The Mirror Crack'd: Fear and Horror in JRR Tolkien's Major Works
Editor: Lynn Forest-Hill
Date Of Publication: Aug 2008
Isbn13: 9781847186348
Isbn: 1-84718-634-3
Fear and horror are an inextricable part of Tolkien’s great mythology and his use of medieval sources for his evocations of fear and horror contribute to the distinctive tone of his work. This collection of essays shows how his masterly narrative techniques transform his sources, both familiar and unfamiliar, so that hitherto benign characters, objects and landscapes, as well as his famous monstrous creations, engage with deeply rooted human fears. The essays, by an international group of scholars, confirm Tolkien’s worldwide reputation. They highlight the depiction of the fear associated with marginalised characters; explore the moral implications of light and its absence; consider the subtle distinction between secular and religious spiders; discuss the role of landscapes and natural disasters in the evocation of fear in Middle-earth; and address the spectacular significance of Tolkien’s dragons, wolves, and Undead. While some of the essays presented here turn to modern science, psychology, and anthropology to deepen their analyses of fear and horror, they all add depth to our appreciation of Tolkien’s most famous and frightening creations by defining their relationships to ancient and culturally significant images of fear and horror.

Lynn Forest-Hill, former tutor in medieval literature at the University of Southampton, is a Fellow of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture and the UK Tolkien Society’s Education Officer. Following her book, Transgressive Language in Medieval English Drama, she has published essays on Shakespeare, on Tudor Interludes and on Tolkien.

It has the advantage over many conference-based collections of a clear unifying theme. Within its field, its scope is comprehensive, every chapter is accessible to an intelligent reader of Tolkien, and the best essays stand comparison with any work on Tolkien published in the last decade

Brian Rosebury , University of Central Lancashire

"Why don't we draw wolves? To what extent are our views of European Paganism seen through a Christian bias? What scientific articles might Tolkien have read while writing his legendarium? Does Tolkien express a 'Philosophy of Light' in his work? There's enough variety in these essays to appeal to many interests, and much to think about."

Nancy Martsch, 'Beyond Bree', Newsletter of the American Mensa Tolkien special interest group, October 2008.

Price Uk Gbp: 34.99
Price Us Usd: 52.99

Sample pdf (including Table of Contents)