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Tolkien: A Look Behind the Lord of the Rings
A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings is a study of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien written by Lin Carter. It was 1st published in paper by Ballantine in 3/69 & went thru numerous additional printings. It was among the earliest full-length critical works devoted to Tolkien's fantasies, the 1st to set his writings in their proper context in the history of fantasy. It was the earliest of three studies by Carter devoted to fantasy/horror writers & the history of fantasy, being followed by A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos ('72) & Imaginary The Art of Fantasy ('73), establishing him as an authority on the genre, indirectly leading to his editorial guidance of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. Gollancz published a cloth edition updated by Adam Roberts in 8/03.
The study serves as an introduction for those unfamiliar with Tolkien's work. An introduction briefly reviews the publishing phenomenon of The Lord of the Rings & its popularity in the wake of the 1st paper editions in the '60s, after which he devotes three chapters to a short biography of the author thru the late '60s, including an account of how it was written. Four chapters explaining Middle-earth & summarizing the stories of The Hobbit & the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings follow, for the benefit of readers who may not have actually read the works. Carter next turns to the question of what the works are, a point of some confusion at the time. The then-current vogue for realistic fiction provided critics with few tools for evaluating an out-&-out fantasy on its own terms. Attempts to deconstruct it as a satire or allegory were rife. Carter firmly debunks these efforts, supporting his argument by drawing on Tolkien's own published ruminations on fantasy's functions & purposes. He then contextualizes the works by sketching the history of written fantasy from its earliest appearance in the epic poetry of the ancient world thru the heroic poetry of the Dark & the prose romances of the Middle Ages, down to the fairy tales, ghost stories & gothic novels of the early modern era & the rediscovery of the genre by writers of the 19-20th centuries prior to & contemporary with Tolkien. The origins of the modern genre are discovered in the writings of Wm Morris, Lord Dunsany & E.R. Eddison & followed thru the works of authors they influenced, including H.P. Lovecraft, Fletcher Pratt, L. Sprague de Camp & Mervyn Peake. Carter next highlights some of Tolkien's particular debts to his predecessors, tracing the motifs & names he utilizes back to their beginnings in Norse mythology & highlighting other echoes in his work deriving from legend & history. Finally noted is Tolkien's influence on contemporary fantasy, which was just beginning to make itself felt, primarily in the juvenile fantasies of Carol Kendall, Alan Garner & Lloyd Alexander.
The study serves as an introduction for those unfamiliar with Tolkien's work. An introduction briefly reviews the publishing phenomenon of The Lord of the Rings & its popularity in the wake of the 1st paper editions in the '60s, after which he devotes three chapters to a short biography of the author thru the late '60s, including an account of how it was written. Four chapters explaining Middle-earth & summarizing the stories of The Hobbit & the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings follow, for the benefit of readers who may not have actually read the works. Carter next turns to the question of what the works are, a point of some confusion at the time. The then-current vogue for realistic fiction provided critics with few tools for evaluating an out-&-out fantasy on its own terms. Attempts to deconstruct it as a satire or allegory were rife. Carter firmly debunks these efforts, supporting his argument by drawing on Tolkien's own published ruminations on fantasy's functions & purposes. He then contextualizes the works by sketching the history of written fantasy from its earliest appearance in the epic poetry of the ancient world thru the heroic poetry of the Dark & the prose romances of the Middle Ages, down to the fairy tales, ghost stories & gothic novels of the early modern era & the rediscovery of the genre by writers of the 19-20th centuries prior to & contemporary with Tolkien. The origins of the modern genre are discovered in the writings of Wm Morris, Lord Dunsany & E.R. Eddison & followed thru the works of authors they influenced, including H.P. Lovecraft, Fletcher Pratt, L. Sprague de Camp & Mervyn Peake. Carter next highlights some of Tolkien's particular debts to his predecessors, tracing the motifs & names he utilizes back to their beginnings in Norse mythology & highlighting other echoes in his work deriving from legend & history. Finally noted is Tolkien's influence on contemporary fantasy, which was just beginning to make itself felt, primarily in the juvenile fantasies of Carol Kendall, Alan Garner & Lloyd Alexander.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1969
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About the author
Lin Carter
415 books171 followersLin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
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February 11, 2008
Lin Carter, Tolkien: A Look Behind the Lord of the Rings (Ballantine, 1969)
Forget the title. Carter's book has about as much to do with Lord of the Rings as Silence of the Lambs actually has to do with lambs. They get mentioned now and again, but are really quite unnecessary to what's going on.
Carter's interesting little tome is actually more of an encapsulated history of fantasy literature up to the time of Tolkien-- the sources from which Tolkien got his ideas. LOTR serves as a convenient linchpin and a good jumping-off point, but Carter is truly in his own when he's discussing the Elder Edda or the epics of Homer and his contemporaries, and tracing how the stories got from the ancient texts into Tolkien's hands. It leaves behind a wealth of wonderful reading material for the interested fantasy reader to track down (assuming most of it can be found; Carter laments that many of the works of which he speaks have been lost to the ages), and this is its chief strength. As for weaknesses... well, there really aren't any. Carter spends too much time summing up LOTR when he could be telling us about Egyptian legends, and he makes a number of guesses about things in LOTR, since The Silmarillion hadn't been published yet (and for all its annoyances, The Silmarillion did answer a whole lot of questions about the First Age), but it's impossible to count that against Carter and still remain fair. I'd just liked to have seen more of the old stuff, and less of the new. ***
Forget the title. Carter's book has about as much to do with Lord of the Rings as Silence of the Lambs actually has to do with lambs. They get mentioned now and again, but are really quite unnecessary to what's going on.
Carter's interesting little tome is actually more of an encapsulated history of fantasy literature up to the time of Tolkien-- the sources from which Tolkien got his ideas. LOTR serves as a convenient linchpin and a good jumping-off point, but Carter is truly in his own when he's discussing the Elder Edda or the epics of Homer and his contemporaries, and tracing how the stories got from the ancient texts into Tolkien's hands. It leaves behind a wealth of wonderful reading material for the interested fantasy reader to track down (assuming most of it can be found; Carter laments that many of the works of which he speaks have been lost to the ages), and this is its chief strength. As for weaknesses... well, there really aren't any. Carter spends too much time summing up LOTR when he could be telling us about Egyptian legends, and he makes a number of guesses about things in LOTR, since The Silmarillion hadn't been published yet (and for all its annoyances, The Silmarillion did answer a whole lot of questions about the First Age), but it's impossible to count that against Carter and still remain fair. I'd just liked to have seen more of the old stuff, and less of the new. ***
December 2, 2020
Very mixed feelings about this book.
Let's start with a short chapter by chapter summary. The first three chapters provide a short biography of Tolkien, how he wrote "The Hobbit" and LOTR, and the impact they had after becoming popular. The following four chapters summarise the four books plus a short summary of "The Silmarillion". Intended for the readers of this book who haven't read any of the topical books. Then follow two chapters on satirical and alegorical elements, and Tolkien's theory of the fairy story. After that four chapters on fantasy elements through literature history (classical epic, chansons de geste, medieval romance, and 19th century fantasy). The final three chapters deal with analysing Tolkien's basic sources for names and story elements.
The problem of this book is that half of it is unneccessary. The topic is Tolkien and what's behind LOTR. I fail to see why would anyone who hasn't read Tolkien decide to start with this book. Which makes the three summary chapters pointless.
Then come the four chapters of literature fantasy elements. In and of themselves they are quite interesting and well presented and analysed. Especially the one about 19th century fantasy which introduced me to information and writers I hadn't known and am interested to learn more about. However, as later chapters show, Tolkien's direct influences and sources came primarily from works NOT mentioned in these chapters. That's about 80 pages now that can be omitted or don't have direct relation to the topic of the book.
The final chapters finally give us what was promised. But it's important to note that all the connections for Tolkien's sources are hypothethical. A point the author does not hide. They are also very logical, researched in great detail, and probably true for the most part. But at no point made factual by quoting Tolkien himself or any other research.
Finally there is the problem of the author himself. Its is clear he loves what he is writing about and had done extensive research. But it seems like he writes about some things just for the sake of producing words. Two examples. In the 7 page chapter on allegory he discusses the possible hidden meaning behind Tolkien's books, concluding there is none by citing Tolkien's foreword to LOTR CLEARLY SAYING SO. Second example is spending three pages on deliberating what Gandalf is. Is he a man, elf, god, Valar? Then finally citing "The Silmarillion" clearly saying he is a maiar and describing what a maiar is in two sentences. The worst thing for me was, when summarising the books, he said TWICE that Eowyn was Theoden's daughter.
And finally an oddity about the book itself. Lin Carted died in 1988. Yet the book mentions the LOTR movies and later authors and books that came out after his death, like the work of Tad Williams, Robert Jordan, Steven Erikson, and George R.R. Martin. Without saying who wrote those additions.
All in all, this is not an uninteresting book. Just one that doesn't feel like it gives the reader what it promises in the title.
EDIT: became aware that the book was published in 1969, when LOTR was fairly new and not well known among the wider public. So the summary makes sense in that context.
Let's start with a short chapter by chapter summary. The first three chapters provide a short biography of Tolkien, how he wrote "The Hobbit" and LOTR, and the impact they had after becoming popular. The following four chapters summarise the four books plus a short summary of "The Silmarillion". Intended for the readers of this book who haven't read any of the topical books. Then follow two chapters on satirical and alegorical elements, and Tolkien's theory of the fairy story. After that four chapters on fantasy elements through literature history (classical epic, chansons de geste, medieval romance, and 19th century fantasy). The final three chapters deal with analysing Tolkien's basic sources for names and story elements.
The problem of this book is that half of it is unneccessary. The topic is Tolkien and what's behind LOTR. I fail to see why would anyone who hasn't read Tolkien decide to start with this book. Which makes the three summary chapters pointless.
Then come the four chapters of literature fantasy elements. In and of themselves they are quite interesting and well presented and analysed. Especially the one about 19th century fantasy which introduced me to information and writers I hadn't known and am interested to learn more about. However, as later chapters show, Tolkien's direct influences and sources came primarily from works NOT mentioned in these chapters. That's about 80 pages now that can be omitted or don't have direct relation to the topic of the book.
The final chapters finally give us what was promised. But it's important to note that all the connections for Tolkien's sources are hypothethical. A point the author does not hide. They are also very logical, researched in great detail, and probably true for the most part. But at no point made factual by quoting Tolkien himself or any other research.
Finally there is the problem of the author himself. Its is clear he loves what he is writing about and had done extensive research. But it seems like he writes about some things just for the sake of producing words. Two examples. In the 7 page chapter on allegory he discusses the possible hidden meaning behind Tolkien's books, concluding there is none by citing Tolkien's foreword to LOTR CLEARLY SAYING SO. Second example is spending three pages on deliberating what Gandalf is. Is he a man, elf, god, Valar? Then finally citing "The Silmarillion" clearly saying he is a maiar and describing what a maiar is in two sentences. The worst thing for me was, when summarising the books, he said TWICE that Eowyn was Theoden's daughter.
And finally an oddity about the book itself. Lin Carted died in 1988. Yet the book mentions the LOTR movies and later authors and books that came out after his death, like the work of Tad Williams, Robert Jordan, Steven Erikson, and George R.R. Martin. Without saying who wrote those additions.
All in all, this is not an uninteresting book. Just one that doesn't feel like it gives the reader what it promises in the title.
EDIT: became aware that the book was published in 1969, when LOTR was fairly new and not well known among the wider public. So the summary makes sense in that context.
February 5, 2017
Jedna z prvních knih, které byly o Tolkienově díle napsány. Tato kniha je určena prvotně pro ty, kteří jsou alespoň trochu znalí Tolkienova díla. Nedokážu si představit, že by někdo po knize sáhl bez potřebných znalostí. Je však pravda, že autor dost často odbíhal hodně daleko od Hobita a Pána Prstenů. Nicméně nemohu říct, že by mi kniha nic nedala.
February 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Nice read to get a little more into the origin of Tolkien's writing and see some cool connections. Keep in mind that this was written before works like the silmarillion and the histories of middle earth had been released so some things are speculative when it comes to history inside middle earth. On it being written that early it is cool to see the speculation of what the silmarillion could entail when it is eventually released.
March 1, 2021
Índice
Introducción
1. Vida y época del profesor Tolkien
2. Cómo se escribió "El señor de los anillos"
3. Tolkien después de "El señor de los anillos"
4. De la Tierra Media y el relato de "El Hobbit"
5. La historia de "La Comunidad del Anillo"
6. El relato de "Las dos torres"
7. El relato de "El retorno del rey"
8. La trilogía. ¿Sátira o alegoría?
9. LA teoría de Tolkien sobre el cuento de hadas
10. La fantasía en la épica clásica
11. La fantasía en el cantar de gesta
12. La fantasía en los libros de caballerías medievales
13. Los hombres que inventaron la fantasía
14.Las fuentes esenciales de Tolkien
15. Sobre la elección de los nombres
16. Personas, lugares y cosas
Posdata: después de Tolkien
Apéndice A: bibliografía crítica
Apéndice B: selección bibliográfica
«"El origen de 'El señor de los anillos'" es un docto y sumamente ameno análisis de la historia de la éopica, desde las antiguas sagas heroicas sumerias hasta la mitología griega y las leyendas nórdicas, pasando por "Beowulf" y el "Cantar de los nibelungos" hasta llegar a al historia de Sigfrido y Brunilda, haciendo especial hincapié, naturalmente, en el modo en que "El señor de los anillos" encaja en esta titánica tradición, así como en sus raíces y sus fuentes. El libro de Lin Carter constituye una lectura fascinante para los millones de seguidores del Anillo (se incluye una detallada sinopsis de la trilogía para los lectores no iniciados en Tolkien), una gozosa introducción a un mundo de prodigios».
La obra de Lin Carter es un extraño equilibrio entre lo académico y lo divulgativo, con un público potencial algo irreal: tiene capítulos dirigidos a lectores que no hayan leído nunca a Tolkien, como los cuatro que resumen literalmente los libros (bastante innecesarios), y otros que exigen ciertos conocimiento de la obra para poder ver toda la red de influencias mitológicas y literarias que va uniendo. Por lo tanto se queda en tierra de nadie. Además fue escrita en 1969 y en algunos apartado se ha quedado un poco obsoleta. No obstante sigue cumpliendo como introducción breve a la vida y obra de Tolkien.
Introducción
1. Vida y época del profesor Tolkien
2. Cómo se escribió "El señor de los anillos"
3. Tolkien después de "El señor de los anillos"
4. De la Tierra Media y el relato de "El Hobbit"
5. La historia de "La Comunidad del Anillo"
6. El relato de "Las dos torres"
7. El relato de "El retorno del rey"
8. La trilogía. ¿Sátira o alegoría?
9. LA teoría de Tolkien sobre el cuento de hadas
10. La fantasía en la épica clásica
11. La fantasía en el cantar de gesta
12. La fantasía en los libros de caballerías medievales
13. Los hombres que inventaron la fantasía
14.Las fuentes esenciales de Tolkien
15. Sobre la elección de los nombres
16. Personas, lugares y cosas
Posdata: después de Tolkien
Apéndice A: bibliografía crítica
Apéndice B: selección bibliográfica
«"El origen de 'El señor de los anillos'" es un docto y sumamente ameno análisis de la historia de la éopica, desde las antiguas sagas heroicas sumerias hasta la mitología griega y las leyendas nórdicas, pasando por "Beowulf" y el "Cantar de los nibelungos" hasta llegar a al historia de Sigfrido y Brunilda, haciendo especial hincapié, naturalmente, en el modo en que "El señor de los anillos" encaja en esta titánica tradición, así como en sus raíces y sus fuentes. El libro de Lin Carter constituye una lectura fascinante para los millones de seguidores del Anillo (se incluye una detallada sinopsis de la trilogía para los lectores no iniciados en Tolkien), una gozosa introducción a un mundo de prodigios».
La obra de Lin Carter es un extraño equilibrio entre lo académico y lo divulgativo, con un público potencial algo irreal: tiene capítulos dirigidos a lectores que no hayan leído nunca a Tolkien, como los cuatro que resumen literalmente los libros (bastante innecesarios), y otros que exigen ciertos conocimiento de la obra para poder ver toda la red de influencias mitológicas y literarias que va uniendo. Por lo tanto se queda en tierra de nadie. Además fue escrita en 1969 y en algunos apartado se ha quedado un poco obsoleta. No obstante sigue cumpliendo como introducción breve a la vida y obra de Tolkien.
October 31, 2018
Día nublado con llovizna perfecto para hablar (escribir) acerca de este ensayo. Tolkien es y será por lejos mi escritor favorito así que no es el primer ensayo acerca de su obra que leo. Este es uno de los más completos, en términos de contextualizar la obra. La verdad es que aportó poco a lo que sabía, pero si te gusta el autor y no has leído ningún ensayo, este sería un excelente comienzo. Tiene una buena síntesis de los cuatro libros principales: ESDLA y El Hobbit. Se hace un poco tedioso el detallismo en su recuento de obras precursoras de la novela de fantasía épica. Pero tiene un par de anécdotas sabrosas y trocitos de cartas que desconocía. Entretiene, es para fangirlear tu ídolo literario o si estudias literatura para apoyar un ensayo. No es interpretativo y descarta, en parte, la alegoría nazi que suele hacerse de la saga. Un buen libro. #esdla #Tolkien #ensayoliterario
February 6, 2020
*review to be posted soon*
February 11, 2024
It was really interesting and eye opening to see some of the inspirations and learn some of the workings around Tolkien’s works. However. It was extremely outdated in the mindset of only male writers and characters/heroes, plus some other few instances of funny outdated language.
Read
October 21, 2007http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/tolkienbehind.htm[return][return]This book, originally published by Ballantine in 1969, has now been updated by Adam Roberts and republished by Gollancz, billed as "The companion to The Lord of the Rings". Unfortunately, it isn't. Tolkienology has come a very long way in the last thirty-five years, and very little in this book will be new to anyone who has read Humphrey Carpenter or Tom Shippey.[return][return]Even in 1969, the Tolkien-hungry reader could not have been completely satisfied by this book. Fully a quarter of it is taken up with a synopsis of the plots of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, material that would surely have already been familiar to the average Tolkien reader. There is a chapter asking if LOTR (as Carter repeatedly abbreviates it) is satire or allegory. (Conclusion: it is neither.) A third of the book is taken up with a survey of other works of epic fantasy, the genre that Carter argues Tolkien's writing belongs to; completely coincidentally, Ballantine - for whom Carter worked as an editor - was publishing or about to publish many of the authors who are namechecked here at the time this book was first published.[return][return]Carter identifies epic fantasy as a tradition including Homer, the chansons de geste, Spenser (who is mentioned often), William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison, Fletcher Pratt, and Mervyn Peake. He makes no attempt to demonstrate the influences of the earlier writers on Tolkien; indeed where he does identify Tolkien's sources directly, he ends up appearing to argue that The Hobbit is a rip-off of Walter de la Mare's The Three Mulla Mulgars (aka The Three Royal Monkeys) or that the whole of Middle-Earth is based on Wagner's Ring. (Tolkien himself, of course, famously retorted that the only similarity between his ring and Wagner's was that they were both round.)[return][return]A single, though long, footnote describes the Swords and Sorcery genre, including the works of Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, Henry Kuttner, Fritz Leiber and indeed Carter himself, but concludes without further discussion that these are "not strictly speaking epic fantasy in the Morris-Dunsany-Eddison-Tolkien tradition at all." This is simply unconvincing. Carter actually reports Tolkien as saying that he was influenced by H. Rider Haggard's She (and one can see that Mount Doom owes something to the climactic scenes of Haggard's novel) and that he enjoyed Robert E. Howard's Conan books; do we know if he actually read Dunsany or Eddison, and if so if he liked them? Carter's distinction between the two types of fantasy is then blurred still further by placing Alan Garner, Lloyd Alexander and Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea firmly in the Tolkien tradition.[return][return]Adam Roberts, given the impossible job of updating this rather messy book, sensibly did not try very hard. He has added a chapter on The Silmarillion (confusingly placed before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which fits the internal chronology but not the way in which most readers will come to it) and updated the section on more recent fantasy writers. But the gaps are rather obvious: the foreword, for instance, begins by referring to the 2001-3 film trilogy (presumably a note by Roberts), and then describes the sub-culture of Tolkien societies and fanzines in affectionate detail (presumably Carter's original text), with no reference to the medium through which you are reading these words. He shouldn't really have bothered. The original book may well have been the high water mark of Tolkienology at its time, and should certainly be on the shelf of any committed completist. But it's difficult to see why anyone should buy this edition.
August 13, 2016
Lin Carter, Tolkien: A Look Behind the Lord of the Rings (Ballantine, 1969)
[originally posted 14Aug2000]
Forget the title. Carter's book has about as much to do with Lord of the Rings as Silence of the Lambs actually has to do with lambs. They get mentioned now and again, but are really quite unnecessary to what's going on.
Carter's interesting little tome is actually more of an encapsulated history of fantasy literature up to the time of Tolkien—the sources from which Tolkien got his ideas. LOTR serves as a convenient linchpin and a good jumping-off point, but Carter is truly in his own when he's discussing the Elder Edda or the epics of Homer and his contemporaries, and tracing how the stories got from the ancient texts into Tolkien's hands. It leaves behind a wealth of wonderful reading material for the interested fantasy reader to track down (assuming most of it can be found; Carter laments that many of the works of which he speaks have been lost to the ages), and this is its chief strength. As for weaknesses, Carter spends too much time summing up LOTR when he could be telling us about Egyptian legends, and he makes a number of guesses about things in LOTR, since The Silmarillion hadn't been published yet (and for all its annoyances, The Silmarillion did answer a whole lot of questions about the First Age), but it's impossible to count that against Carter and still remain fair. I'd just liked to have seen more of the old stuff, and less of the new. ***
[originally posted 14Aug2000]
Forget the title. Carter's book has about as much to do with Lord of the Rings as Silence of the Lambs actually has to do with lambs. They get mentioned now and again, but are really quite unnecessary to what's going on.
Carter's interesting little tome is actually more of an encapsulated history of fantasy literature up to the time of Tolkien—the sources from which Tolkien got his ideas. LOTR serves as a convenient linchpin and a good jumping-off point, but Carter is truly in his own when he's discussing the Elder Edda or the epics of Homer and his contemporaries, and tracing how the stories got from the ancient texts into Tolkien's hands. It leaves behind a wealth of wonderful reading material for the interested fantasy reader to track down (assuming most of it can be found; Carter laments that many of the works of which he speaks have been lost to the ages), and this is its chief strength. As for weaknesses, Carter spends too much time summing up LOTR when he could be telling us about Egyptian legends, and he makes a number of guesses about things in LOTR, since The Silmarillion hadn't been published yet (and for all its annoyances, The Silmarillion did answer a whole lot of questions about the First Age), but it's impossible to count that against Carter and still remain fair. I'd just liked to have seen more of the old stuff, and less of the new. ***
November 19, 2014
I was going to give this some slack when it says from the get-go that this was first published in the sixties, before The Silmarillion was even published. But then it spends a good chunk of paper summarizing the trilogy, which makes little sense because one would think the target audience for this book is people who've already read the whole thing. So I skipped those-- I skimmed through it to see if there was commentary as the author summarized, which would have been mildly interesting, like listening to the commentary track on the dvd of a film, but nope, just summarizing. And then, it spends another good chunk of paper talking about fantasy and myth and other fantasy stories and writers that only very marginally relates to Tolkien's stories. Skipped those too. From what I gather, they're included in this book simply because those stories are in the same genre as LOTR (is this a tiny bit understandable as the fantasy epic apparently wasn't as popular in the 60s as it has been in the past couple of decades?)
I think I've finally gotten to a part where it actually talks about Tolkien's influences, but it's already more than half of the way through the book. I'm glad I got this off the bargain bin.
I think I've finally gotten to a part where it actually talks about Tolkien's influences, but it's already more than half of the way through the book. I'm glad I got this off the bargain bin.
December 20, 2012
Finished it just after watching the movie version of The Hobbit. Almost forgot that I had this book if not for some holiday cleaning around the house.
Highly recommended for lovers of Professor Tolkien's work or for those who are just starting to acquaint themselves with his vast mythology. Here we are treated to the different and possible as well as confirmed references that the professor read in order to construct his vast world of Middle Earth.
While it may be true to a certain extent and paraphrasing what I think George Lucas said, "There are no original stories, just original storytelling." There are just some aspects of Tolkien's mythology copied and lifted from the Norse, Celtic and Greek myths and it is to his credit as a lover of languages that he is able to give us an story that depicts the endless struggle between good and evil and the journey that goes along with it, in order to discover at the end who we really are.
Wouldn't mind reading this again. Then again, it's mine...so literally I could. :)
Highly recommended for lovers of Professor Tolkien's work or for those who are just starting to acquaint themselves with his vast mythology. Here we are treated to the different and possible as well as confirmed references that the professor read in order to construct his vast world of Middle Earth.
While it may be true to a certain extent and paraphrasing what I think George Lucas said, "There are no original stories, just original storytelling." There are just some aspects of Tolkien's mythology copied and lifted from the Norse, Celtic and Greek myths and it is to his credit as a lover of languages that he is able to give us an story that depicts the endless struggle between good and evil and the journey that goes along with it, in order to discover at the end who we really are.
Wouldn't mind reading this again. Then again, it's mine...so literally I could. :)
May 4, 2014
Lin Carter isn't a particularly good critic, which is why I find his other book "Imaginary Worlds" to be so boring. Fortunately, this book isn't a critical analysis. Instead, Carter talks about the possible effect of Lord of the Rings may have on the fantasy genre (which is interesting because this came out not long after LOTR was published), about the sources Tolkien drew from to write LOTR (which is revealing and thought-provoking), and about the history of the fantasy genre in general. Sometimes his statistics and facts are incorrect, but Carter's love for the Fantasy Genre, a genre he revived as an editor for Ballantine Books, really shines through. As a truly expert look on LOTR and the fantasy genre this isn't much good; but it's perfect as a tongue-in-cheek, lively, and fascinating account of a topic which the author obviously loves: fantasy literature.
November 10, 2020
I believe I picked this up, new, on a paperback carousel at, of all places, Harding's Supermarket in Bridgman, Michigan. I'd read 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' and wanted some sort of background to the material and its author. Carter provided just that.
February 8, 2023
This book was written only a few years after Lord of the Rings was published. It is like a little historic peak into what people thought of Lord of the Rings in the beginning, before it was established as the colossal modern classic we know it as today. Before the modern genre of fantasy was really defined, the Lord of the Rings was difficult to classify. It was like the epic stories of the Greeks and Romans, and some people called it "super science fiction" or a "giant-sized fairy tale".
The author begins with a few chapters about Tolkien himself, his writings, his education, and his family. At the time, Tolkien was still alive and "hearty" at the age of 76, and retired in a "modest house" near Oxford.
Then come several chapters which offer a lengthy summary of the entire plot of The Hobbit and LotR with massive spoilers. The author assumes that some of his readers have not read LotR and will need some information about the plot to continue. This seems really weird to me. What reader would pick up a book about LotR if they had not read it? Why would anyone be interested in reading a book about a book that they haven't read? Why wouldn't you go read the actual book first, then read the book about the book?
I was grieved to see that the author gets a couple of things wrong in his summary of the LotR. He states that Eowyn is King Theoden's daughter, when she is in fact his niece. Little mistakes like this made me wonder what other facts the author might have written incorrectly elsewhere in the book.
Another chapter discusses why LotR is definitely not an allegory or satire, since Tolkien despised both. But any story can be "applicable" if the reader so chooses. We also explore Tolkien's philosophy of "subcreation" and his belief that all mythology contains a grain of truth.
The author then proceeds to give a history lesson in the origin of the fantasy story, going back to the Greek and Roman epics with heroes, wars, quests, gods, and monsters. The next chapter shows how the Anglo-Saxons imitated the Greeks in developing their ideas of epic heroes such as Beowulf. Then medieval poets imitated their predecessors in the popular "Romance" adventure tales of their day, but adding more magic, wizards, ghosts, and sorcerers.
(I found out an interesting tidbit of history; the "Romance" genre used to mean simply an epic adventure, and "Romances" were so called because they were written in the Romance languages.)
Then we dive into Renaissance through Victorian literature where a few great fantasy adventure writers stand out from the crowd as redefining the genre. And finally we arrive at the modern idea of the fantasy genre where a handful of fantasy writers attempt epic stories, the immediate precursors to Tolkien.
There are several chapters detailing old Norse mythology where Tolkien got many of his ideas and some names. The names of most of the dwarves from the Hobbit are found in an old Scandanavian poem, Voluspo, part of the Elder Edda. Gandalf's name is found in the same poem, and is also the name of a King in the Anglo-Saxon tale of Halfdan the Black.
Earendal is the Saxon name given to a star, which means "splendor" in Old English. The name "orcs" can be found in Beowulf, "...monsters of all sorts were born: etins and elves and orcs, worst of all, giant folk also..." Theoden means "chief or ruler of a tribe, prince, king" in Old Anglo-Saxon.
There are a few things in the last chapters that I thought were interesting insights into the characters of LotR. The author says that while a classic hero like Aragorn is obviously destined for greatness, Frodo is a humble character who "has greatest thrust upon them." The reader identifies more with Frodo because he is ordinary in the beginning and grows through his suffering.
My favorite insight is about Sam's character. The author says that Sam is not really a comedic character. He is not a clown, but the juxtaposition of his common sense and plain-speaking manner contrasted against the more formal speech of highly educated people who surround him creates a humorous element. I love that Sam is taken seriously, but we can also acknowledge that, without meaning to, he does bring humor to the story. It's the contrast between who Sam is and the extraordinary circumstances around him that makes him as funny as a fish flopping about out of water. Poor Sam! And yet, all the characters around him respect him, admire his good qualities, and value the common sense approach that he brings to the group.
This book was published before The Silmarillion, so the author has to guess about many things that were revealed in Silmarillion. For instance, the author guesses that perhaps Gandalf is actually one of the gods of Valinor and not a mere mortal. As we now know, that was a good guess!
Overall, this is an interesting book about LotR and gives some great history of the fantasy genre and the myths that Tolkien drew from to create Middle Earth.
The author begins with a few chapters about Tolkien himself, his writings, his education, and his family. At the time, Tolkien was still alive and "hearty" at the age of 76, and retired in a "modest house" near Oxford.
Then come several chapters which offer a lengthy summary of the entire plot of The Hobbit and LotR with massive spoilers. The author assumes that some of his readers have not read LotR and will need some information about the plot to continue. This seems really weird to me. What reader would pick up a book about LotR if they had not read it? Why would anyone be interested in reading a book about a book that they haven't read? Why wouldn't you go read the actual book first, then read the book about the book?
I was grieved to see that the author gets a couple of things wrong in his summary of the LotR. He states that Eowyn is King Theoden's daughter, when she is in fact his niece. Little mistakes like this made me wonder what other facts the author might have written incorrectly elsewhere in the book.
Another chapter discusses why LotR is definitely not an allegory or satire, since Tolkien despised both. But any story can be "applicable" if the reader so chooses. We also explore Tolkien's philosophy of "subcreation" and his belief that all mythology contains a grain of truth.
The author then proceeds to give a history lesson in the origin of the fantasy story, going back to the Greek and Roman epics with heroes, wars, quests, gods, and monsters. The next chapter shows how the Anglo-Saxons imitated the Greeks in developing their ideas of epic heroes such as Beowulf. Then medieval poets imitated their predecessors in the popular "Romance" adventure tales of their day, but adding more magic, wizards, ghosts, and sorcerers.
(I found out an interesting tidbit of history; the "Romance" genre used to mean simply an epic adventure, and "Romances" were so called because they were written in the Romance languages.)
Then we dive into Renaissance through Victorian literature where a few great fantasy adventure writers stand out from the crowd as redefining the genre. And finally we arrive at the modern idea of the fantasy genre where a handful of fantasy writers attempt epic stories, the immediate precursors to Tolkien.
There are several chapters detailing old Norse mythology where Tolkien got many of his ideas and some names. The names of most of the dwarves from the Hobbit are found in an old Scandanavian poem, Voluspo, part of the Elder Edda. Gandalf's name is found in the same poem, and is also the name of a King in the Anglo-Saxon tale of Halfdan the Black.
Earendal is the Saxon name given to a star, which means "splendor" in Old English. The name "orcs" can be found in Beowulf, "...monsters of all sorts were born: etins and elves and orcs, worst of all, giant folk also..." Theoden means "chief or ruler of a tribe, prince, king" in Old Anglo-Saxon.
There are a few things in the last chapters that I thought were interesting insights into the characters of LotR. The author says that while a classic hero like Aragorn is obviously destined for greatness, Frodo is a humble character who "has greatest thrust upon them." The reader identifies more with Frodo because he is ordinary in the beginning and grows through his suffering.
My favorite insight is about Sam's character. The author says that Sam is not really a comedic character. He is not a clown, but the juxtaposition of his common sense and plain-speaking manner contrasted against the more formal speech of highly educated people who surround him creates a humorous element. I love that Sam is taken seriously, but we can also acknowledge that, without meaning to, he does bring humor to the story. It's the contrast between who Sam is and the extraordinary circumstances around him that makes him as funny as a fish flopping about out of water. Poor Sam! And yet, all the characters around him respect him, admire his good qualities, and value the common sense approach that he brings to the group.
This book was published before The Silmarillion, so the author has to guess about many things that were revealed in Silmarillion. For instance, the author guesses that perhaps Gandalf is actually one of the gods of Valinor and not a mere mortal. As we now know, that was a good guess!
Overall, this is an interesting book about LotR and gives some great history of the fantasy genre and the myths that Tolkien drew from to create Middle Earth.
April 1, 2024
Fascinating! Truly, fascinating! I picked up this little gem at a used book store in 2024. It was written in 1969 just about the time that Lord of the Rings was taking off as a huge must-read hit. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the first few chapters, being just as a summary of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, were not particularly enlightening, and were, in fact, prone to error (Eowyn, for example is listed as Theoden's daughter, not his niece, or as stated in the book, his "sister-daughter")
But one may forgive such small errors, for the complete study of LOTR was only in its infancy and, in fact, The Silmarillion had not yet been published, so there is a *very* interesting set of guesses and hypotheses in here that don't quite pan out with what we now know.
But the truly fascinating part, to me, was the absolutely comprehensive study of all of the literary sources which led to JRRT writing LOTR. I was floored to learn that, for the most part, not a single name came from his own imagination, not for people, nor places, nor things. The last half of the book ranges over thousands of years of literature, from Gilgamesh through Beowulf and Shakespeare, from Homer to Virgil to the writers of the 1920s. It was like an AP English class all rolled into 100 pages, and from it I learned so many things about where myths began and how they have been recycled again and again in different forms in different places.
On the one hand it was somewhat dispiriting to think that Professor Tolkien hadn't made up everything in his story whole-cloth. On the other hand, he did something remarkable in that he more-or-less single-handedly revitalized the popularity of "fantasy stories". I once thought he had *invented* the genre, but this book proves that is wildly inaccurate. If you love LOTR and really want a look into where it all came from, read this.
Oh, final note: because this was written before the publication of The Silmarillion, the author hypothesizes the following, and/or concludes it solely from the Appendices of LOTR:
- Galdalf is a Valar (false: he is a Maiar, but that term did not come until The Silmarillion)
- The island if Numenor was in existence from the beginning of the world (false: it was raised out of the sea to serve as reward/home to the Men who helped the Elves overthrow Morgoth)
But one may forgive such small errors, for the complete study of LOTR was only in its infancy and, in fact, The Silmarillion had not yet been published, so there is a *very* interesting set of guesses and hypotheses in here that don't quite pan out with what we now know.
But the truly fascinating part, to me, was the absolutely comprehensive study of all of the literary sources which led to JRRT writing LOTR. I was floored to learn that, for the most part, not a single name came from his own imagination, not for people, nor places, nor things. The last half of the book ranges over thousands of years of literature, from Gilgamesh through Beowulf and Shakespeare, from Homer to Virgil to the writers of the 1920s. It was like an AP English class all rolled into 100 pages, and from it I learned so many things about where myths began and how they have been recycled again and again in different forms in different places.
On the one hand it was somewhat dispiriting to think that Professor Tolkien hadn't made up everything in his story whole-cloth. On the other hand, he did something remarkable in that he more-or-less single-handedly revitalized the popularity of "fantasy stories". I once thought he had *invented* the genre, but this book proves that is wildly inaccurate. If you love LOTR and really want a look into where it all came from, read this.
Oh, final note: because this was written before the publication of The Silmarillion, the author hypothesizes the following, and/or concludes it solely from the Appendices of LOTR:
- Galdalf is a Valar (false: he is a Maiar, but that term did not come until The Silmarillion)
- The island if Numenor was in existence from the beginning of the world (false: it was raised out of the sea to serve as reward/home to the Men who helped the Elves overthrow Morgoth)
June 25, 2023
Published in 1969, the short book is an interesting read because it offers a peek into Tolkien analysis while the man himself was still alive, and before the Silmarillion was finished. That means that the references in the analysis are more from Tolkien’s contemporaries and less from Tolkien experts that arose the next half-century. It also means that the analysis is unburdened by the lens of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which, although wonderfully executed, has undeniably changed the understanding of Tolkien’s work.
Another point in its favor is providing some analysis from Lin Carter. While Carter is not a memorable author, he was instrumental in bringing fantasy to the popular eye in his work with Ballantine Books (the US paperback publisher of Tolkien). Through his curation of fantasy tales after Tolkien, he helped enliven the fantasy genre in a time when it was under appreciated. Many of the titles Carter lists as inspiration to Tolkien are also books he helped get published again in the US.
The downside of the publishing timing is that the analysis is much less comprehensive than any of the later analyses. The inspirations, naming, real world sources, and so on have likely all been heard by a modern Tolkien fan before. And with how short the book is, it feels much more like an extended introduction than a full-fledged analysis (excepting the summarization of the Hobbit and LOTR, which seems needless for anyone reading an analysis of the tale).
Some time is spent on theories on things that today are known, such as looking at evidence to suggest that Gandalf was an Odin archetype, king of the gods, and that we would find him to be a Valar when the Silmarillion eventually came out. To me, this added to the charm due to publication timing, but it is rather meaningless analysis nowadays as we know precisely what Gandalf is.
One final thing that I feel is a missed opportunity: any time with Tolkien while he was alive to confirm any of the theories proposed here. While Tolkien was known to be crotchety to anyone he presumed to be too big a fan, the biggest advantage of the timing was hearing more while he was alive, and mostly that chance was missed.
Another point in its favor is providing some analysis from Lin Carter. While Carter is not a memorable author, he was instrumental in bringing fantasy to the popular eye in his work with Ballantine Books (the US paperback publisher of Tolkien). Through his curation of fantasy tales after Tolkien, he helped enliven the fantasy genre in a time when it was under appreciated. Many of the titles Carter lists as inspiration to Tolkien are also books he helped get published again in the US.
The downside of the publishing timing is that the analysis is much less comprehensive than any of the later analyses. The inspirations, naming, real world sources, and so on have likely all been heard by a modern Tolkien fan before. And with how short the book is, it feels much more like an extended introduction than a full-fledged analysis (excepting the summarization of the Hobbit and LOTR, which seems needless for anyone reading an analysis of the tale).
Some time is spent on theories on things that today are known, such as looking at evidence to suggest that Gandalf was an Odin archetype, king of the gods, and that we would find him to be a Valar when the Silmarillion eventually came out. To me, this added to the charm due to publication timing, but it is rather meaningless analysis nowadays as we know precisely what Gandalf is.
One final thing that I feel is a missed opportunity: any time with Tolkien while he was alive to confirm any of the theories proposed here. While Tolkien was known to be crotchety to anyone he presumed to be too big a fan, the biggest advantage of the timing was hearing more while he was alive, and mostly that chance was missed.
August 24, 2024
Carter--famous for his own series of sword-&-sorcery works largely steps away from his own ego-driven talks to offer an historical overview of sources from ancient to modern which largely fed the Tolkien universe. (And that slam about his ego is hardly mine alone; he does in fact, close the book with a few sentences about how his own upcoming works--never completed--will echo Tolkien.)
The only real critique I have of this thin book is that about 1/3 of it is relatively useless. He spends four fairly lengthy chapters simply summarizing the four main books for us; does he presume that some of his audience are interested in Tolkien without having read a thing about him? I skimmed these, finding nothing original there.
What is valuable, though, is that historical tracing. While the real Tolkien nerd may find interest in the origins of names like Gandalf and Thorin, places like Numenor or Mirkwood, broken swords and eternal trees--all of this requiring no small amount of digging in pre-internet 1969--what I found most interesting is the tracing of the historical hero and fantasy epic across ages and regions. This makes itself for a great reading/source list for those seeking early incarnations of literary imagination. More, Carter is not afraid to share which are most valuable to today's readers and which may be skipped over for their tedium or poor translation.
So while Tolkien's work stands as a pillar dividing fantasy into Before and After JRR in the 20th century, it hardly exists in isolation. Linguist and scholar Tolkien intentionally worked to modernize regional mythology (much as Wagner did), but more, Tolkien inherited a centuries-old tradition or infrastructure of epic works which, appropriately, his Lord of the Rings sits atop. Everything which follows (A.JRR) are efforts to recapture his genius or to make their own space alongside.
The only real critique I have of this thin book is that about 1/3 of it is relatively useless. He spends four fairly lengthy chapters simply summarizing the four main books for us; does he presume that some of his audience are interested in Tolkien without having read a thing about him? I skimmed these, finding nothing original there.
What is valuable, though, is that historical tracing. While the real Tolkien nerd may find interest in the origins of names like Gandalf and Thorin, places like Numenor or Mirkwood, broken swords and eternal trees--all of this requiring no small amount of digging in pre-internet 1969--what I found most interesting is the tracing of the historical hero and fantasy epic across ages and regions. This makes itself for a great reading/source list for those seeking early incarnations of literary imagination. More, Carter is not afraid to share which are most valuable to today's readers and which may be skipped over for their tedium or poor translation.
So while Tolkien's work stands as a pillar dividing fantasy into Before and After JRR in the 20th century, it hardly exists in isolation. Linguist and scholar Tolkien intentionally worked to modernize regional mythology (much as Wagner did), but more, Tolkien inherited a centuries-old tradition or infrastructure of epic works which, appropriately, his Lord of the Rings sits atop. Everything which follows (A.JRR) are efforts to recapture his genius or to make their own space alongside.
June 21, 2018
This book reconnected me to my earliest roots in fantasy, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Lin Carter has a way of exploring the background to Tolkien’s work that compelled me, especially given the amount of other material I’ve read on Tolkien. Perhaps the greatest value in this book was some of the irony in reading it. The book was published in the late 60s, when Tolkien’s sequel to LOTR was still looming, so Carter’s speculation on what secrets Tolkien will reveal about the Eldar and the Noldor and the Valar, for instance, was amusing given our present knowledge of The Silmarillion and the direction Tolkien later took. This book also served as a kind of indirect biography of Tolkien, in the sense of Carter being a journalist chasing the story of who this new Tolkien guy is. In this vein, the richest part of the book near the end was Carter’s exploration of the epic from the Odyssey and Iliad all the way through to the sequels (Homerica), then the later roots in Amadis of Gaul and the romances, then the Viking sagas (esp The Elder Edda and Voluspa). Gandalf, for instance, was a Norse king. And Frodo makes an appearance, more or less. And if you wonder where Tolkien might have gotten Tom Bombadil, there’s another gem in this book that I’ll leave for you to discover.
If you are a fantasy writer and you want to trace your Tolkien influences right to the roots so as to drop some derivative lines, this book is the source. Highly recommended, especially for fantasy writers influenced by Tolkien or Tolkien-esquire fantasy.
If you are a fantasy writer and you want to trace your Tolkien influences right to the roots so as to drop some derivative lines, this book is the source. Highly recommended, especially for fantasy writers influenced by Tolkien or Tolkien-esquire fantasy.
October 12, 2021
Covers a couple topics - first a couple chapters on Tolkien, his biography, writing process, academic history. A couple chapters summarizing the events of the books. Then a couple chapters analyzing what genre the lord of the rings is, but really just naming a lot of old books that the author thinks are similar, or led to it. Then a couple chapters talking about specific comparisons of names and events in the books to older mythological events.
So it covers a lot of topics, and my interest changed a lot depending on them. The history of tolkien is moderately interesting, the main interest to me was the Inklings, the group of writers he originally read the story to. The summary of the books is completely superfluous and unneeded. The genre history isn't really interesting on its own, but might be useful as an appendix. I might go through this list to pick out other books I'd want to read.
The actual finding of similarities between LOTR and other mythological stories was fairly interesting, and I'd be willing to read a whole book of just this - but it was a pretty short part of this one. This book also suffered by coming out almost a decade before the Silmarillion, as several times the author surmises things which are ultimately inaccurate, though they could not have known.
Basically this book might be a good gateway for someone transitioning from 'Into Tolkien' into 'REALLY into Tolkien', into longer and deeper critical analysis and history.
So it covers a lot of topics, and my interest changed a lot depending on them. The history of tolkien is moderately interesting, the main interest to me was the Inklings, the group of writers he originally read the story to. The summary of the books is completely superfluous and unneeded. The genre history isn't really interesting on its own, but might be useful as an appendix. I might go through this list to pick out other books I'd want to read.
The actual finding of similarities between LOTR and other mythological stories was fairly interesting, and I'd be willing to read a whole book of just this - but it was a pretty short part of this one. This book also suffered by coming out almost a decade before the Silmarillion, as several times the author surmises things which are ultimately inaccurate, though they could not have known.
Basically this book might be a good gateway for someone transitioning from 'Into Tolkien' into 'REALLY into Tolkien', into longer and deeper critical analysis and history.
October 28, 2025
Lin Carter was an early advocate of Tolkiens' works. In America Tolkien contracted Ace books to publish the paperback editions of the Lord of the Rings, but Ace edited Tolkien's text, making Tolkien aghast with Ace's action so much that Tolkien went looking for a new American publisher. Lin Carter, who knew of this incident, advised Betty Ballantine to get Ballantine Books to get a contract with Tolkien. Tolkien was pleased with Ballantine's offer and endorsed them as the only authorized publisher of his works in paperback. Ballentine was so pleased with Carter that they published what is now known as the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series (BAFS) - which was overseen by Carter. A Look behind the Lord of the Rings was a book that Carter wrote for Ballantine that examined the roots of Tolkien's fantasy landscape. It covered works from many authors some of whose works would later show up in the BAFS. Carter himself was well versed in Tolkien's fantasy literature background, being somewhat of a life long fan in that same literary background. The book covers many of the roots of Tolkiens mythology. At the time of publication it was perhaps the first book written on this subject. It still remains a great place to start to understand Tolkien's mythology. As a biography, it is limited, and one would do better elsewhere.
May 21, 2024
Quite dense at times and bogged down with unnecessary detailed summaries of works that are only distantly connected to Tolkien, Carter’s work nevertheless does provide some good insight into to the sources that inspired Tolkien’s world. Some of it is more clearly seen in hindsight as grasping in the dark, and some of it very much feels that way. One more critique: a book like this need not provide a chapter-long summary of each of Tolkien’s most famous works… if you’re reading this, you’ve clearly read and enjoyed the others.
However, if you enjoy the prospect of exploring the evolution of fantasy from the epic poems of Homer through the 20th century gold standard of LOTR, you may find the analysis quite interesting. Carter has clearly done his homework and makes every effort to create meaningful connections to Middle Earth. It’s made me interested in taking the time to indulge more in pre-Tolkien tales. One point on which we must differ: Lloyd Alexander’s work is highly derivative from Tolkien and received far too high of praise from Carter: I couldn’t make it past more than a few chapters of The Book of Three.
However, if you enjoy the prospect of exploring the evolution of fantasy from the epic poems of Homer through the 20th century gold standard of LOTR, you may find the analysis quite interesting. Carter has clearly done his homework and makes every effort to create meaningful connections to Middle Earth. It’s made me interested in taking the time to indulge more in pre-Tolkien tales. One point on which we must differ: Lloyd Alexander’s work is highly derivative from Tolkien and received far too high of praise from Carter: I couldn’t make it past more than a few chapters of The Book of Three.
August 9, 2022
Obviously outdated and much of the speculation within has been superseded (even within five after its publication, by The Silmarillion), this book spends more than half its pages on ancient myths and early fantasy writings that may or may not have influenced LOTR. But in itself, the book is now an historical artifact, having been written in 1969 while JRR Tolkien was still alive and at the very beginning of LOTR mania in the US. Lin Carter, as is well known, frequently referred to his own work, and this book is no exception. At many times, the book comes across as an extended college term paper in which the author shows off his erudition while referring to his own “research” and while the writing style is easy to read, it comes across as pompous in the extreme (much like his fiction, most of which is unreadable). A “must have” for die-hard LOTR fans, but as everything in the book has been written about extensively by better (and more informed) writer since, this can be safely ignored by casual fans.
November 25, 2022
Buenísimo complemento para después de leer la trilogía. Si en realidad te fascina el universo tolkeniano creo que puedes disfrutar libro. No está escrito tan académicamente y viene muchísima información acerca de cómo ha ido evolucionando la literatura épica y fantástica, desde los mitos griegos hasta mediados del siglo XX. Nunca me hubiera imaginado las similitudes de ESDLA con la Odisea. Lo que más disfruté fue el repasó de la fantasía en la Edad Media: los cantares de gesta y los libros se caballerías medievales 🏰.
RECOMENDABLE SI:
- Amas ESDLA.
- Quieres adentrarte un poco más acerca de cuáles son las influencias directas del gran Tolkien.
- Te gustaría tomar un curso rápido de la Historia de la fantasía.
- Quieres saber porque Frodo se llama Frodo y Gandalf Gandalf.
RECOMENDABLE SI:
- Amas ESDLA.
- Quieres adentrarte un poco más acerca de cuáles son las influencias directas del gran Tolkien.
- Te gustaría tomar un curso rápido de la Historia de la fantasía.
- Quieres saber porque Frodo se llama Frodo y Gandalf Gandalf.
September 19, 2018
This is a historical curiosity, really: a book about the Lord of the Rings and its background and inspirations from the era before the internet, when many fans would have had access to little information about Tolkien, his influences, or the wider fantasy genre. There are some interesting nuggets in here, and I suppose in its time it was a work of considerable erudition (Carter clearly went to the trouble of reading much of the literary sources Tolkien drew from), but it is only of value to the modern reader as an insight into what people were saying about fantasy fiction in the 1960s.
June 24, 2024
Soy monotemático.
Lo tenía un pensamiento recurrente y di con este libro que trata precisamente de las influencias de Tolkien.
Cosas muy oportunas, cosas menos. Debería ser MUCHO mas corto, al final todo se circunscribe a tradición mitológica clásica, los Eddas y Snorri, leyenda artúrica, cantar de gesta, Ariosto, libros de caballerías... hasta William Morris y otros pocos.
Desdeña referencias que creo importantes y tengo que comprobar si las citas del Quijote están bien hechas porque no me lo parece.
Lo tenía un pensamiento recurrente y di con este libro que trata precisamente de las influencias de Tolkien.
Cosas muy oportunas, cosas menos. Debería ser MUCHO mas corto, al final todo se circunscribe a tradición mitológica clásica, los Eddas y Snorri, leyenda artúrica, cantar de gesta, Ariosto, libros de caballerías... hasta William Morris y otros pocos.
Desdeña referencias que creo importantes y tengo que comprobar si las citas del Quijote están bien hechas porque no me lo parece.
February 6, 2018
Good account of the fantasy novels, myths, etc. that came before and influence the writing of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit books. It made me want to read some of those, but I have not read all of them.
I really enjoy Tolkien, but I did not like what was done with the Hobbit movies, expanding a single charming book into a trilogy of films, with a lot added. I mostly liked the LOTR trilogy of films though, even with some things changed.
I really enjoy Tolkien, but I did not like what was done with the Hobbit movies, expanding a single charming book into a trilogy of films, with a lot added. I mostly liked the LOTR trilogy of films though, even with some things changed.
August 4, 2019
As much as I have enjoyed Lin Carter's fiction, I can't say that I enjoyed much of this book. Maybe this is the book that my college profs read when it came out, when all their students had read Tolkien but the teachers hadn't yet and needed to know what all the fuss was about. Now, this book is a period piece. Think Woodstock.
The first 7 chapters of this book are just a summary of The Lord of the Rings. If you have read The Lord of the Rings, you can skip the first 7 chapters. If you haven't read The Lord of the Rings, you should be reading that, not this.
Most of the rest of the book talks about every myth and piece of folklore that could possibly have influenced Tolkien and Carter has apparently studied all of them - in depth. At one point I almost forgot that the book was supposed to be about The Lord of the Rings because the last time it was mentioned was so many pages in the past.
The first 7 chapters of this book are just a summary of The Lord of the Rings. If you have read The Lord of the Rings, you can skip the first 7 chapters. If you haven't read The Lord of the Rings, you should be reading that, not this.
Most of the rest of the book talks about every myth and piece of folklore that could possibly have influenced Tolkien and Carter has apparently studied all of them - in depth. At one point I almost forgot that the book was supposed to be about The Lord of the Rings because the last time it was mentioned was so many pages in the past.
December 30, 2022
A large portion of this book is devoted to a summary of each of the Hobbit and LOTR (four chapters in all), then a discussion of fantasy in different periods of time without mentioning Tolkien at all. There is also a short biography of Tolkien himself. This is a short book, with 16 chapters, yet only 5 seem to talk about the actual subject matter it professes to talk about.
Worse, he describes Eowyn as Theoden's daughter at least twice. Not ideal.
Worse, he describes Eowyn as Theoden's daughter at least twice. Not ideal.
April 16, 2025
3.5-3.75. Interesting book when he stays on topic, but too often he goes down rabbit holes that have almost nothing to do with LOTR. Also he spends VERY little time discussing the influence of Biblical literature on Tolkien. Maybe the most interesting thing about this book is that it was published in 1969 before The Silmarillion, so there was speculation about what new info would be revealed when that would be published. Fun read.
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