A Tolkien Compass

by Jared Lobdell

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Summary

Including J.R.R. Tolkien's Guide to the Names in the Lord of the Rings

This guide to travels in Middle-Earth includes an original chapter by Tolkien himself, explaining the meaning and origin of the names in Lord of the Rings. Can hobbits be psychoanalyzed? Does Tolkien's Christianity shine through his imitations of pagan legends? Do his books offer a useful guide to everyday life? These and many more questions are addressed in the eleven chapters of this book. Contributors analyze Gollum's character transformation, the psychological journey of Bilbo, the regime set up by Saruman at the end of Lord of the Rings and its parallels to fascism, the books' narrative technique, and Tolkien's rich use of myth and symbol. This is an insightful book that will appeal to both old and new Tolkien fans.

Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings • essay by J. R. R. Tolkien
1 • Introduction (A Tolkien Compass) • essay by Jared Lobdell
7 • Gollum's Character Transformation in The Hobbit • essay by Bonniejean Christensen
27 • The Psychological Journey of Bilbo Baggins • essay by Dorothy Matthews
41 • The Fairy-tale Morality of The Lord of the Rings • essay by Walter Scheps
55 • The Corruption of Power • essay by Agnes Perkins and Helen Hill
67 • Everyclod and Everyhero: The Image of Man in Tolkien • essay by Deborah C. Rogers
75 • The Interlace Structure of The Lord of the Rings • essay by Richard C. West
93 • Narrative Pattern in The Fellowship of the Ring • essay by David M. Miller
105 • "The Scouring of the Shire": Tolkien's View of Fascism • essay by Robert Plank
115 • Hell and The City: Tolkien and the Traditions of Western Literature • essay by Charles A. Huttar
141 • Aspects of the Paradisiacal in Tolkien's Work • essay by U. Milo Kaufmann

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