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Ever since The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was first published in 1937 the popularity of the vast, imaginative world he created has only increased over time. What is about Middle-Earth and the characters which populate it that has captured the imaginations of millions of people around the world? Today, there is a vast and growing Tolkien industry, including books, films, games and a highly anticipated forthcoming TV series, which is being billed as the most expensive ever made.
Twenty-First Century Tolkien explores this phenomenon and investigates why Tolkien's works still inspire people fifty years after his death. Taking in surprisingly prescient episodes from the original books and later reworkings, and covering such topics as friendship, failure, uncertainty, the environment, the weird and eerie - as well as Tolkien in a post-Covid age - Nick Groom explains his striking relevance for some of the most pressing issues that now confront us, and ultimately reveals why the Tolkien moment really is now.
About the author
Nick Groom is Professor in English at the University of Exeter, and Director of ECLIPSE (Exeter Centre for Literatures of Identity, Place, and Sustainability). He has written widely on literature, music, and contemporary art in both academic and popular publications, and is the author of several books including Introducing Shakespeare and The Forger's Shadow. He lives on Dartmoor. The Union Jack was published by Atlantic in 2006.
Summary
'Fascinating.... Wonderfully exhilarating.' Mail on Sunday
Finalist for The Tolkien Society Best Book Award
An engaging, original and radical reassessment of J.R.R. Tolkien, revealing how his visionary creation of Middle-Earth is more relevant now than ever before.
What is it about Middle-Earth and its inhabitants that has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world? And why does Tolkien's visionary creation continue to fascinate and inspire us eighty-five years on from its first appearance?
Beginning with Tolkien's earliest influences and drawing on key moments from his life, Twenty-First-Century Tolkien is an engaging and radical reinterpretation of the beloved author's work. Not only does it trace the genesis of the original books, it also explores the later adaptations and reworkings that cemented his reputation as a cultural phenomenon, including Peter Jackson's blockbuster films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and the highly anticipated TV series The Rings of Power.
Delving deep into topics such as friendship, failure, the environment, diversity, and Tolkien's place in a post-Covid age, Nick Groom takes us on an unexpected journey through Tolkien's world, revealing how it is more relevant now than ever before.
Foreword
An engaging, original and radical reassessment of J.R.R. Tolkien, revealing how his visionary creation of Middle-Earth is more relevant now than ever before.
