Tag Archives: Lord of the Rings

Tolkien’s “I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size)” in Context

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t know that there is any more famous Tolkien quote than his claim to, in fact, be a hobbit. It’s really quite a delightful statement and worth quoting more fully: I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Charles Williams, Franz Kafka, Harry Potter, Hobbit Day, I.A. Richards, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, literary criticism, literature, Lord of the Rings, new criticism, practical criticism, Stephen King, The Hobbit, Ursula K. LeGuin | 17 Comments

When Sam Gamgee Wrote to J.R.R. Tolkien

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As far as I know, no one named Puddleglum or any Pevensie has ever written to C.S. Lewis. Has anyone named Ged or Arha ever written to Ursula K. Le Guin, if there is anyone with those names? Among the various Potter … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Arha, C.S. Lewis, Ged, Harry Potter, Humphrey Carpenter, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Patrick Rothfuss, Puddleglum, Samwise Gamgee, Ursula K. Le Guin | 9 Comments

Approaching “The Silmarillion” for the First Time

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As brilliant as lovers of Middle Earth recognize that it is, there are few books as daunting as The Silmarillion. It is a dense and complex text of genealogies, places, and characters, each woven together with multiple names in multiple languages … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Andrew Lang, Arthuriana, C.S. Lewis, David Lindsay, Douglas A. Anderson, E. Nesbit, George MacDonald, H. Rider Haggard, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, Narnia, On Fairy-Stories, The Silmarillion, William Morris | 20 Comments

Of Beren and Lúthien, Of Myth and the Worlds We Love

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t think I have ever read anything better than the tale of Beren and Lúthien. It is a bold statement, so allow me to give some context. One of the things that readers love about The Lord of the Rings … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Beowulf, Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Arthur, The Hobbit, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, The Legend of Sigurn and Gudrún, The Silmarillion, The Story of Kullervo, writing | 15 Comments

The Tolkien Letter that Every Lover of Middle-Earth Must Read

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

It is sort of a trick, isn’t it? Any true Tolkien fan will say that every page in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is essential. However, not everyone enjoys letters as much as I do. Some might absolutely love The Lord of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, J.B.S. Haldane, J.R.R. Tolkien, letters, Lord of the Rings, Naomi Mitchison, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion | 10 Comments

A Brace of Tolkien Posts #TolkienReadingDay

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day! I have just hit the halfway point of The Silmarillion–my first time successfully reading it all the way through. Often I would start, enjoy the mythic material, then as the legendary stories of the … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reviews | Tagged art, Bilbo, Blogging, books, C.S. Lewis, film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, Tolkien Reading Day, trolls | 12 Comments

“In and Out of the Moon” by Jeff McInnis

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who has spent any amount of time haunting coffee shops or pubs with academics knows that many scholars have a novel or two in their desk drawer. This is especially true of scholars who study imaginative writers or speculative fiction, … Continue reading →