Myth, Magic and Meaning in Tolkien's World

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Myth, Magic and Meaning in Tolkien's World
AuthorRandel Helms
PublisherGranada
Released1974
FormatPaperback
Pages142

Myth, Magic and Meaning in Tolkien's World, often (even on the book itself) just called Tolkien's World, is a 1974 book by Randel Helms.

Back cover

Tolkien's magical world of Middle-earth - a land inhabited by tobacco-smoking, ale-brewing, Halfling superheroes, eon-old Elven kings, chanting time-travellers, messianic wizards and satanic war-lords - remains unparalleled in its scope and vision and unsurpassed in its appeal and fascination for countless millions of people of all ages the world over.

Now, in this long-awaited study, Professor Helms shows how the master story-teller succeeded in combining a scholarly knowledge of traditional mythological literature with an imaginative genius to create fantasy epics of universal significance.

Table of Contents

  • Tolkien's World: An Introduction
  1. "I Desired Dragons": The development of a theory of fantasy
  2. Tolkien's Leaf: The Hobit and the discovery of a world
  3. The Hobbit as Swain: A world of myth
  4. Frodo Anti-Faust: The Lord of the Rings as contemporary mythology
  5. Tolkien's World: The structure and aesthetic of The Lord of the Rings
  6. The Myth Allegorized: Tolkien's minor prose
  7. Last Gleanings from the Red Book: Scholarly parody in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
  • Afterword
  • Notes
  • Index