J.R.R.Tolkien (ISBN 0261104004)

The primary criticism of these great works:
This book is quite simply the seminal criticism and analysis of Tolkien's major works. Shippey is Tolkien's successor at Oxford, and in a very real sense "speaks the language" (no pun intended) that Tolkien spoke. He is able to disassemble and analyze Tolkien's writings in a way that is head and shoulders above any other similar works. His linguistic and literary analysis is the best ever made and is absolutely vital to truly understanding Middle Earth and the man that made it. Add to that a brief but very profound analysis of the religious themes, imagery, and inferences that is better than anything else out there (it completely surpasses Joseph Pearce's fine book on Tolkien, all in less than 10 pages.) Plus you'll get the most insightful discussion of the Anglo Saxon and Old Norse literary traditions and characters that would become Gandalf, Frodo, and the rest of the Fellowship. If you truly love Tolkien's writing, then you simply must read this book. It is the first most important step in a real understanding of what Middle Earth is, where it is, where its characters came from, and what happened to them in ways that will really open your mind to the vastness and incredible beauty of Tolkien's world. After reading it, you'll have even less patience with the lunkheads who think LOTR is just another fantasy story. It's so, so much more than that. And if that wasn't enough, you'll learn what Beowulf's name would mean in modern English. ("Beowulf" is usually the only word in the poem not translated, in case you haven't noticed.)

Linguistic in Focus.:
I have massive respect for Tom Shippey and his obvious knowledge and command of the English language. There are few books that you'll read which will educate the layman as much as this one will. For the Lord of the Rings fanatic, however, much of this book may not be what one expected as it points a laser into the mechanics of Tolkien linguistic universe present in LOTR, the Hobbitt and the Silmarillion. The worm's eye view can't be beat but it is still a very detailed view. The Foreward is an amazing read as it is more whollistic then the rest of the book and gives a thorough and illuminating overview of Tolkien's majestic place in the history of literature.

A serious argument that Tolkien WAS the writer of the century:
I really liked this book. I found it easy to read, and very interesting. It gave many biographic details on Tolkien. It was particularly good for explaining how Tolkien's academic background in philogophy made him into the writer he was. (Not a conclusion most of us would jump to!) But I think what really stands out about this book is the dead serious argument it makes that Tolkien was the most important writer of the 20th century. As most of us know, Tolkien is not taken seriously by literary critics. The really IMPORANT writers of the 20th century are Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and the other "great" writers who no one wants to read except when under duress. We KNOW that Tolkien can not be significant in a literary sense, because ordinary people in large numbers actually like reading his stuff. Literature is like cod liver oil; it can not be good for you unless you can't stand it. But, as the 20th century fades into the past, our perspective changes. WHY was James Joyce important? WHY was D.H. Lawrence important? We all know the conventional answers. Joyce was important, becaus he broke the mold of the old-fashioned way of writing and showed us a radically new way of writing. Blah, blah, blah. What did Joyce SAY about human affairs that was either intrinscially important or important to the particular events of the 20th century? Same questions about Lawerence, Hemingway, Steinbeck and the rest of the usual subjects. Again, we know the conventional answers. These writers critiqued the inadequacies of bourgeois society, and pointed the way toward the glories of the new day, whether that of radical free sex, socialism or whatever. The bottom line is that, for most of the 20th century, the intellectual class was sure that they knew the way that the future was going -- toward scientific, secular socialism, with Marx and Freud as the new gods -- and they valued the writers whose work validated this worldview. But, as it turned out, the intellectual class' crystal ball was broken. The good guys did not win; the Soviet Union did not triumph. None of the dogmas of the century survived the century. Marx became the father of fanatic dicators. Freud became an exposed intellectual fraud. And the events of the century were utterly different than they were supposed to be. They were supposed to be the inevitable triumph of the glorious certainties of the intellectual left. Instead, they turned out to be a desperate death struggle between the Free Nations, lead by America, and a series of crazed dictators seeking some demented satanic utopia. Which brings us back to Tolkien. In addition to the sin of writing books which ordinary people actually want to read, he also had this gauche habit of writing about a relatively black and white struggle between good and evil. All very incorrect in a century that knows that the only sin is judging anything. But, in retrospect, who was writing about the real issues actually presented by the 20th century? Is there anything in James Joyce that is actually engaged with the reality of the 20th century? Same queston for Virginia Woff and the rest of them? Tolkien, however, wrote about the seductive temptations of power, and the death struggle between the little ordinary people and the overwhelming power of Mordor. He wrote about the long, slow decline of high culture of Gondor, as it fell into degeneracy, fought with itself and failed even to breed. There is nothing that he wrote about that is not taken directly from the central events of the 20th century. Many think that Tolkien is this weird fantasist who is writing about the Middle Ages. Sorry. As Shipley correctly points out, Tolkien is writing about his own time, with insight that goes way past other writers. When the 25th century wants to understand what all of that craziness was about in the 20th century, they are not going to be reading Virginia Woolf; they are going to be reading the Lord of The Rings.

An Exhaustive, Erudite Study of Tolkien:
Those of us who are hopeless Tolkienites have an insatiable curiosity about--and appetite for--the inner workings of Middle-earth, along with the man that brought that wonderful world to life. J.R.R. Tolkien was a fascinating man, and Oxford scholar Tom Shippey has forgotten more about this author than most of us will ever learn; to prove it, Shippey presents his analysis of Tolkien's work in his very readable book, J.R.R. TOLKIEN: AUTHOR OF THE CENTURY. I was astounded to learn, via Shippey's patient presentation, that so many of the names of characters and places that appear in Middle-earth are derived from ancient Norse mythology, poetry, and literature. That Tolkien was hugely inspired by Beowulf is a given; that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings borrow extensively and richly from this centuries' old tale is not. Shippey also describes how Tolkien, as a devout philologist, was obsessed with words--with their infinite variations, and how the author utilized this knowledge not only to create names and places in his writing, but also create extensive, intricate languages. Regarding Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, Shippey allows the reader to draw his/her own conclusions as to whether or not the novel is an allegory. Tolkien himself vigorously denied his fantasy tale was allegorical; in light of the fact LOTR is a classic tale of good vs. evil. . .a story that is a ringing indictment of modernization, industrialization, and technological destruction. . .it's almost comical how Tolkien went out of his way to deny the obvious. Shippey compares the novel to other allegories, and readily admits some of Tolkien's later short stories were indeed allegorical; thus the allegory card is played, albeit in a limited, less than satisfying way. Shippey provides a detailed analysis not only of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but of Tolkien's other works, including his poems and short stories, his essays, and his voluminous subject matter published posthumously (The Silmarillion and The Lost Tales, etc.). And "detailed" is the right word, as Shippey examines and magnifies information almost to exhaustion. That the scholar sees mountains where other readers see mole hills is readily apparent via the pages of this book. J.R.R. TOLKIEN: AUTHOR OF THE CENTURY is a compelling, recommended read for those wanting to know more about the man who brought us Middle-earth. One of Shippey's observations is right on the money: The fact that England itself didn't have its own mythology turned out to be most fortunate; Tolkien went about creating one. --D. Mikels, Author, THE RECKONING

Breathtaking insights for word-loving anglophile Tolkien fans:
Almost immediately after its publication, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings suffered scathing attacks from certain critics in the academic and literary worlds. Half a century later, it remains dubious to admit to well-educated friends that Tolkien is one's favorite author. A typical response is "Oh, I don't read those kind of books," by which we are meant to understand that Tolkien wrote "escapist throwback popular trash." To make matters worse, these days, one can form an opinion without bothering to even read "those books." A few hours spent watching Peter Jackson's screen adaptation (or even a few minutes watching their trailers) gives anyone the confidence to bespeak Tolkien's doom. How is it that many highly intelligent and sensitive readers cherish the Lord of the Rings, while many highly intelligent and sensitive critics loathe it? Professor Shippey's work, Author of the Century, unravels this mystery. Moreover, he painstakingly details much of the origin and intricacy of Tolkien's magnum opus. Although it differs in title, in my opinion this book is essentially a re-write of Professor Shippey's "The Road to Middle Earth". Having read them both in short order, I prefer this one, but that I ventured to read both demonstrates the quality of the author and his material. I cannot comment on the even newer "The Road to Middle Earth:Revised and Expanded Edition". Its table of contents is somewhat misleading. Most chapters cover far more subject matter than their headings would imply. This reviewer identified several themes to which Professor Shippey consistently returns throughout the book. They are 1) Refuting Tolkien's critics. 2) Tolkien's historical and philological sources. 3) Literary analysis of Tolkien's major works. 4) Tolkien's theodicy - his philosophy of Good and Evil. I opened this review with a reference to the first theme, refuting Tolkien's critics, because the title of this book implies that such is its primary intent. However, Shippey's earlier work, "The Road to Middle Earth", was actually more aggressive in that regard. Perhaps Tolkien's popularity has outlived enough of his critics to warrant a relent in the counter-offensive. At any rate, there is enough material here to silence all but the most stubborn. Memorize a few paragraphs and you will lose any shame you might have felt in proclaiming the "Lord of the Rings" your favorite book. However, the most enjoyable bits (to me) are those which shed light on the interplay between Tolkien the author, and Tolkien the Oxford professor of Old-English and philology. If you are an Anglophile and a word-lover, the kind of person who enjoys visiting England and reading the dictionary, you will thrill to all the sudden definitions, connections and insights scattered throughout. Examples... An etymology of "Halifirien" which is Old-English for "holy mountain." Tolkien's 1923 publication of an imagined Old-English reconstruction of the prototypical "egg" nursery rhyme riddle later used in the Hobbit. A beautiful story about Oxford's "Rollright Stones", a Neolithic stone circle, relating Middle-Earth to present day England. Detailed etymologies of "Woses" and "Ent", "Elf", "Emnet", and more. Numerous smatterings of Old-English wisdom, such as Beowulf's, "AEghwaethres sceal scearp scyldwiga gescad witan, worda und worca", describing the manner of a coast guard deciding to allow Beowulf to enter Denmark with his armed company, like Hama allowing Gandalf to carry his staff into Meduseld. It is this such material that "Author of the Century" provides in greater depth and quantity than the earlier "Road to Middle-Earth". Elaborating it was a wise decision, as doing so deftly applies the deep knowledge of Professor Shippey as a fellow Old-English philologist. In fact, Shippey occupied the very position at Leeds that Tolkien helped to create. Perhaps no one else can give so many insights from this highly specialized field into its essential origins in Tolkien's creation. One envies Professor Shippey's students, as one envied Tolkien's, for surely he gives fascinating lectures.