J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century is a 2001 book of literary criticism written by Tom Shippey. It is about the work of the philologist and fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien. In it, Shippey argues for the relevance of Tolkien today and attempts to firmly establish Tolkien's literary merits, based on analysis of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Tolkien's shorter works.
The book was well received by scholars, who however pointed out that it covered similar ground to his 1983 book
Book
Synopsis
Shippey begins with a chapter-length "Foreword", introducing the fantasy genre, Tolkien's life, and the "Author of the Century" claim. He notes Tolkien's high ratings in the polls, and his effective creation of a new genre. The book examines in turn The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Tolkien's shorter works.[S 1]
On The Hobbit, Shippey tells how Tolkien came to start to write; its connection to his First World War experience; the possible origins of the word hobbit, and its parallels with "rabbit"; Bilbo's riddle-contest with Gollum; its links with Old English and Norse literature; and the Ring.[S 2]
The Lord of the Rings is analysed in three central chapters. These show how subtly it is constructed, based especially on
The chapter on The Silmarillion is subtitled "the work of his heart". Shippey explains the book's long gestation from Tolkien's 'Story of Kullervo' in 1913. He describes Tolkien's purpose and approach in seeking to create a mythology for England.[S 6]
On the shorter works, Shippey concedes that many would have been forgotten, but for the popularity of his Middle-earth books. The works include both prose and poetry; he considers Leaf by Niggle and Smith of Wootton Major to be autobiographical allegories, full of allusions to Tolkien's own life.[S 7]
The book concludes with an "Afterword" (a whole chapter) repudiating the "intense critical hostility"
Publication history
The book was first published in hardback in 2000 by HarperCollins in London and Houghton Mifflin in Boston. Both publishers brought out paperback editions in 2001. A Spanish edition was published by Minotauro in Barcelona in 2003. A Polish edition was produced by Zysk i S-ka Wydawnictwo in Poznań in 2004, and a French edition was published by Bragelonne in Paris in 2016.[1]
Reception
Scholarly
The scholars Michael Drout and Hilary Wynne, in a review in Envoi of Tolkien criticism from 1982 to 2000, write that too much of it has repeatedly covered the same ground, while remaining unaware of earlier research. They name Shippey and Author of the Century as "the single best thing ever written on Tolkien", and state that he could reasonably see himself as above other critics, but did not. They note that the similarity of his background to Tolkien's gave him "an enormous advantage", and that while he was sometimes polemical, he always remained reasonable and measured, and never "bash[ed] Tolkien fandom" or talked down to readers.[2]
The scholar of literature Charles W. Nelson, reviewing the work in Extrapolation, writes that Shippey asserts that Tolkien was "first and foremost a linguist, then a mythologist, and finally a writer of fantasy", and that he supports this by citing multiple examples of Tolkien's language- and myth-based creation from both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.[3]
The historian
The scholar Valerie Estelle Frankel, reviewing a festschrift collection of essays in honour of Shippey, wrote that his books The Road to Middle-earth and Author of the Century lay "at the top of Tolkien scholars' favorite works".[5]
The Tolkien scholar
Popular
Martin Morse Wooster, for The American Enterprise, wrote that "Shippey is a crisp, forceful, and intelligent writer who has produced a highly readable appreciation of Tolkien's life and art."[7] The Tolkien scholar
The book won the 2001 World Fantasy Award and the 2001 Mythopoeic Award, and was nominated for the 2002 Hugo Award, the 2001 Locus Award.[11]
See also
- The Road to Middle-earth, an earlier book by Shippey about Tolkien, revised and extended in later editions
References
Primary
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. vii–xxxv
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 1–49
- ^ a b Shippey 2001, pp. 112–160
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 50–111
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 161–225
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 226–263
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 264–304
- ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 305–328
Secondary
- ^ "'J. R. R. Tolkien : Author of the Century'". WorldCat. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ISSN 0897-4888.
- ^ Nelson, Charles W. (2003). "Tom Shippey. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 347 pp. $26.00". Extrapolation. 44 (2): 261.
- .
- S2CID 171207171.
- ^ Bratman, David (February 2001). "Reviews: J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century". Mythprint. 38 (2).
- ^ Wooster, Martin Morse (2002). "J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. (BookTalk: the master of middle-earth)". The American Enterprise. 13 (1): 54.
- Curry, Patrick (8 September 2000). "Lord of the Ratings - and with very good reason". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Moseley, Charles (7 October 2000). "A Creature of Hobbit". The Observer. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century". Publishers Weekly. 7 May 2001. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Thomas A. Shippey". SFADB. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0261-10401-3.