Annotated bibliography

Burton, S. H. Criticism of Poetry. New York: Longman, 1974.

Criticism of Poetry provides an approach to poetic explication which, while more author-centric than my own, provides a good basic structure for approaching poetic criticism.

Card, Orson Scott. "How Tolkien Means." Haber 153-173.

An essay by the Author of such fantasy classics as Red Prophet, and Alvin Maker, and such Sci-Fi greats as Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, "How Tolkien Means" argues that attempting to put a critical analysis on top of a fantastic work is like talking about sex: You have to experience it before it makes any sense.

Carpenter, Humphrey. The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979.

The Inklings is a biography of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. It's focus is on the relationship and connections between them as fellow members of a literary group called the Inklings. Considering that some of the greatest English literature of the WWII/Post-WWII era was first read publicly in that group, its importance in the development of Tolkien's writings cannot be overemphasized. Along with Crabbe's J. R. R. Tolkien it was a primary source of bibliographic material.

Chance, Jane. Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power. Lexington: Kentucky UP, 2001.

Lord of the Rings: Mythology of Power interprets Tolkien's work in the context of the 20th century political, social, and economic scene. From politics to environment to community to economy, it explores themes that, while unacknowledged by Tolkien himself, are obvious and potent. An understanding of these themes is critical to a deeper interpretation of both his prose and his poetry.

Crabbe, Katharyn W. J. R. R. Tolkien. New York: Continuum, 1988.

Crabbe provides a chronological biography of Tolkien's life in J. R. R. Tolkien. However, this biography is presented not as a mere historical chronology, but is, rather, placed in the context of and in perspective with a critical examination of his works. Along with The Inklings, it has been a primary source of bibliographic material.

Drout, Michael D. C. et al. "A Bibliography of Scholarly Studies of J. R. R. Tolkien and His Works: (Through 2000)." Wheaton College: Staff and Faculty: Drout. 2000. 4 March 2003. <http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/mdrout/TolkienBiblio/>.

This bibliography, completes the bibliography begun in Richard C. West's Tolkien Criticism: An Annotated Checklist. While West covered through 1981, this newer bibliography covers from 1984 to 2000. Unlike West's, this bibliography does not include any significant annotations, and as such is somewhat less valuable. However, it is redeemed by its currency.

Easthope, Antony. Poetry and Phantasy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1989.

More esoteric than The Poetic Fantastic, this book covers a broad range of fantasy in poetry, from sexuality in the ancient (Ovid to Donne), to explorations of courtly love and medieval ballads, to narcisism in post-modern poetry and beyond. Primarily a discussion of "phantasy" (i.e., fantasy as a device for the expression of the psychological unconcious), it adds directions and dimensions to the possible exegesis of fantastic poetry of which I might otherwise have remained ignorant.

Flieger, Verlyn. Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ., 1983.

This amazing work by Verlyn Flieger, an expansion of an earlier article "Barfield's Poetic Diction and Splintered Light," is an erudite and in depth examinitation of certain aspects of Tolkien's work, yet it is written in such a down-to-earth style as to be emminently readable. It has great applicability to any study of Tolkien's poetry due to its discussion of poetic diction and more specifically the ways in which Tolkien was influenced by his friend and fellow inkling Owen Barfield.

Haber, Karen ed. Meditations on Middle Earth. New York: St. Martin's, 2001.

Meditations on Middle Earth is a collection of essays by contemperary fantasy authors discussing Tolkien's work and influence. It very decisively illustrates the impact of Tolkien's work on modern fiction. Of particular interest for the study of his poetry is Ursula K. LeGuin's "Rhythmic Pattern," in which she discusses the repetition and meter of Tolkien's prose and, to a lesser extent, poetry.

Hammond, Wayne G. and Christina Scull eds. J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

While primarily a compilation and discussion of Tolkien's visual art, this book also delves into and speculates on the origin of some of his ideas, occasionally managing to deftly tie imaginary places to their real-life inspiration. It has often been said that poetry and art are closely related, and so I thought this book not unworthy of inclusion here.

Helms, Randel. Tolkien's World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974.

While Helms's work has been discounted as superficial by many of his contemperaries, It's readability and style make it a worthwhile aquisition for the amateur Tolkien scholar, and it attempts to answer questions with regard to Tolkien's prose that I think are perhaps more worth looking at in regards to his poetry. Specifically he attempts to address: "Why are they so appealing, even necessary ... What is there about them that goes deeper than mere adventure narrative?" (Introduction) or in the case of poetry, deeper than mere lyric or narrative verse.

Hirsch, Edward. How To Read A Poem: And Fall In Love With Poetry. New York: Harvest, 2000.

One of the more accessible books I have read on understanding and interpreting poetry, How To Read A Poem teaches close reading while providing the reader with a basic literary glossary and a discussion of meters, feet, symbolism, theme, metaphor... It also provides a broad sampling of great poetry through the ages.

Hyles, Vernon. Afterword. Murphy and Hyles 171-75.

The Afterword to Poetic Fantastic discusses the purpose of criticism in relationship to poetry, arguing that "good criticism has [always been commited] to illumination, to being ancillary to the work," a thing that I think many modern critics have forgotten.

---. "The Poetry of the Fantastic." Murphy and Hyles 1-9.

Discusses the relationship between Poetry and Fantasy, and draws parallels between the analysis of the two.

Isaacs, Neil D. "On the Need For Writing Tolkien Criticism." Tolkien: New Critical Perspectives. Eds. Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo. Lexington: Kentucky UP, 1981.

Although it is extremely snooty in tone and inaccessible in style and although it denigrates several works which I think worthy of respect, this essay has one redeeming value. It presents a scholarly defence of the critical analysis of Tolkien and his works and, by extension, fantasy literature in general and fantasy poetry specifically. While others have presented arguments at least as cogent as Isaacs's, his erudite and academic tone will be persuasive to some who disregard the arguments of others as hero-worship.

Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. Boston: Routledge Kegan & Paul, 1981.

Jackson's book offers an alternative to traditional "Marxist, linguistic, and psychoanalytic theory" of fantasy analysis. She believes that "a transcendentalist criticism has seemed to be justified" in looking at fantastic literature. Her book attempts to narrow the definition of fantasy, not by excluding any genres that have traditionally held that label (e.g., fairy tales, science fiction, myths, folk tales, horror) as has been done by other authors seeking a narrower focus, but by looking at "the roots of literary fantasy" to identify the socially subversive nature of the works that she believes is at the root of their characterization as fantasy.

Jeffrey, David L. "Name in Lord of the Rings." Tolkien: New Critical Perspectives. Eds. Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo. Lexington: Kentucky UP, 1981.

This essay discusses the difference between allegory and Recovery of re-history as envisioned by Tolkien. In addition, it delves into the preciseness and conciseness of the language of Tolkien's works. It focuses especially on the etemology of his names, and how that etemology affects the interpretation of the works.

Kocher, Paul H.Master of Middle-Earth: The Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972.

Probably one of the most important, definitive, and widely read critical works on Tolkien ever written, Master of Middle Earth is quoted in almost every other criticism that I have read. This book was also my first introduction to the critical analysis of fantastic literature and, as such, I would be remiss if I did not include it here.

LeGuin, Ursula K. The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction. Ed. Susan Wood. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.

A collection of essays on fantasy and science fiction, The Language of the Night contains a defense of fantasy ("Why Are American's Afraid of Dragons"), a definition of fantasy ("From Elfland to Poughkeepsie"), and the reason for Tolkien's greatness ("The Staring Eye"), all erudite and scholarly, and all by renown poet of the fantastic, Ursula K. LeGuin.

---. "The Child and the Shadow." LeGuin, Language 59-71.

See LeGuin, Language

---. "A Citizen of Mondath." LeGuin, Language 25-30.

In "The Child and the Shadow," LeGuin takes a Jungian approach to the explication of fantasy, contending that fantasies speak "from the unconscious to the unconscious-symbol and archtype" (62) and discussing what she considers to be two defining characteristics of fantasy: the journey "inward and out again" to "self knowledge, to adulthood, to the light" (65), and the struggle between darkness and light, good and evil, presented as a "striking moral dialectic" (65).

---. "Dreams Must Explain Themselves." LeGuin, Language 47-56.

In "Dreams Must Explain Themselves," she discusses the deeper meanings of fantasy, noting the fallacy inherent in trying to fasten a meaning to fantasy she says that "Any creation, primary or secondary, with any vitality to it, can "really" be a dozen mutually exclusive things at once, before breakfast" (53). Instead, she suggests that the reader must experience the meaning of fantasy by immersing him or herself in the fantasy, in much the same way that the dreamer cannot convey the meaning of the dream, even though the dream has significant meaning… The dream must be experienced, or "explain itself" (53). However she does suggest that fantasy can be usefully explicated, though not definitively.

---. "Rhythmic Pattern in The Lord of the Rings." Haber 101-16.

See Haber

---. "Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons." LeGuin, Language 39-45.

LeGuin argues in this essay that many Americans, especially those in academia, dislike, or reject fantasy because it is truth, that is to say that it deepens your understanding of "your world, and your fellow men, and your own feelings, and your destiny" (43). She believes that most adults do not want to be confronted with higher truth, and that this is the reason that they avoid and mock fantasy.

Malekin, Peter. "Poetry and the Pre-Fantastic." Murphy and Hyles 11-28.

Discusses the origins of Fantastic Poetry, and the definition of fantastic poetry. (See Murphy and Hyles)

Mooney, Chris. "Tolkien's Hobbling Habit: A warning for those about to read The Lord of the Rings." MSN Slate Magazine 25 July 2001. 4 March 2003. <http://slate.msn.com/id/112347>.

Mooney argues that Tolkien's poetry is "simply awful." While he acknowledges Tolkien's works' popular and academic standing, he nevertheless claims that Tolkien's imagery is generic, his verse suffers from a comedic lack of restraint, and his "faux-epic verse" lacks the grandure of the genuine article.

Murphy, Patrick D. Forward. Murphy and Hyles xi-xxv.

(See Murphy and Hyles)

Murphy, Patrick D. and Vernon Hyles eds.The Poetic Fantastic: Studies in an Evolving Genre (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy). Westport: Greenwood Press, 1989.

In the forward, editor and contributer Patrick Murphy notes that "Fantasy has existed as long as thought and fantasy poems as long as poetry. ... while modern criticism has largely mimicked a puritanical prejudice agains the fantastic." This book attempts to rectify that defect, collecting several previously published essays on poetry of the fantastic. I am especially indebted to the editor, who in his forward, presents one of the best definitions of the fantastic, as contrasted with the allegorical, that I have ever seen.

Petty, Anne C. One Ring To Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology. University: Alabama UP, 1979.

Petty attempts to explore the mythic structure of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Her book includes an exploration of both its linear, sequential structure, and its "latent paradigmatic patterns." This expansion of literary analysis beyond the basics of plot, character, and theme allow a deeper exploration of some of the "subtle beauties of form and content."

Rawls, Melanie A. "The Verse of J.R.R. Tolkien." Mythlore 71 (1993): 4-8.

Melanie A. Rawls argues that while Tolkien's poetry suffered from lapses in had only a vary narrow applicability, taken within its context and considered for its intended purpose, it could be enjoyable, though only as an auxiliary to Tokien's great work of prose. Melanie Rawls attempts to undermine the image that Tolkien's poetry has of being terrible, but she ends up essentially supporting that very image-with caveats.

Rosebury, Brian. Tolkien: A Critical Assessment. New York: St. Martin's, 1992.

In Tolkien: A Critical Assessment Rosebury attempts to present a traditional, unbiased, uninfluenced literary analysis of Tolkien's work. She avoids, as she puts it, "coy puns," "classification of imaginary beings," "arguments for the superiority of 'the mythic mode,'" and other frivolities and sidetracks which have occasionally seeped in to that body of literature which is represented as being literary criticism of Tolkien's work and world.

Scholes, Robert. "Boiling Roses: Thoughts on Science Fantasy." Intersections: Fantasy and Science Fiction. Ed. George E. Slusser and Eric S. Rabkin. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1987. 3-18.

An interesting essay that discusses the value of George MacDonald in addition to Tolkien on the origins of fantasy, in addition to discussing the roots of the word fantasy in the greek.

Siebers, Tobin. The Romantic Fantastic. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1984.

The Romantic Fantastic discusses the connection between the fantasy and the supernatural, or superstition. Of particular interest to the study of fantastic poetry is chapter 4: "Figurative Language and the Fantastic," for its description of the connection between irony, allegory, and the supernatural in literature.

Slusser, Rabkin. Intersections: Fantasy and Science Fiction (Alternatives). Carbondale: S. Illinois UP, 1987.

Slusser showcases a selection of essays comparing and contrasting the genres of fantasy and science fiction. Of particular interest is "Boiling Roses" for its well researched exegesis of the origins of the term fantasy. This text is also one of few to acknowledge the contributions of George MacDonald to the creation of modern fantasy literature, and the definition he provided of the term fantasy, of which all modern literary definitions are, I believe, derivatives.

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, while written for children, displays the breadth of Tolkien's style, his command of the language, and the depth of his meaning. It is a collection of mostly lighthearted poems, many supposedly written by hobbits; however, lurking beneath the surface of these quiet waters is a depth of meaning and a command of language that is belied by the initial appearance of childishness.

---. The Book of Lost Tales: Part I. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984.

The Book of Lost Tales contains much of Tolkien's conception of the fantasy world of Middle-earth, in multiple versions, and in various states of completion. Along with The Lays of Beleriand, it provides poetic versions of many legends which were later rendered into prose. It seems almost self-evident that such a volume cannot be excluded from any discussion of the poetry of J. R. R. Tolkien.

---. The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the first part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

The Fellowship of the Ring, of all the volumes of the Lord of the Rings, contains the most poetry and, as such, is of particular interest to anyone engaged in the study of that poetry. It chronicles the story of the end of the third age of man from the discovery of the ring in the shire to the dissolution of the fellowship, originally formed to secure the destruction of the ring, after one of the member's betrayal.

---. The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

The Hobbit, while a children's tale, and written in a voice that seems to belittle the more mature reader, is the first of Tolkien's works to be published in the popular press, and his first complete, originally authored work of fiction. The majority of its poetry is simplistic and banal, but it contains an early version of one of Tolkien's most striking poems (to my mind) "The Road Goes Ever On and On."

---. The Lays of Beleriand: The History of Middle-Earth Volume 3. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.

The Lays of Beleriand along with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is one of the primary sources for Tolkiens better (i.e., more meaningful outside of the context of Middle-earth) poetry. Collected and published posthumously by Christopher Tolkien, the lays are for the most part brilliant, but the book does contain some works of dubious quality, which may be discarded drafts misidentified as final poems. After all, "A poem is never finished, it is only abandoned" as Paul Valery says.

---. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Ed. Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien is a compilation of selections taken from Tolkien's numerous and lengthy letters. Because Tolkien was a habitual draft writer and archivist, a plethora of his letters survive him in multiple forms and drafts. The selections were chosen to be of particular interest to fans and scholars of Tolkien's work. In these letters, we can get a more personal feel for Tolkien's own thoughts on his creation than his more formal essays and papers are able to give us, as well as intimate biographical tidbits.

---. The Return of the King: Being the third part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

The concluding volume of the Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King contains many short snippets and couplets, but only a few poems of any significant length. It concludes the chronicle of the end of the third age, relating the story of the destruction of the ring, the return of the rightful king of Gondor, and the return of the hobbit adventurers to their home in the shire.

---. Tree and Leaf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.

Containing the now famous and oft quoted essay "On Fairy Stories" and the semi-autobiographical fairy story "Leaf by Niggle," Tree and Leaf gives insight into Tolkien's own thoughts on fairy stories, fantasies, and poetry. He gives us a working definition of the fairy story as he concieves it, and though he warns us not to look to his own work for examples of his type of fairy story, it cannot help but shed light on them if they shed no light on it. He also condems the traditional critical aversion to "Escape" or "Escapism," and argues very poinantly for the value of escapism in both literature and real life.

---. The Two Towers: Being the second part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

The second volume of the Lord of the Rings contains very little poetry, though, as all of Tolkien's work, much poetic language. Nevertheless, it is important to the study of Tolkien's poetry for two reasons. First, as the bridge between Fellowship and Return, it is necessary to any understanding of the fabric of the texts as a whole. Second is the "Song of the Ents," which would alone make it worthy of examination due to its anglo-saxon style, and its social commentary.

West, Richard C. Tolkien Criticism: An Annotated Checklist. Madison: Wisconsin UP, 1981.

Published in 1981, this annotated bibliography is an invaluable resource for identifying appliciable sources, even if it is significantly out of date. After stumbling over this volume, and the more current bibliography above my level of research was inestimably improved, and my own works cited expanded significantly.

Wilson, Edmund. "Oo, Those Awful Orcs." The Nation 182 (1956): 312-14.

In his famous/infamous article bashing Tolkien's work, Edmund Wilson argues that J. R. R. Tolkien's epic novel The Lord of the Rings was merely the result of a philological professor's dabbling in an art for which he was unfit. Wilson believes that the LotR is banal, uninteresting for adults, lacking in description and characterization, and poorly plotted. To shore up his argument, he offers his seven year olds ability to enjoy the books and Tolkien's statements that the book began with and emerged out of his development of fanciful languages.

Zimmer, Paul Edwin. "Another Opinion of 'The Verse of J.R.R. Tolkien.'" Mythlore 72 (1993): 16-23.

Zimmer,defends Tolkien's verse from the attack of Melanie Rawls and points out that Tolkien's verse is both standing the test of time, but is also probably some of the most memorized and quoted verse out there, especially the poems that are incorporated into Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. He successfully argues that noone needs Rawls permission to enjoy Tolkien's poetry. They enjoy it because they enjoy it, and thousands do. He soundly debunks Rawls views on Tolkien's poetry, and offers an appropriate analytic scenario, for all the Tolkien lovers who he is concerned may have been mislead by the earlier Rawls article.