medieval to modern. Geoffrey Chaucer, Robert Burns, Jack Vance, Terry Pratchett, Jasper Fforde and H.P. Lovecraft are the subjects of individual case-studies, which are complemented by two papers looking at the connections between Romantic world-building and Tolkien's theory of "secondary worlds" and "sub-creation", and the role of London in some central texts of "urban fantasy" respectively.

Sir Severus le Brewse, among the least known of King Arthur's Round Table knights, preferred by nature, disposition, and training to fight against monsters rather than other knights. After youthful adventures of errantry with dragons, trolls, vampires, and assorted beasts, Severus joins the brilliant sorceress Lilava to face the Chimaera in The Greatest Monster Battle of All Time to free her folk from an age-old curse. But their adventures don't end there; together they meet elves and magicians, friends and foes; they join in the fight to save Camelot and even walk the Grey Paths of the Dead. With a mix of Malory, a touch of Tolkien, and a hint of humor, The Monster Specialist chronicles a tale of courage, tenacity, honor, and love.

In this collection of his published essays, Patrick Curry explores two themes in Tolkien's great work: enchantment, the Elves and Faërie, and the natural world of Middle-earth. He considers their different effects on both readers and literary critics, and brings to light the deep connections between these two subjects, as well as between them and Tolkien's ultimate concern, 'Death and the desire for deathlessness.' Also illuminated, in contrast, is magic, as epitomised by the One Ring. Finally, he argues that the hobbits are exemplars of how to live in relation to enchantment: neither pursuing, nor avoiding, but honouring it.