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Elves, the righteous ringmakers: Taking Tolkien seriously
Title
Elves, the righteous ringmakers: Taking Tolkien seriously.
Creator
Rosa, Adrian Wayne., Florida Atlantic University, Faraci, Mary
Abstract/Description
Tolkien's trilogy deserves a more serious consideration than many are willing to give. Through Tolkien's fantasy it is possible to discover how we come to know what we know about the metaphysical world so that we can experience the proper cosmic pattern that gives us, as Mircea Eliade writes in Cosmos And History, "the nostalgia for eternity" because its patterns "can never be uprooted: it can only be debased" (122). If we are to understand Tolkien, we must discuss Tolkien's ideas such as...
Show moreTolkien's trilogy deserves a more serious consideration than many are willing to give. Through Tolkien's fantasy it is possible to discover how we come to know what we know about the metaphysical world so that we can experience the proper cosmic pattern that gives us, as Mircea Eliade writes in Cosmos And History, "the nostalgia for eternity" because its patterns "can never be uprooted: it can only be debased" (122). If we are to understand Tolkien, we must discuss Tolkien's ideas such as power, the nature of good and evil, and free will and individual responsibility. The virtue of the elves becomes the focal point for those ideas since the elves are the structural force that gives the work its power and meaning. To further explain the virtue of the elves, Tolkien plunges into basic human emotions and a symbolic structure that can surmount cultural boundaries. He thus creates a world through the ancient device of exemplifying morals in unfamiliar personalities in order to bring home truths in which modern man can believe.
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Date Issued
1990
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14606
Subject Headings
Tolkien, J R R--(John Ronald Reuel),--1892-1973--Lord of the rings
Format
Document (PDF)
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, SO WE TELL THEM INSTEAD: THE COMPLEXITIES AND ETHICS OF POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATION
Title
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, SO WE TELL THEM INSTEAD: THE COMPLEXITIES AND ETHICS OF POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATION.
Creator
Hersey, Justin, Miller, Timothy, Florida Atlantic University, Department of English, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description
This project examines some of the ethical consequences of posthumous publication of authors' unfinished works, private correspondence, and other materials, with the central example being the extensive catalogue of J.R.R. Tolkien published in the decades after this death by his son Christopher Tolkien. It builds a moral and philosophical framework for understanding the "posthumous harm" that can impact the deceased, for example when the desires they expressed in life are frustrated, or their...
Show moreThis project examines some of the ethical consequences of posthumous publication of authors' unfinished works, private correspondence, and other materials, with the central example being the extensive catalogue of J.R.R. Tolkien published in the decades after this death by his son Christopher Tolkien. It builds a moral and philosophical framework for understanding the "posthumous harm" that can impact the deceased, for example when the desires they expressed in life are frustrated, or their reputations suffer damage when draft or private materials become public, especially for a wide audience. In the case of J.R.R. Tolkien, his Beowulf translation shows how an author's intentions for a work may actually be to not publish, as doing so contradicts their beliefs and values. Both literary executors and the consumer public that creates a market for such "new works" should more carefully evaluate the posthumous harm that posthumous publication can bring.
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Date Issued
2024
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014405
Subject Headings
Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973, Posthumous publications, Beowulf--Translations
Format
Document (PDF)
bones of the ox
Title
The bones of the ox: how J.R.R. Tolkien's cosmology reflects ancient Near Eastern creation myths.
Creator
Dutton, Amanda M., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description
Scholars have well established the influence of the Old and Middle English, Norse, Welsh, and also Medieval Latin and Christian mythologies that influenced the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. In particular, the mythology contained in The Silmarillion, specific the cosmology, behaves as sacred texts do in the primary world and mirrors a number of extant mythologies when they are directly compared. Several scholars have note, but as yet no one has studied in depth, the relationship between the...
Show moreScholars have well established the influence of the Old and Middle English, Norse, Welsh, and also Medieval Latin and Christian mythologies that influenced the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. In particular, the mythology contained in The Silmarillion, specific the cosmology, behaves as sacred texts do in the primary world and mirrors a number of extant mythologies when they are directly compared. Several scholars have note, but as yet no one has studied in depth, the relationship between the cosmology the The Silmarillion to that of a number of extant ancient Near Eastern mythologies. This thesis seeks to address that gap in the scholarship by specifically exploring Tolkien's mythological creation story in relation to those of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Abrahamic of the Near East. Such a comparative study reveals a number of structural and thematic parallels that attest to the complexity of Tolkien's work that and can be used to argue that his mythology can be considered as well-developed and surprisingly authentic as any of these ancient mythological traditions.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355562
Subject Headings
Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Myths in literature, Symbolism in literature, Cosmology, Middle Eastern literature, Criticism and interpretation
Format
Document (PDF)
Snowflakes out of fire
Title
Snowflakes out of fire: J.R.R. Tolkien's anatomy of joy.
Creator
Minnerly, Natasha., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description
In "On Fairy Stories" J.R.R. Tolkien writes that joy is the "mark of the true fairy- story." Tolkien believed that joy was the defining characteristic of the genre. This joy is not just apparent in the happy ending of the fairy tale, but also in the manner in which the plot and characters show theories of joy, and the way the text itself creates joy in the reader. This paper will explore Tolkien's creation of brightness, hope, and wonder, and how these instances express a theory of joy. First...
Show moreIn "On Fairy Stories" J.R.R. Tolkien writes that joy is the "mark of the true fairy- story." Tolkien believed that joy was the defining characteristic of the genre. This joy is not just apparent in the happy ending of the fairy tale, but also in the manner in which the plot and characters show theories of joy, and the way the text itself creates joy in the reader. This paper will explore Tolkien's creation of brightness, hope, and wonder, and how these instances express a theory of joy. First I will look at the different types of joy in Tolkien's work, then the more general theories that these types express, and finally the effect the joy in the story has on the reader.
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Date Issued
2013
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3360961
Subject Headings
Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Fantasy fiction, English, Criticism and interpretation, Symbolism in literature
Format
Document (PDF)
Tolkien's The Silmarillion
Title
Tolkien's The Silmarillion: a reexamination of providence.
Creator
Powell, David C., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description
Christian providence in the primary (real) world operates as the model for the spiritual movement of Eru/Illuvatar in Tolkien's secondary (imaginative) world. Paralleling the Christian God, Illuvatar maintains a relationship with his creation through a three-fold activity: preservation, concurrence, and government. Preservation affirms Eru's sovereignty as Creator, and concurrence guarantees creaturely freedom, while paradoxically, government controls, guides, and determines those wills in...
Show moreChristian providence in the primary (real) world operates as the model for the spiritual movement of Eru/Illuvatar in Tolkien's secondary (imaginative) world. Paralleling the Christian God, Illuvatar maintains a relationship with his creation through a three-fold activity: preservation, concurrence, and government. Preservation affirms Eru's sovereignty as Creator, and concurrence guarantees creaturely freedom, while paradoxically, government controls, guides, and determines those wills in Time. The union of these three activities comprises the providential relationship of Illuvatar in Tolkien's imaginary world. The following thesis endeavors to carry the argument for providence into The Silmarillion with a declarative and analytical detail that distinguishes Illuvatar's providence from other temporal manifestations. Finally, the analysis reveals not only the author's authentic orthodox perspective, but Illuvatar's role in the imaginative world emerges as a reflection of Tolkien's authorial role in the real world.
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Date Issued
2009
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/228766
Subject Headings
Criticism and interpretation, Symbolism in literature, Middle Earth (Imaginary place), Fantasy literature, English, Criticism and interpretation
Format
Document (PDF)
Tolkien and Bakhtin: Chronotope, Existence, and Reality
Title
Tolkien and Bakhtin: Chronotope, Existence, and Reality.
Creator
Ostaltsev, Oleksiy, Faraci, Mary, Florida Atlantic University, Department of English, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description
Space (topos) as one of the main categories in modem literary criticism helps to discover and study unique aspects of the narrative such as functioning of archetypes, reflection of historical reality in the text, and different types of artistic consciousness (mythological and "realistic"). This work is a first study of time and space in Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings with the help of the chronotope concept proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin. A critic and author of an original literary...
Show moreSpace (topos) as one of the main categories in modem literary criticism helps to discover and study unique aspects of the narrative such as functioning of archetypes, reflection of historical reality in the text, and different types of artistic consciousness (mythological and "realistic"). This work is a first study of time and space in Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings with the help of the chronotope concept proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin. A critic and author of an original literary concept and one of the most prominent representatives of the school of Russian formalism, Mikhail Bakhtin was also a contemporary of J. R. R. Tolkien who can be ranked among the most significant experimenters in the field of modem literature. Using Bakhtin's classification of spatio-temporal relations in the novel, I was able to identify a type of chronotope in Tolkien's major narrative as one close to mythological and epical chronotopes. In terms of this postulate, I explored methods Tolkien used to create unique time and space of fantasy to make this experimental literary genre widely popular since the middle of the twentieth century onward.
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Date Issued
2020
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013460
Subject Headings
Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973--Criticism and interpretation, Bakhtin, M M (Mikhail Mikhaĭlovich), 1895-1975--Criticism and interpretation, Literary criticism
Format
Document (PDF)
Foundations of a Scientific Cognitive Theory for Literary Criticism
Title
Foundations of a Scientific Cognitive Theory for Literary Criticism.
Creator
Bronsted, John C., Augustyn, Prisca, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Languages, Lingustics and Comparative Literature
Abstract/Description
Based on Noam Chomsky’s argument that the faculty of language is primarily a tool of thought whose purpose is to interpret the world, this dissertation argues that reading literature provides a cognitive experience like John Gardner’s “Fictive Dream” that mimics our interpretive experience of the world. Literary experience exploits language as an epistemological faculty that makes aspects of the external world intelligible. Yet the faculty of language is also capable of evoking entirely...
Show moreBased on Noam Chomsky’s argument that the faculty of language is primarily a tool of thought whose purpose is to interpret the world, this dissertation argues that reading literature provides a cognitive experience like John Gardner’s “Fictive Dream” that mimics our interpretive experience of the world. Literary experience exploits language as an epistemological faculty that makes aspects of the external world intelligible. Yet the faculty of language is also capable of evoking entirely mental worlds that do not reflect the mindexternal world. Because the literary experience is entirely mindinternal, even the cultural knowledge we bring into play for its understanding still relies on innate features of language. Thus, during the act of reading, we hold this cultural knowledge in abeyance, allowing the text to structure how we bring it to bear on the experience as a whole. A scientific approach to literature can help uncover principles to further elucidate the literaryepistemological experience. Whereas much literary criticism assumes that a critic’s purpose is to mine a text for its deeper meaning, this dissertation argues for a Cognitive Formalist approach in which criticism serves not simply to explain the experience evoked by any particular text according to linguisticepistemological principles, but also to evaluate the moral implications of that specific textual experience. As a means of demonstrating potential implications of a scientific cognitive approach to literary criticism based on linguisticepistemological understanding, the current study offers sample passages from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. These passages allow us to offer first approximations of some explanatory principles of the literaryepistemological experience, such as the importance of fictive time and fictional event sequences, which in turn gives us greater insight into how, for example, verb tense and aspect contribute to the evocation of the action of fiction in the reader’s mind. Ultimately, the fictive vantage point constructed by the text allows the reader access to a complex moral framework in which fictive characters are understood to make choices that will in turn set the stage for the reader’s own ethical reception of the text and the experience it offers.
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Date Issued
2017
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004845, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004845
Subject Headings
Tolkien, J. R. R.--(John Ronald Reuel)--1892-1973.--Lord of the rings--Criticism and interpretation., Gardner, John--1933-1982.--On moral fiction--Criticism and interpretation., Criticism., Discourse analysis, Literary., Philosophy of mind in literature., Language and languages--Style--Psychological aspects., Literature--History and criticism--Theory, etc.
Format
Document (PDF)