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A new expanded edition of Tolkien's most famous, and most important
essay, which defined his conception of fantasy as a literary form,
and which led to the writing of The Lord of the Rings. Accompanied
by a critical study of the history and writing of the text. J.R.R.
Tolkien's "On Fairy-stories" is his most-studied and most-quoted
essay, an exemplary personal statement of his views on the role of
imagination in literature, and an intellectual tour de force vital
for understanding Tolkien's achievement in the writing of The Lord
of the Rings. "On Fairy-stories" comprises about 18,000 words. What
is little-known is that when Tolkien expanded the essay in 1943, he
wrote many more pages of his views that were originally condensed
into or cut from the published version. An estimate is difficult,
but these unpublished passages perhaps amount to half again as much
writing as the essay itself. These passages contain important
elaborations of his views on other writers, and their publication
represents a significant addition to Tolkien studies. Included in
this new critical study of the work are: An introductory essay
setting the stage for Tolkien's 1939 lecture (the origin of the
essay) and placing it within a historical context. A history of the
writing of 'On Fairy-stories', beginning with coverage of the
original lecture as delivered, and continuing through to first
publication in 1947. The essay proper as published in corrected
form in Tree and Leaf (1964). Commentary on the allusions in the
text, and notes about the revisions Tolkien made to the text as
published in Tree and Leaf. Important material not included in the
essay as published, with commentary by the editors. Contained
within "On Fairy-stories" are the roots of the tree of tales that
bore such glittering fruit in Tolkien's published and unpublished
work. Here, at last, Flieger and Anderson reveal through literary
archaeology the extraordinary genesis of this seminal work and
discuss, in their engaging commentary, how what Tolkien discovered
during the writing of the essay would shape his writing for the
rest of his life.
For readers throughout the world, The Hobbit serves as an introduction to the enchanting world of Middle-earth, home of elves, wizards, dwarves, goblins, dragons, orcs and a host of other creatures depicted in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion -- tales that sprang from the mind of the most beloved author of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien. Newly expanded and completely redesigned, Douglas A. Anderson's The Annotated Hobbit is the definitive explication of the sources, characters, places, and things of J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless classic. Integrated with Anderson's notes and placed alongside the fully restored and corrected text of the original story are more than 150 illustrations showing visual interpretations of The Hobbit specific to many of the cultures that have come to know and love Tolkien's Middle-earth. Tolkien's original line drawings, maps and color paintings are also included, making this the most lavishly informative edition of The Hobbit available. The Annotated Hobbit shows how Tolkien worked as a writer, what his influences and interests were, and how these relate to the invented world of Middle-earth. It gives a valuable overview of Tolkien's life and the publishing history of The Hobbit, and explains how every feature of The Hobbit fits within the rest of Tolkien's invented world. Here we learn how Gollum's character was revised to accommodate the true nature of the One Ring, and we can read the full text of The Quest of Erebor, Gandalf's explanation of how he came to send Bilbo Baggins on his journey with the dwarves. Anderson also makes meaningful and often surprising connections to our own world and literary history -- from Beowulf to The Marvellous Land of Snergs, from the Brothers Grimm to C. S. Lewis.
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Fingers of Fear (Paperback)
J. U Nicolson; Introduction by Douglas A. Anderson
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R443
Discovery Miles 4 430
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Sphinx (Paperback)
Douglas A. Anderson; David Lindsay
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R382
Discovery Miles 3 820
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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In his acclaimed collection Tales Before Tolkien, Douglas A.
Anderson illuminated the sources, inspirations, and influences that
fired J.R.R. Tolkien's genius. Now Anderson turns his attention to
Tolkien's colleague and friend C. S. Lewis, whose influence on
modern fantasy, through his beloved Narnia books, is second only to
Tolkien's own.
In many ways, Lewis's influence has been even wider than Tolkien's.
For in addition to the Narnia series, Lewis wrote groundbreaking
works of science fiction, urban fantasy, and religious allegory,
and he came to be regarded as among the most important Christian
writers of the twentieth century. It will come as no surprise,
then, that such a wide-ranging talent drew inspiration from a
variety of sources. Here are twenty of the tributaries that fed
Lewis's unique talent, among them:
"The Wood That Time Forgot: The Enchanted Wood," taken from a
never-before-published fantasy by Lewis's biographer and friend,
Roger Lancelyn Green, that directly inspired The Lion, the Witch,
and the Wardrobe; E. Nesbit's charming "The Aunt and Amabel," in
which a young girl enters another world by means of a wardrobe;
"The Snow Queen," by Hans Christian Andersen, featuring the
abduction of a young boy by a woman as cruel as she is beautiful;
and many more, including works by Charles Dickens, Kenneth Grahame,
G. K. Chesterton, and George MacDonald, of whom Lewis would write,
"I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master."
Full of fascinating insights into Lewis's life and fiction, Tales
Before Narnia is the kind of book that will be treasured by
children and adults alike and passed down lovingly from generation
to generation.
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