Tolkien research

The works of J. R. R. Tolkien have generated a body of research covering subjects such as Tolkien as a writer of fantasy, Old English literature and Tolkien's invented languages.

"Tolkien studies" redirects here. For the journal, see Tolkien Studies.

Biography and letters

Humphrey Carpenter has written J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography (1977)[1] and edited The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, the latter assisted by Christopher Tolkien (1981).[2] John Garth has published Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth (2003).[3]

As a writer

A large literature examines Tolkien as a writer and especially his Middle-earth fantasy fiction.[4] A variety of institutions have developed to support Tolkien research, including The Tolkien Society, The Mythopoeic Society, and the journals Tolkien Studies, Mythlore, and Vinyar Tengwar, while Tolkien archives are held in the Bodleian Library in Oxford[5] and Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[6]

Constructed languages
Further information: Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien

Tolkien's constructed languages, Quenya and Sindarin, the main languages of Elves, have inspired linguistic research. Parma Eldalamberon and Vinyar Tengwar are published by the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship of the Mythopoeic Society a non-profit organization. The Vinyar Tengwar and Parma Eldalamberon material published at an increasing rate during the early 2000s is from the stock of linguistic material in the possession of the appointed team of editors (some 3000 pages according to them), consisting of photocopies sent them by Christopher Tolkien and notes taken in the Bodleian library around 1992. An Internet mailing list dedicated to Tolkien's languages, called tolklang, has existed since November 1, 1990.[7]

Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-Earth, a book edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F. Hostetter (London: Greenwood Press, 2000), contains a number of essays on topics such as the conceptual evolution of Sindarin or "The Growth of Grammar in the Elven Tongues."[8]

In 2003, linguist and fantasy author Helmut W. Pesch published a comprehensive book on Tolkien's Elvish languages in German. It includes etymologies and grammar of Quenya and Sindarin as well as a dictionary for both languages.[9]

A 2009 book by linguist Elizabeth Solopova, Languages, Myth and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and Literary Background of J. R. R. Tolkien's Fiction (New York City: North Landing Books) gives an overview of the linguistic traits of the various languages invented by Tolkien and the history of their creation.[10]

In April 2016, Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins published A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages, which included a longer, edited version of Tolkien's essay of the same name reconstructed from manuscripts and notes held by the Bodeleian Library. The book also contains manuscripts of the essay, an introduction, and a newly published "Essay on Phonetic Symbolism."[11][12]

Literature

Major introductory books
  • Hammond, Wayne G.; Christina Scull (2005). The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion.
  • Hammond, Wayne G.; Scull, Christina (2006b), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Reader's Guide, London: HarperCollins, ISBN 0-007-14918-2
  • Olsen, Corey (2012). Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-73946-5.
  • Shippey, Tom (1982). The Road to Middle-earth. London: George Allen and Unwin. ISBN 0-04-809018-2. (Revised and expanded 1992, 2005)
  • Solopova, Elizabeth (2009), Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and Literary Background of J.R.R. Tolkien's Fiction, New York City: North Landing Books, ISBN 0-9816607-1-1

Journals

References
  1. "Tolkien Bibliography: 1977 - Humphrey Carpenter - J.R.R. Tolkien: a biography". The Tolkien Library. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2000). "Letter 294". The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-618-05699-6.
  3. Garth, John (2003). Tolkien and the Great War : the threshold of Middle-earth. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-711953-0. OCLC 54047800.
  4. Drout 2006, pp. xxix-xxx.
  5. Barella, Cecilia (2013) [2007]. "Tolkien Scholarship: Institutions". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Routledge. pp. 656–659. ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
  6. "J R R Tolkien Collection - Marquette University Libraries". Marquette University Libraries. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. Bradfield, Julian. "The Tolkien Language List". Quettar.org. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  8. Flieger & Hostetter 2000.
  9. Pesch 2003.
  10. Solopova 2009.
  11. Garth, John (15 April 2016). "Teach yourself Dwarvish: behind Tolkien's invented languages". New Statesman.
  12. Tolkien, J. R. R. (2016). Dimitra Fimi; Andrew Higgins (eds.). A secret vice : Tolkien on invented languages. London: HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 978-0-00-813139-5. OCLC 920729611.
  13. Solopova, Elizabeth (2009), Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and Literary Background of J.R.R. Tolkien's Fiction, New York City: North Landing Books, p. 90, ISBN 0-9816607-1-1

Sources

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