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Tolkien: A Cultural Phenomenon: Second
Edition by Brian Roseberry. check out website: www.stmartins.com and www.palgrave.com
Originally published in 1992, it has been extensively revised to look at the newer phenomenon of the trilogy of Peter Jackson films. The final chapter of the book specifically looks at the various efforts to change the media from the written word to the screen and the radio.
Although quite heavy going in places, I enjoyed reading about the cultural context of Tolkien and found some very enlightening passages about his life and times. There is a separate chapter on ‘Lord of the Rings: Achieving the Narrative’ and a further chapter covers ‘Fiction And Poetry, 1914-73’ which places other works in context. Tolkien and the Twentieth Century blows away a few myths about JRR. All in all, an absorbing read. I was particularly interested in the way that so many commentators have sought to pigeon hole Tolkien and, indeed, many other writers. It seems we must all try to fit into the required categories. Tolkien himself resisted classification and it really feels that he did invent a new mythology for us. His passionate belief in his works made them so well rounded that the creation of Middle Earth in the movies when it was technically possible became a loving necessity. Many people who read this work will be inspired again to lift up those heavy tomes and seek some more meaning from the pages. It is also likely that those DVDs will be slipped from the covers just one more time... Sue Davies
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OTHER REVIEWS - May 2004
Non Fiction Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross Futures: 50 Years In Space The Challenge Of The Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman Tolkien: A Cultural Phenomenon: Second Edition by Brian Roseberry DVDs Babylon 5: The Complete First Season: Signs and Portents Fantasy Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson The Siege Of Mithila by Ashok K. Banker Broken Crescent by S. Andrew Swann The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan The Destroyer Goddess by Laura Resnick The Weavers Of Saramyr by Chris Wooding The Iron Grail by Robert Holdstock Faerie Tales edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davies Darknesses by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. Slipstream Changing Of Faces by Tim Lebbon Karloff’s Circus by Steve Aylett The Well Of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde Science Fiction The Golden Globe by John Varley Market Forces by Richard Morgan It Came From Outer Space screenplay by Ray Bradbury A Gift Of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey Different Kinds Of Darkness by David Langford Felaheen The Third Arabesk by Jon Courtenay Grimwood Absolution Gap by Adrian Reynolds The Line Of Polity by Neal Asher The Affinity Trap by Martin Sketchley Natural History by Justina Robson Horror Living Dead In Dallas by Charlaine Harris Magazines
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This
rather serious academic work looks in quite some detail at the impact
and influence of Tolkien in the modern world. Chapters consider
his background and beliefs and look at how much use has been made
of the fantasy world he created.
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