J.R.R. Tolkien: A Beginner's Guide

by Andrew Blake

Examining the novels and other writings, Andrew Blake shows how J.R.R. Tolkien's mastery of language, his establishment of a fully-fledged alternative mythology, and his brave way of looking at difficult questions have helped to inaugurate a new way of writing which re-established "fantasy" as a late 20th century genre.

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[Amairo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Започвам с уговорката, че на тази "книга" и 2 звезди са ѝ много. Би била добра за току-що запознаваща се с творчеството на автора, хора.
Цялото ми недоволство отива към българското издание, което е под всякаква критика, ако мога да се изразя така. Буквално преведени имена, преведени грешно имена, никаква граматика, никакъв стил - личи си, че нито преводачката, нито тези, които са писани за редактор и коректор изобщо са чели за какво става въпрос. Българското издание е едно голямо недоразумение, което не трябваше никога да ми попада в ръцете.

[Pedro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me ha resultado bastante interesante el libro, se realiza un breve repaso a la figura de Tolkien vista desde diferentes prismas: una escueta biografía, pasando por un breve comentario de sus obras, y su producción académica; por último, también se indican las críticas literarias a su obra y el impacto que tuvieron dentro de la literatura del momento. Todas estas cuestiones me resultan sumamente interesantes, observar sus influencias, su visión particular del mundo y la manera en la que desarrolló su trabajo.
No obstante, el problema que tengo con el libro es que creo que no termina de estar bien enfocado, es muy escueto como para conseguir un análisis profundo, pero al mismo tiempo, muy académico a veces como para que sea interesante para alguien que quiere adentrarse en la literatura de Tolkien. Es por eso por lo que no sé si cumple con el propósito de fomentar la lectura de las obras de Tolkien para alguien que no las haya leído. A mí personalmente, que ya he leído el señor de los anillos y el hobbit, -y comencé el silmarillion sin éxito-, sí que me ha despertado una nueva chispa para querer releer esas obras. Con las nuevas claves dadas, aun sin mucho desarrollo, puede que disfrute bastante leyendo esas obras.
PD: También me han parecido muy interesantes algunos de los ensayos de Tolkien, no me esperaba esto.

[Jeff Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is short on the number of pages (83) but long on content. Blake provides a substantive and useful survey to Tolkien and his writings. In eight chapters he introduces Tolkien through his life, work, legacy, and the major themes of his writings.

Popular opinion insists that Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books are the best of the century. However, Tolkien has his critics. Blake ably describes the essence of the critic’s disagreements.

All aspects of the book were useful. However, I particularly appreciated how Blake contrasted the recent Peter Jackson movies with the books and explain why Tolkien is considered by many to be an “environmental” writer.

The volume concludes with a Chronology of Tolkien’s major works, glossary, suggestions for further readings, and an index.

After reading this book I want to re-read the Lord of the Rings and find Tolkien’s lesser well-known works.