The origins of Tolkien's middle-earth for dummies
(Book)
Author:
Series:
Published:
Indianapolis : Wiley Pub., [2003].
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
xxii, 338 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.
Status:
Description
J.R.R. Tolkien's novels of Middle-earth – The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Silmarillian – have become some of the most famous, and most beloved, literary works of the twentieth century. And the Lord of the Rings films by director Peter Jackson have re-ignited interest in Tolkien and his works, as well as introduced his stories to a new generation of fans.
Even if you've never read the novels and have only seen the films, you know that the world of Middle-earth is a complicated one. Tolkien took great care in representing this world, from creating new languages to including very particular cultural details that add to the richness of the world's fabric. Many other books have been written about Tolkien and his works, but none have come close to providing the kind of reference needed to comprehend the world of Middle-earth. That's what veteran Dummies author and unabashed Tolkien fan Greg Harvey attempts to do in The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth For Dummies.
As the author says in his introduction to the book, this is not an encyclopedia or quick guide to all the diverse beings, languages, and history that make up Tolkien's Middle-earth. Nor is it a set of plot outlines for the novels. Rather, what you'll find in The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth For Dummies is a basic guide to some of the possible linguistic and mythological origins of Middle-earth, plus a rudimentary analysis of its many themes and lessons for our world. This book can help enrich your reading (or re-reading) of Tolkien's novels, and it will challenge you to think about the themes inherent in Tolkien's Middle-earth and their implications in your own life.
Here's just a sampling of the topics you'll find covered in The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth For Dummies:
- Exploring the main themes in Tolkien's works, including immortality and death; the heroic quest; love; fate and free will; and faith and redemption
- Investigating the diverse lands of Middle-earth – including the Shire, Gondor, and Mordor – and their significance
- Examining the different cultures of Middle-earth, such as Hobbits, Elves, Men, and those wily Wizards
- Touring the history of Middle-earth
- Understanding Tolkien's creation of new languages to enrich the story of Middle-earth
- Top Ten lists on the battles in the War of the Ring, online resources, and the ways the films differ from the novels
So, whether you're reading Tolkien's novels or watching the films for the first time, or you've been a fan for many years and are looking for a new take on Tolkien's works, The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth For Dummies can help you enhance your reading or viewing experience for years to come.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Eagle River Adult Nonfiction
823.91 HAR (pbk)
Available
Aug 23, 2022
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
0764541862, 9780764541865
Notes
General Note
Includes index.
General Note
Nonfiction.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Harvey, G. (2003). The origins of Tolkien's middle-earth for dummies. Indianapolis, Wiley Pub.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Harvey, Greg. 2003. The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth for Dummies. Indianapolis, Wiley Pub.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Harvey, Greg, The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth for Dummies. Indianapolis, Wiley Pub, 2003.
MLA Citation (style guide)Harvey, Greg. The Origins of Tolkien's Middle-earth for Dummies. Indianapolis, Wiley Pub, 2003.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
49733dfd-de88-27bc-f204-504e64f5cbfe
Record Information
| Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 11, 2024 02:11:13 AM |
|---|---|
| Last File Modification Time | Apr 11, 2024 02:12:52 AM |
| Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 11, 2024 02:11:18 AM |
MARC Record
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|---|---|---|---|
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| 010 | |a 2003105682 | ||
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| 020 | |a 9780764541865|q paperback | ||
| 040 | |a MvI-NWLS|b eng|e rda|c MvI-NWLS | ||
| 043 | |a e-uk-en | ||
| 082 | 0 | 0 | |a 823/.912|2 22 |
| 100 | 1 | |a Harvey, Greg. | |
| 245 | 1 | 4 | |a The origins of Tolkien's middle-earth for dummies /|c by Greg Harvey ; foreword by Alfred Siewers. |
| 264 | 1 | |a Indianapolis :|b Wiley Pub.,|c [2003] | |
| 264 | 4 | |c ©2003 | |
| 300 | |a xxii, 338 pages :|b illustrations, maps ;|c 24 cm. | ||
| 336 | |a text|b txt|2 rdacontent | ||
| 337 | |a unmediated|b n|2 rdamedia | ||
| 338 | |a volume|b nc|2 rdacarrier | ||
| 490 | 1 | |a --For dummies. | |
| 490 | 1 | |a --For dummies | |
| 500 | |a Includes index. | ||
| 500 | |a Nonfiction. | ||
| 505 | 0 | 0 | |g Part I|t The Geography of Middle-earth|g 7 --|g Chapter 1|t The Worlds of Middle-earth|g 9 --|t Where in the World Is Middle-earth?|g 9 --|t The Meaning of Middle-earth|g 11 --|t The origin of the term "Middle-earth"|g 12 --|t "Stuck in the middle again ..."|g 12 --|t Middle-earth as a Fantasy World|g 13 --|t On the nature of the fairytale|g 14 --|t The fairytale as "sub-creation"|g 15 --|t Middle-earth as a Mythic World|g 15 --|t "Fortunate" calamities in myth and legend|g 16 --|t Background myths of "The Lord of the Rings"|g 17 --|t Middle-earth as a World of Diverse Beings|g 18 --|t Middle-earth as a Historical World|g 19 --|t Middle-earth as a World of Language|g 20 --|g Chapter 2|t The Lands of Middle-earth and Beyond|g 21 --|t Eriador, the Home of the Shire|g 22 --|t Arnor, the Land of the King|g 22 --|t Angmar, the Witch Kingdom|g 23 --|t The Shire, home of the hobbits|g 23 --|t The Barrow-downs|g 24 --|t The village of Bree|g 24 --|t Rivendell, the Last Homely House|g 25 --|t Eregion, the Land of Holly|g 25 --|t Khazad-dum, or the Mines of Moria|g 26 --|t Rhovanion, the Wilderland|g 26 --|t The Lonely Mountain and Lake Town|g 26 --|t Mirkwood|g 27 --|t Emyn Muil and the Argonath|g 27 --|t Lothlorien, the Golden Wood of Galadriel|g 27 --|t Fangorn, or Treebeard's Forest|g 28 --|t The Dead Marshes|g 28 --|t Isengard, the Iron Enclosure|g 28 --|t Rohan, Land of the Horse-lords|g 29 --|t Edoras, the royal city of Rohan|g 30 --|t The Hornburg and the Glittering Caves of Helm's Deep|g 31 --|t Dunharrow and the Pukel-men|g 31 --|t Gondor, the Land of Stone|g 32 --|t Osgiliath, Fortress of the Stars|g 33 --|t Minas Tirith, the Tower of the Guard|g 33 --|t Minas Ithil/Minas Morgul|g 33 --|t Druadan, forest home of the Woses|g 34 --|t Pelargir, the harbor of the royal ships|g 34 --|t Mordor, the Land of Shadow|g 35 --|t Mount Doom|g 35 --|t Barad-dur, the DArk Towr|g 36 --|t Cirith Ungol, the Spider's Pass|g 36 --|t Aman, the Western Paradise|g 36 --|t Valinor, home of the gods|g 38 --|t The Elvenhome (Eldamar)|g 38 --|t Taniquetil, the Mount Olympus of Aman|g 39 --|t Beleriand, the Original Western Middle-earth|g 39 --|t Numenor, Tolkien's Atlantis|g 40 --|g Part II|t The Beings of Middle-earth|g 45 --|g Chapter 3|t The Divine Ainur|g 47 --|t Eru and His Angelic Ainur|g 48 --|t The Mighty Valar|g 49 --|t The powers of the Valar|g 49 --|t The Valar and the gods of mythology|g 50 --|t The Valiant Maiar|g 52 --|t Osse and Uinen, Maiar of Ulmo|g 53 --|t Melian, Maia of Vana and Este|g 54 --|t Olorin, Maia of Lorien and Nienna|g 54 --|t Sauron, Maia of Aule and Melkor|g 55 --|t The Valaraukar, those nasty Balrogs|g 55 --|g Chapter 4|t The Fair Race of Elves|g 57 --|t The Role of the Elves|g 57 --|t The Great Journey to the Blessed Realm|g 58 --|t The mustering of the Elves|g 59 --|t The dividing of the Elves|g 60 --|t The Origin of Tolkien's Elves|g 60 --|t The Downfall of the Elves|g 62 --|t Legendary Elves of Middle-earth|g 63 --|t Feanor, the maker of the Silmarils|g 63 --|t Elwe, King Thingol of Doriath|g 64 --|t Elrond Half-elven|g 67 --|t Galadriel, Queen of Lothlorien|g 67 --|t Gil-galad, the legendary Elf|g 69 --|t Legolas, Prince of the Woodland Elves|g 70 --|g Chapter 5|t The Mortal Race of Men|g 73 --|t Mankind's Role in Middle-earth|g 73 --|t Mortality as God's gift to Men|g 74 --|t The freedom of mortal Men|g 75 --|t The Awakening of Men|g 75 --|t The Different Tribes of Men|g 76 --|t The Edain|g 77 --|t The Dunedain|g 78 --|t The Rohirrim|g 80 --|t Great Heroes of Middle-earth|g 81 --|t Beren, son of Barahir|g 81 --|t Turin, son of Hurin|g 82 --|t Tuor, son of Huor|g 83 --|t Earendil, the Blessed Mariner|g 84 --|t Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion|g 86 --|t Theoden, King of Rohan|g 87 --|t Eowyn, Lady of Rohan|g 88 --|t Faramir, son of the Steward of Gondor|g 89 --|t Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of the Reunited Kingdom|g 90 --|g Chapter 6|t The Hardy Race of Dwarves|g 95 --|t The Origin of Tolkien's Dwarves|g 95 --|t The Awakening of Aule's Children|g 97 --|t The Role of Dwarves in Middle-earth|g 98 --|t The Death and Rebirth of Dwarves|g 99 --|t The Downfall of the Dwarves|g 100 --|t The fashioning of the Nauglamir|g 100 --|t The Dwarf-Rings and the downfall of Moria|g 102 --|t Legendary Dwarves in the History of Middle-earth|g 105 --|t Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain|g 105 --|t Gimli, Son of Gloin|g 107 --|g Chapter 7|t Those Homespun Hobbits|g 109 --|t Concerning the Nature of Hobbits|g 109 --|t Lao-tzu's description of an ideal hobbit life|g 112 --|t Hobbits and their homespun wisdom|g 112 --|t A pocketful of riddles|g 113 --|t Hobbit-sized heroes|g 114 --|t Concerning the Origin of Hobbits|g 116 --|t Concerning Hobbit Clans and Government|g 117 --|t Official history and Shire Reckoning|g 118 --|t The management of the Shire|g 119 --|t The Shire as Tolkien's utopia|g 120 --|t Legendary Hobbits of Middle-earth|g 121 --|t Bilbo Baggins of the Shire|g 121 --|t Frodo Baggins, the "famousest of the hobbits"|g 122 --|t Samwise Gamgee, the stouthearted|g 124 --|t Peregrin (Pippin) Took|g 124 --|t Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck|g 125 --|t The roles of Merry and Pippin in The Lord of the Rings|g 126 --|t Smeagol/Gollum, hero and villain|g 127 --|g Chapter 8|t The Wily Wizards|g 129 --|t The Wizards of Middle-earth|g 129 --|t Merlin and Odin: Possible sources for Tolkien's wizards|g 131 --|t The Role of Tolkien's Wizards|g 132 --|t Saruman the White|g 133 --|t Gandalf the Grey|g 135 --|t Radagast the Brown|g 137 --|g Chapter 9|t Beorn, Tom Bombadil, and Treebeard|g 139 --|t Understanding Tolkien's Nature Beings|g 139 --|t Beorn, the Skin Changer|g 140 --|t Beorn the berserker|g 141 --|t Beorn and the Wargs|g 141 --|t The Role of Tom Bombadil|g 142 --|t Tom Bombadil as a "natural" pacifist|g 143 --|t Tom and Goldberry|g 144 --|t Ents, Tree-herds of the Forest|g 145 --|t The Ents as the children of Yavanna|g 146 --|t The search for the Entwives|g 147 --|t The relationship between Ents and Huorns|g 147 --|g Chapter 10|t The Enemy and His Minions|g 149 --|t Melkor/Morgoth, Lord of Might and Darkness|g 150 --|t Melkor as Tolkien's Lucifer|g 151 --|t The attempted rehabilitation of Melkor|g 152 --|t Tolkien and the idea of irredeemable evil|g 152 --|t The final defeat of Melkor|g 153 --|t Sauron, the Enemy of Freedom in Middle-earth|g 153 --|t Sauron and the forging of the Rings of Power|g 154 --|t Sauron and the downfall of Numenor|g 155 --|t Sauron and the Exiles of Numenor|g 156 --|t The last act and Sauron's final destruction|g 157 --|t The Ringwraiths, Loyal Servants of Sauron|g 158 --|t The Dragons of Middle-earth|g 159 --|t The Two Giant Spiders, Ungoliant and Shelob|g 160 --|t Ungoliant and her taste for light|g 160 --|t Shelob and her fear of light|g 161 --|t Of Balrogs, Trolls, and Orcs|g 162 --|t Balrogs as corrupted Maiar|g 162 --|t Trolls as dumb as stones|g 163 --|t Orcs as corrupted Elves|g 163 --|t On Werewolves, Vampires, Wargs, Wights, and Watchers|g 164 --|g Part III|t The History of Middle-earth|g 167 --|g Chapter 11|t The Valarian Ages|g 169 --|t An Overview of the Valarian Ages|g 169 --|t The Spring of Arda|g 170 --|t The Days of the Bliss of Valinor|g 171 --|t The Noontide of the Blessed Realm|g 173 --|g Chapter 12|t The First Three Ages and Then Some|g 177 --|t "Here Comes the Sun ..."|g 177 --|t Highlights of Events in the Three Ages|g 179 --|t The First Age and the War of the Silmarils|g 179 --|t The Second Age and the Sinking of Numenor|g 182 --|t The Third Age and the War of the Ring|g 184 --|g Part IV|t The Languages of Middle-earth|g 187 --|g Chapter 13|t Tolkien and Language|g 189 --|t Tolkien as a Linguist|g 189 --|t The etymological mythmaker|g 190 --|t Invented language and its need for a mythology|g 191 --|t Euphony in Tolkien's Languages|g 192 --|t The Power of Sound|g 193 --|t Singing the physical world into being|g 193 --|t Singing a mythical world into being|g 195 --|t The Power of Words|g 195 --|t The power of spiritual words|g 196 --|t Controlling others through voice|g 197 --|g Chapter 14|t The Tongues of Tolkien|g 199 --|t Why the Hobbits Seem to Speak English|g 199 --|t Old English and the Languages of the Men of Middle-earth|g 200 --|t Quenya and Sindarin: The Languages of the Elves|g 202 --|t Guide to Middle-earth Pronunciation|g 202 --|t Tolkien's Scripts and Letters|g 204 --|t Feanor's Tengwar script|g 204 --|t Tolkien's Cirth script|g 208 --|g Part V|t The Themes and Mythology of Middle-earth|g 211 --|g Chapter 15|t The Struggle Between Good and Evil|g 213 --|t The Nature of Evil|g 213 --|t Good versus Evil|g 214 --|t Shadows of evil|g 215 --|t Tolkien and the last battle against evil|g 216 --|t Frodo Lives!|g 218 --|g Chapter 16|t Immortality and Death|g 219 --|t Relations Between Immortals and Mortals in Middle-earth|g 219 --|t The Immortality of Elves|g 220 --|t Elven Death in Middle-earth|g 221 --|t The death of Miriel Serinde|g 222 --|t The death of Feanor|g 222 --|t The death of Finrod Felagund|g 223 --|t Human Death in Middle-earth|g 225 --|t Exploiting Men's fear of death|g 226 --|t The death of Boromir|g 227 --|t The deaths of Aragorn and Arwen|g 228 --|t The Hope in a Mortal Life|g 229 --|t Tolkien's answer to death as a Christian|g 230 --|t Bearing your own Ring of Power|g 231 --|g Chapter 17|t The Heroic Quest|g 233 --|t The Nature of the Heroic Quest|g 233 --|t The Nature of Tolkien's Heroes|g 234 --|t Aragorn as Tolkien's Classic Hero|g 235 --|t Aragorn as Strider|g 235 --|t Aragorn as Estel, son of Gilraen|g 236 --|t Aragorn as Isildur's heir|g 237 --|t Treading the Paths of the Dead|g 237 --|t The return of the rightful king|g 238 --|t Bilbo as the Hesitant Hero|g 238 --|t Bilbo, the thief of Thorin's company|g 239 --|t Bilbo and Gollum's ring|g 239 --|t Frodo as the Unwitting Hero|g 240 --|t Frodo's courage and internal struggle|g 241 --|t Frodo's Christ-like suffering|g 242 --|t Frodo as the failed hero|g 243 --|t Frodo as the wounded hero|g 243 --|t Sam as the Common Hero|g 244 --|t Gollum as the Unintentional Hero|g 245 --|g Chapter 18|t Chivalry and True Love|g 247 --|t Courtly Love in the Age of Chivalry|g 248 --|t Romantic Love in the Modern Age|g 249 --|t Tolkien's True Love|g 249 --|t The Love Story of Beren and Luthien|g 250 --|t The power of love|g 251 --|t Love and death|g 252 --|t Beren and Luthien Reprised: The Love Story of Aragorn and Arwen|g 254 --|g Chapter 19|t Fate and Free Will|g 257 |
| 600 | 1 | 0 | |a Tolkien, J. R. R.|q (John Ronald Reuel),|d 1892-1973|x Criticism and interpretation. |
| 650 | 0 | |a Fantasy fiction, English|x History and criticism. | |
| 650 | 0 | |a Middle Earth (Imaginary place) | |
| 776 | 0 | 8 | |i Online version:|a Harvey, Greg.|t Origins of Tolkien's middle-earth for dummies.|d Indianapolis : Wiley Pub., c2003|w (OCoLC)657164609 |
| 830 | 0 | |a --For dummies. | |
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