Individual remembering and forgetting is, as we know, not subject to conscious intention, but is part of a collective process of remembering which is formed in part by cultural change. Thus a ~memory writinga (TM) is dependent far more on the effects of narrative and linguistic models than directed by historical truth. German Studies have approached this topic, which has been reignited through the controversies surrounding the Nazi past of prominent authors. The present volume documents the intensive discussions conducted on the subject at the Annual German Studies Conference held in Marburg in 2007.

Authorship in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien is a subject of many facets. Within the mythology and history of Middle-earth, many story-tellers, bards, annalists and poets contribute to the weaving of an enormous tapestry of tales. Sub-creation, as Tolkien practiced it, involves an abundance of traditions, including different modes of authorship and literary creation - and some depart strikingly from the common modern notions. Instead of proposing a unified perception, the six articles in this collection therefore examine the web of authorial presence and authorship concepts in Tolkien's works from diverse angles, to trace a polyphonous dialogue between the writer of the texts and the many voices within that shape Middle-earth in concert.