J.R.R. Tolkien ed. by Peter Hunt [Talkin’ About Tolkien]

This lively collection of original essays examines The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the light of children’s literature theory and approaches, as well as from adult and fantasy literature perspectives. Exploring issues such as gender, language, worldbuilding, and ecocriticism, the volume also places Tolkien’s works in the context of a range of visual media, including Peter Jackson’s film adaptations.

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Review ✍🏻

The cover and title of this book do nothing for it. What caught my eye was that it’s described as a collection of essays “in the light of children’s literature theory and approaches”. I majored in English specializing in children’s literature. While I took a course on the Inklings and attended a production of The Hobbit for my studies, it’s been awhile since I explored Tolkien’s work from a children’s literature perspective. I was keen to see what fresh approaches the essays in this collection might offer.

Unfortunately, I found this collection largely forgettable. Most essays only tangentially relate to children’s literature theory and approaches, addressing that subject with a few sentences in their introduction and conclusion. Don’t bother picking this up if the children’s literature approach is what caught your eye, as it caught mine. There is certainly more focus on “adult and fantasy literature perspectives” but even then, the essays felt like a general collection of writing on Tolkien’s work with no particular theme.

Apart from not addressing the topic I expected, most essays don’t offer any particularly insightful or fresh takes on Tolkien’s works if you’ve already read Tolkien criticism by more widely known authors. One essay I didn’t finish reading. Though the title piqued my interest, “There and Back Again: The Gendered Journey of Tolkien’s Hobbits” takes a theoretical perspective beyond my interest.

The introduction and three essays did stand out to me as worth reading: “Tolkien’s Language”, “A Topoanalytical Reading of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit”, and “From Illustration to Film: Visual Narratives and Target Audiences”.

• Introduction by Peter Hunt – Contextualizes criticism of Tolkien’s work by addressing evolving approaches to children’s and fantasy literature
• “Tolkien’s Language” by Louise Joy – (Is this not just about the vaguest title one could come up with, especially in regards to Tolkien…) Looks at Tolkien’s “narrative techniques or his speech acts” in the context of “the ends to which Tolkien uses his vocabulary”, thereby appealing to a child reader in The Hobbit.
  • “If it is not the words that Tolkien uses that make The Hobbit‘s language suitable for, and moreover appealing to, a child reader, then it must be what he does with them.” (pg. 75)
• “A Topoanalytical Reading of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit” by Jane Suzanne Carroll – explores “the role of spatial-cultural intertexts” by looking at “the homes, halls, and strongholds of Tolkien’s fiction” (pg. 122)
  • Topoanalysis is new to me. I would be happy to read more about it as applied to Middle-Earth.
• “From Illustration to Film: Visual Narratives and Target Audiences” by Kate Harvey – Focuses on “the methods used by adapters to address specific audiences” in exemplar texts (Lee’s illustrated editions, Bakshi’s animation, a 1982 computer game, the Hobbit graphic novel, and Jackson’s films) (pg. 156).

The Bottom Line 💭

Not much here for readers looking for criticism of how Tolkien’s work addresses or is received by a child audience, but a few essays are worth a look.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Book webpage
🍂 Read the introduction and index
🍂 Reviews: Libri & Liberi, Project MUSE (mostly behind paywall)
🍂 Related: For more on Tolkien criticism, see my reviews of War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien, A Secret Vice, The Plants of Middle-Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lost English Mythology, or Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit