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Tolkien and the West: Recovering the Lost Tradition of Europe
The works of J.R.R. Tolkien are quite possibly the most widely read pieces of literature written in the 20th century. But as Professor Michael Drout illuminates in this engaging course of lectures, Tolkien's writings are built upon a centuries-old literary tradition that developed in Europe and is quite uniquely Western in its outlook and style. Drout explores how that tradition still resonates with us to this day, even if many Modernist critics would argue otherwise. He begins the course with the allegory of a tower - a device which Tolkien himself crafted in one of the most famous academic works of all time - as a way to illuminate how Tolkien's works continue and build upon a tradition that goes back as far as Beowulf itself.
Drout's lectures take us on a literary journey that explores Tolkien's most celebrated writings: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. As he brings these works life, he explains Tolkien's technique and themes, which he shows reverberate all the way back though the Western literary tradition. In the end, Drout shows us how J.R.R. Tolkien crafted literary worlds that the reader cares desperately about and wishes to save. Those worlds, in turn, are allegories for a Western literary tradition - a tower - that is worthy of preservation.
Drout's lectures take us on a literary journey that explores Tolkien's most celebrated writings: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. As he brings these works life, he explains Tolkien's technique and themes, which he shows reverberate all the way back though the Western literary tradition. In the end, Drout shows us how J.R.R. Tolkien crafted literary worlds that the reader cares desperately about and wishes to save. Those worlds, in turn, are allegories for a Western literary tradition - a tower - that is worthy of preservation.
Audiobook
First published June 4, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 28, 2026
Another collection of lectures on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy works. I love this professor's enthusiasm for his subject. Most of it I've come across in previous Professor Drout lecture series, but a rehash of a favourite subject is always fun. These lectures trace Tolkien’s techniques and themes in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion all the way back to foundational works like Beowulf and Medieval literary/bardic traditions.
November 16, 2012
I think the world of Michael Drout as a scholar and a person, and so I was primed to enjoy yet another terrific and insightful work from him. Unfortunately, this series of lectures seems rushed and poorly planned. (In addition, unlike all other Modern Scholar lectures I've purchased, this one did not come with a PDF document containing outlines and bibliographies for the talks.) If you're not familiar with this work, I recommend reading his scholarship or listening to some of his other lecture series.
Drout sets up two very useful ways to think about Tolkien's Middle-earth writings and their relationship to the classic Western literature that inspired and informed them; one is the metaphor of the tower and the ruins, and the other is the concept of "fighting the long defeat." Both are most helpful, and Drout is at his best when he teases out how Tolkien the philologist and Tolkien the medievalist mined the sources he studied to sub-create a new world of his own. Alas, the lectures soon stray from these organizing themes as he considers The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion in turn. That's not to say there aren't gems of information embedded in the lectures - you might say that Drout proves that not all who wander are lost (!!!) - especially with regard to how Tolkien employed framing narratives and the idea of "the compiler." I'm also particularly sympathetic to Drout's well-aimed critiques of the limits of postmodern literary criticism and the disaster of contemporary intellectual property rights and copyright law.
The lectures seem rushed though, as does Drout himself. (His hasty asides sometimes veer into insupportable generalizations of the "X had never happened before" or "only Tolkien did Y" variety, several of which could be contradicted quite easily, or genuine errors; for example, when he's "on script," he identifies Éowyn as Théoden's niece, but when he makes an offhand comment, he calls her Théoden's daughter.) I wish that, since he makes the effort to discuss "Leaf by Niggle," he'd also addressed the related "On Fairy-Stories," which speaks to many of Drout's larger points. I also wish, given his perspective on Christopher Tolkien's efforts in restoring/presenting his father's unpublished works in The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales, Drout had addressed the larger History of Middle-Earth volumes, as well.
The final lecture is by far the most frustrating. Unfortunately, when Drout chooses to address Middle-Earth inspired participatory culture, two of the three examples he uses (Peter Jackson's films and the Lord of the Rings role-playing game) are licensed "products," if you will, not fan creations. Even then, his points are disconnected. He fails, for instance, to link the post-Jackson influx of women into Tolkien fandom (which he mentions without explanation) with the explosion of fan fiction, fan art, and costuming activities. His treatment of the films and the role-playing game also comes across as only partially reasoned; he criticizes the films for removing readers' opportunity to imagine Middle-earth actively for themselves, and yet praises the game designers for bringing Middle-earth to stunning visual life for gaming participants.
When he discusses his personal experience with The Long-Expected Party, he does not put the event into its global context of fan-created and fan-run Tolkien conventions and gatherings, a point well worth noting (and supportive of his larger argument). Most disappointing of all, he completely ignores major ingredients in Tolkien-related participatory culture, such as the immense and decades-long phenomenon of Tolkien-based world music, from U.S. country/western music based on The Hobbit and Argentinian folk music based on The Lord of the Rings to German death metal based on The Silmarillion. This is such a widespread and long-lived phenomenon, it begs for mention in any treatment of readers' desire to enter Middle-earth. In the end, listeners would have been better served if the final lecture had been dedicated to expanding Drout's earlier textual analyses.
I got a great deal out of these lectures, as I knew I would, but I don't recommend this as a starting place for exploring Drout's impressive scholarship and insights.
Drout sets up two very useful ways to think about Tolkien's Middle-earth writings and their relationship to the classic Western literature that inspired and informed them; one is the metaphor of the tower and the ruins, and the other is the concept of "fighting the long defeat." Both are most helpful, and Drout is at his best when he teases out how Tolkien the philologist and Tolkien the medievalist mined the sources he studied to sub-create a new world of his own. Alas, the lectures soon stray from these organizing themes as he considers The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion in turn. That's not to say there aren't gems of information embedded in the lectures - you might say that Drout proves that not all who wander are lost (!!!) - especially with regard to how Tolkien employed framing narratives and the idea of "the compiler." I'm also particularly sympathetic to Drout's well-aimed critiques of the limits of postmodern literary criticism and the disaster of contemporary intellectual property rights and copyright law.
The lectures seem rushed though, as does Drout himself. (His hasty asides sometimes veer into insupportable generalizations of the "X had never happened before" or "only Tolkien did Y" variety, several of which could be contradicted quite easily, or genuine errors; for example, when he's "on script," he identifies Éowyn as Théoden's niece, but when he makes an offhand comment, he calls her Théoden's daughter.) I wish that, since he makes the effort to discuss "Leaf by Niggle," he'd also addressed the related "On Fairy-Stories," which speaks to many of Drout's larger points. I also wish, given his perspective on Christopher Tolkien's efforts in restoring/presenting his father's unpublished works in The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales, Drout had addressed the larger History of Middle-Earth volumes, as well.
The final lecture is by far the most frustrating. Unfortunately, when Drout chooses to address Middle-Earth inspired participatory culture, two of the three examples he uses (Peter Jackson's films and the Lord of the Rings role-playing game) are licensed "products," if you will, not fan creations. Even then, his points are disconnected. He fails, for instance, to link the post-Jackson influx of women into Tolkien fandom (which he mentions without explanation) with the explosion of fan fiction, fan art, and costuming activities. His treatment of the films and the role-playing game also comes across as only partially reasoned; he criticizes the films for removing readers' opportunity to imagine Middle-earth actively for themselves, and yet praises the game designers for bringing Middle-earth to stunning visual life for gaming participants.
When he discusses his personal experience with The Long-Expected Party, he does not put the event into its global context of fan-created and fan-run Tolkien conventions and gatherings, a point well worth noting (and supportive of his larger argument). Most disappointing of all, he completely ignores major ingredients in Tolkien-related participatory culture, such as the immense and decades-long phenomenon of Tolkien-based world music, from U.S. country/western music based on The Hobbit and Argentinian folk music based on The Lord of the Rings to German death metal based on The Silmarillion. This is such a widespread and long-lived phenomenon, it begs for mention in any treatment of readers' desire to enter Middle-earth. In the end, listeners would have been better served if the final lecture had been dedicated to expanding Drout's earlier textual analyses.
I got a great deal out of these lectures, as I knew I would, but I don't recommend this as a starting place for exploring Drout's impressive scholarship and insights.
July 21, 2023
A must read for anyone with even a passing interest in Tolkien.
February 24, 2026
The feminine urge to return to academia but not to be graded, just to learn things for the sake of learning about niche topics. Listening to this audiobook felt like sitting in a Tolkien lecture, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about Middle Earth.
May 25, 2018
This Audiobook is a pleasure because of its subject and enthusiasm of the author in his presentation. Drout's understanding of Tolkien from his personal perspective captivates an audience in this scholastic effort to explain the genius behind Western literature's most widely read author. This student's appreciation of the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion is greater and fresher in my mind now that I finish this class by a real Tolkien fan, Michael D.C. Drout.
June 30, 2015
Excellent! I caught wind of him thanks to Cynthia Egbert. I hung on every word. I never found it boring or uninteresting and I learned incredible amounts of knowledge. I will be running to Beowolf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and everything Tolkien has written now. (Not that I wasn't, but I'm inspired to make it NOW.)
2024 reading: with my daughter Bella (17) and son Braedon (14).
2024 reading: with my daughter Bella (17) and son Braedon (14).
November 14, 2023
This is an excellent series of lectures by Professor Drout on the Tolkien books. I really enjoyed them and he is easy to listen to with lots of interesting information. Recommended for any Tolkien fans.
October 5, 2018
Whether you cared about LOTR before, or never could understand why anyone would want to read them, this book will prove the value and achievement of Tolkien's work. It will make you want to read them (again). I know I am going to.
May 9, 2024
Fantastic lectures.
October 30, 2024
A good, smaller set of Tolkien lectures. Some ideas I've not heard mentioned before.
June 6, 2014
Drout has clearly spent a lot of time defending his scholarly interest in the works of Tolkien. As Drout discusses Tolkien a portrait of Drout begins to emerge as well. Drout was deeply affected by reading Tolkien at a young age, but unlike many Tolkien devotees who went onto to become Fantasy writers themselves, Drout followed Tolkien's scholarly path and became a professor of Anglo-Saxon and Old English literature.
Drout's knowledge of the old languages of northern Europe gives him a unique insight into Tolkien's material. He points out Anglo-Saxon words and terms that Tolkien worked into names in his Middle Earth stories; references that would be lost on all but a handful of specialist scholars. This is one of the grounds that Drout uses to justify serious study of Tolkien.
Most literary critics dismiss Tolkien's novels as popular escapist fiction, or else openly denigrate his style and subject matter. Drout argues that Tolkien is giving readers a glimpse of a literary tradition that might have been if English writers had persisted in the tradition of Beowulf and Siegfried rather than adopting the styles and subject matter of southern Europe during the Renaissance. It is an interesting argument. Personally I do not believe any justification is required to study a work of fiction that has has such an impact as Tolkien's, in spite of the biases of the critics.
Drout's knowledge of the old languages of northern Europe gives him a unique insight into Tolkien's material. He points out Anglo-Saxon words and terms that Tolkien worked into names in his Middle Earth stories; references that would be lost on all but a handful of specialist scholars. This is one of the grounds that Drout uses to justify serious study of Tolkien.
Most literary critics dismiss Tolkien's novels as popular escapist fiction, or else openly denigrate his style and subject matter. Drout argues that Tolkien is giving readers a glimpse of a literary tradition that might have been if English writers had persisted in the tradition of Beowulf and Siegfried rather than adopting the styles and subject matter of southern Europe during the Renaissance. It is an interesting argument. Personally I do not believe any justification is required to study a work of fiction that has has such an impact as Tolkien's, in spite of the biases of the critics.
July 11, 2013
J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most popular authors the world has ever known. And as Wheaton College Professor Michael Drout explains in this series of lectures, Tolkien's popular fiction was thoroughly infused with the scholarship of Tolkien the philologist.
Drout is a philologist himself, as well as a professor of English and (like me) a fan of Tolkien since he was a boy. Drout thus approaches Tolkien's texts as both an academic and an apologist and the combination leads to many interesting insights.
Many modern critics were harsh in their appraisal of Tolkien's fiction, but Drout explains that this says more about them than it does about Tolkien. Modern critics don't like the moral certainty of Tolkien's world and don't give him enough credit for the complexity of his characters who, although they frequently knew the right course of action, were often unable to pursue it. According to Drout, these aspects of Tolkien's work, which ran counter to almost everything else in the 20th century, are worthy of praise precisely because they defy modern conventions.
With only eight lectures on four discs, listeners can get through this quickly. But, especially if they are fans of Tolkien, they will be rewarded by coming away with a richer understanding of this celebrated author.
Drout is a philologist himself, as well as a professor of English and (like me) a fan of Tolkien since he was a boy. Drout thus approaches Tolkien's texts as both an academic and an apologist and the combination leads to many interesting insights.
Many modern critics were harsh in their appraisal of Tolkien's fiction, but Drout explains that this says more about them than it does about Tolkien. Modern critics don't like the moral certainty of Tolkien's world and don't give him enough credit for the complexity of his characters who, although they frequently knew the right course of action, were often unable to pursue it. According to Drout, these aspects of Tolkien's work, which ran counter to almost everything else in the 20th century, are worthy of praise precisely because they defy modern conventions.
With only eight lectures on four discs, listeners can get through this quickly. But, especially if they are fans of Tolkien, they will be rewarded by coming away with a richer understanding of this celebrated author.
April 22, 2019
Some interesting perspectives, but the author is a little too positive about Tolkien. He was a great writer, but the constant claim that anyone who argues otherwise is a fool just undermines his entire argument. They're not fools, their perspectives are perhaps not entirely accurate, but they all have a point
November 30, 2021
Listening to Dr. Drout's analysis of Tolkien's work makes me want to go back and reread it.
January 4, 2020
I listened to these lectures while working on some stuff, and I found that I was still able to focus on the arguments that Drout was trying to convey. He talks about The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, and even Unfinished Tales. He makes it no secret how geeky he is on the subject of Tolkien, and it’s clear that he’s sometimes been defensive against certain criticisms. I’m sure that can be off-putting to some, but not to me.
I admire his enthusiasm, and he presents some points that change how I look at TLOTR and make me appreciate certain aspects even more. For example, he talks about how Pippin is more impulsive and Merry is more orderly, and they are paired with cultures that are their opposites (Gondor and Rohan respectively). And he also points out that Eowyn is the only hero who slays a “boss” directly, and she does it in a defensive manner. He is also good at conveying how sad Tolkien felt when he wrote the scene of Gollum almost renting until Sam wakes up and labels him the villain.
Despite his love of the literature, Drout is still able to point out what he likes about the TLOTR animated and live-action films. (Though he does not seem to like the 1977 animated The Hobbit film, which surprises me a bit.) overall, Drout provides a fresh view of Tolkien’s Legendarium for those looking to dive deeper and dissect certain aspects of the stories.
I admire his enthusiasm, and he presents some points that change how I look at TLOTR and make me appreciate certain aspects even more. For example, he talks about how Pippin is more impulsive and Merry is more orderly, and they are paired with cultures that are their opposites (Gondor and Rohan respectively). And he also points out that Eowyn is the only hero who slays a “boss” directly, and she does it in a defensive manner. He is also good at conveying how sad Tolkien felt when he wrote the scene of Gollum almost renting until Sam wakes up and labels him the villain.
Despite his love of the literature, Drout is still able to point out what he likes about the TLOTR animated and live-action films. (Though he does not seem to like the 1977 animated The Hobbit film, which surprises me a bit.) overall, Drout provides a fresh view of Tolkien’s Legendarium for those looking to dive deeper and dissect certain aspects of the stories.
August 30, 2024
This is more a nerd sharing his hobby than a scholar's lecture series, but that's not necessarily bad. Drout is clearly very enthusiastic and this lecture series feels very off the cuff and non-technical. That makes it approachable and listenable. The downside is it's meandering and lacks the tight professional presentation of most Modern Scholar offerings.
We do get some insights into the literary criticism of Tolkien, and the strongest case he makes is that a lot of the criticism comes from a non-acceptance of the central premise regarding good and evil - that it's not about complex moral ambiguities, but that there is as much depth in the problem of knowing what the good is, but not knowing if you can do it. That's something that seems to jive very much with Tolkien's character and religious background, and is something done away with by those who seek to emulate him (think GRRMs comments about the tax policy).
Similarly he defends the view of LOTR as a mediated document (revised product of many hands) well, a view I'd never considered.
The pop culture reflections are fun, but less insightful.
We do get some insights into the literary criticism of Tolkien, and the strongest case he makes is that a lot of the criticism comes from a non-acceptance of the central premise regarding good and evil - that it's not about complex moral ambiguities, but that there is as much depth in the problem of knowing what the good is, but not knowing if you can do it. That's something that seems to jive very much with Tolkien's character and religious background, and is something done away with by those who seek to emulate him (think GRRMs comments about the tax policy).
Similarly he defends the view of LOTR as a mediated document (revised product of many hands) well, a view I'd never considered.
The pop culture reflections are fun, but less insightful.
December 1, 2023
A+
I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in my early 20’s and though I enjoyed it, honestly, I didn’t really get it. I was one of those “”bad readers” who skipped the poems and barely gleaned over the appendices. At some point during the mid aughts I came across Barnes&Nobles Portable Professor (Modern Scholar) series of lectures. I picked up damn near the entire catalog including Rings, Swords, and Monster: Exploring Fantasy Literature presented by Prof. Michael D.C. Drout. After listening to those lectures i once again tackled the LotRs with a whole new appreciation.
Now, nearly 20 years later, I read the entire Middle Earth saga every year or two and consider them my favorite books of all time, have all the History of Middle Earth books, study Anglo-Saxon as well as Welsh, completely nerd out on the Nordic Sagas and love the Kalevala.
All this because of Drouts enthusiastic lectures.
Tolkien and the West is basically just the Tolkien section from Rings, Swords, and Monsters. Both are well worth the listen.
I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time in my early 20’s and though I enjoyed it, honestly, I didn’t really get it. I was one of those “”bad readers” who skipped the poems and barely gleaned over the appendices. At some point during the mid aughts I came across Barnes&Nobles Portable Professor (Modern Scholar) series of lectures. I picked up damn near the entire catalog including Rings, Swords, and Monster: Exploring Fantasy Literature presented by Prof. Michael D.C. Drout. After listening to those lectures i once again tackled the LotRs with a whole new appreciation.
Now, nearly 20 years later, I read the entire Middle Earth saga every year or two and consider them my favorite books of all time, have all the History of Middle Earth books, study Anglo-Saxon as well as Welsh, completely nerd out on the Nordic Sagas and love the Kalevala.
All this because of Drouts enthusiastic lectures.
Tolkien and the West is basically just the Tolkien section from Rings, Swords, and Monsters. Both are well worth the listen.
April 6, 2023
This is the same professor that delivered the course on Tolkien that I reviewed here a few weeks ago, but this is a different course. It’s shorter, first of all, fitting on 4 CDs and didn’t have a companion booklet to follow along. It is also newer, as he remarks about the last course. I found it to be another informative set of lectures (2 per CD) even though I’m a MA-level Tolkien scholar myself. In this one Professor D. gives some personal stories about how the books fit into his life (A very common tactic among English professors in my experience) and that helped me understand his love of the Silmarillion. He also covers the Appendices, Unfinished Tales, and Leaf by Niggle from Tolkien Reader. YEP, I love this guy’s courses. I feel like one of those math major seniors who takes statistics for fun, gets an A, and claims to have learned something because there’s always more to learn.
May 8, 2021
This is a good starting point for a beginner in Tolkien scholarship or a casual fan who has not yet done a deep dive into all that Tolkien has to offer. For me, it was perfect.
The audiobook is wonderful. Drout is a good speaker, with no stammering and no "um"s and "uh"s to break up the thought train. He brings just enough drama into his reading that it is enjoyable not overdone. I enjoyed his personal stories of what made Tolkien so magical for him and helped him through some tough times as a kid. It's obvious that he enjoys his work.
The audiobook is wonderful. Drout is a good speaker, with no stammering and no "um"s and "uh"s to break up the thought train. He brings just enough drama into his reading that it is enjoyable not overdone. I enjoyed his personal stories of what made Tolkien so magical for him and helped him through some tough times as a kid. It's obvious that he enjoys his work.
April 6, 2022
Actually did this series of lectures as an audio book. I don't much care for Drout's delivery, though it is really him. He's also problematic as a person. He just irritated me a bit, though his analysis is interesting. I'd recommend considering it, if one is a Tolkein fan. It does help to be at least familiar with The Silmarillion, as well as The Hobbit and the trilogy. Drout does dip into a little commentary on the various film versions of the stories, with reasonable conclusions about them.
February 19, 2024
A series of lectures by an enthusiastic Professor highlighting some common themes in Tolkien's epic sagas; nothing new here, but overall well done, only downside is the -in places- vulgar or even flippant narrational style. For some more background on Tolkien, be sure to check out Tom Shippey's J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century.
August 24, 2017
This is a really nice examination of the literary basis and importance of Tolkien's works. I certainly would not recommend it for light listening, but for those truly interested in the scholarship of his works and how they relate to Old English literature this is an invaluable collection. Dr. Drout's enthusiasm is very enjoyable as well.
Read
August 26, 2022Loved this analyst and explanation of my favorite book of all time. I learned so much about Tolkien's writing process along with the how and why he put it all together. Definitely will re-read again to learn more.
July 27, 2017
A gem for any Tolkien nerd like me!
December 5, 2018
Amazing lectures! M. Drout takes a new scholarly perspective on Tolkien's works and I loved it.
January 25, 2019
I really enjoyed this series despite never reading any of the books or enjoying the movies 🤣
March 14, 2019
5 stars - I absolutely loved it. Michael Drout knows his stuff and explains Tolkien in a wonderful way. Makes me want to read Tolkien all over again. Thank you Michael Drout!
September 26, 2019
Excellent exposition.
March 18, 2020
This made me want to re read LOTR again and binge watch the movies. He has so much feeling for Tolkien.
September 1, 2021
I got this cheap on Audible. Very engaging lecturer, with an interesting take on Tolkien's works. (I'm still not going to read the Silmarillion, though.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews