Essays on Tolkien

Reconciliation with the past is a major theme throughout Tolkien’s trilogy, and the gap between the powerful, undying beings of the past and the mortal men of the present and future is starkly evident when the characteristics of the ancient domains are held up against...

“The Impact of The Lord of The Rings on popular culture” The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular and spectacular series of all time. The movies are based on the books written by J.R.R Tolkien and since the publication, the books...

While it may be easy to underestimate the importance of scenic descriptions, setting plays an important role in most literature – including character-driven fantasy. Setting can be written to represent conflicting forces or ideals, and to help illustrate the conflict and overarching idea of a...

The relationship between Gandalf and Saruman in J. R. R. Tolkien’s famous trilogy The Lord of the Rings is not only a depiction of good versus evil, but a depiction of the corruption of magic and power. Gandalf and Saruman are two incredibly powerful wizards,...

There is little doubt that J.R.R. Tolkien has become, in his short reign within literary fiction, nothing short of legendary. His stories, while only recently presented in blockbuster films, have ensnared and enthralled thousands of readers around the world. While many “cultured” critics still scoff...

Bilbo’s sword, Sting, plays a large role in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien — a role that almost appears to be incongruous for its size. Through each one of its appearances, Sting’s increased significance as a plot element simultaneously symbolizes steps forward in...

“Mr. Baggins began as a comic tale among conventional and inconsistent fairy-tale dwarves, and got drawn into the edge of it – so that even Sauron the terrible peeped over the edge.” -J.R.R Tolkien, letter to his publisher (quoted in Carpenter 1977, 182). The Hobbit...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is a testament to the man’s passion for mythology. As was also the case with his zeal for philology, Tolkien utilized elements of mythology to reinvent the past, creating a living, breathing, nearly palpable world through great depth...

Being overcome with feelings of anger, sadness, happiness, joy, worry, disgust-whatever it may be, with fingers dry from flipping pages like they have got a mind of their own, and eyes frantically scanning for sentences and words-for whatever happens next. Sometimes being so transfixed with...

From within the Shire, an unlikely hero arises. Equipped with a golden ring forged from the fires of Mount Doom, assigned an adventerous quest to save Middle Earth, and accompanied by clumsy yet loyal gardener Samwise Gamgee, young hobbit Frodo Baggins assumes the role of...

Temptation is a central theme in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings. Many characters throughout the novel are tempted to use the power of the Ring to change the world as they see fit. Some seek to use its power for selfish, personal gain,...

Peter Jackson emphasizes the territorial nature of J.R.R. Tolkien’s center-earth through fascinatingly playing with strains of division. Frodo Baggins (Elijah wooden) and Sam Gangee (Sean Astin) flee from the Shire with the high-quality Ring in tow. Sam stops, noting that along with his subsequent step...

Lord of the Rings was a classic when I was a kid. It was a tradition, a world into which I got a glimpse and I was very proud of that. It was a very nice world… To this day, I’m shocked to meet someone...

“Once upon a time….” the ideal beginning that conceives every child to know there will be a happy ending in a story. Fantasy is a gift that is given to us as a child and is lost as an adult, what we do not realize...

Tolkien’s colourful world of Middle Earth has been a place of escapist adventure in the minds of many since its humble beginnings in the mid-1950s. Ever since his novel The Fellowship of the Ring debuted, it has inspired minds with its epic tales of unheard...

The evolution of the tragic heroic archetype in post-roman literature can be traced from one of the most well known of medieval heroes, King Arthur of Camelot, to such fictional creations as Aragorn, from Tolkien’s twentieth century masterwork The Lord of the Rings. The definition...

Despite the wide range of worlds occupied by different fantasy series, a universal theme of the genre is the presence of evil forces working in opposition to a band of heroes. Most often the band of heroes is embarking on a quest to vanquish evil...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings is one of the bestselling books of all time and has captured the imaginations of readers for decades. The story became even more popular when in 2001 director Peter Jackson released his highly successful film...