Hobbits, Elves and Wizards: The Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings"

by Michael N. Stanton

Book Overview

In this text, Michael Stanton offers an encounter with The Lord of the Rings, and delves critically into the richness of the story. Stanton embarks on an exploration of Tolkien's genius, painting a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312238266
• ISBN13: 9780312238261
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Best insight on Tolkien's characters, places

Wonderful chapter by charter review of book giving insight on characters, then an understanding of different races and interactions. Michael Stanton loves the story as much as I do and presents the information as I would have loved to have been able to do. His enthusiasm shows through.

Superb Insight Into the Themes behind the Stories!

You'd think someone who had taught Tolkien at the university level for decades might have a keen insight into this wonderful fantasy world. And if you want some of the most insightful commentary on Tolkienâ??s world, you wonâ??t find a much better book than this--it's great!Stanton's strength is not merely insight, but the organization of that insight. The book is neatly divided into separate discussions of elves ("...elves are men made perfect"), dwarves, men, orks, hobbits, etc. In each discussion, the author provides thoughtful information as only someone who knows Tolkien this well is able. There is also a very helpful background to Middle Earth, which was of great assistance to me in understanding the story.Other chapters are devoted to summary of the "Lord of the Rings" series--a very helpful inclusion for those of us that became most familiar with the story through the film. The film itself is also discussed, with excellent analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of both cast and script. Stanton includes answers to some of the most often asked questions about the movie.Finally, Stanton includes an interpretation of Tolkienâ??s literary techniques in discussions on parallelism, religious theme (excellent), and use of language. He also mentions interesting inconsistencies in the stories, as well as unresolved issues, which have become sources of great trivia, e.g., what happened to the Ent Wives, Gimli's occupation, etc.If you just love the story, know it by heart, and care little for themes and characterizationsâ?"you might want to pass on this book. However, if you're fairly familiar with the â??Lord of the Ringsâ?, and would like to delve beneath the surface of the story, this book is wonderful! It's an easy read, is organized nicely, and is written by someone who understands the master--probably even better than Tolkienâ??s own son. Highly recommended!

Great work on LOTR

An excellent guide to the world of J.R.R Tolkien's. A really enjoyable book for a good read for vacation or on the airplane or the beach. A must read for all Lord of the Rings fans!

a WONDERFUL aid to understanding and appreciating LOTR

If you want to get more out of your readings of LORD OF THE RINGS, this book will help you a great deal. As a relative neophyte to Tolkien's grand epic, I was occasionally confused by the myriad place and name variants, and the huge vistas of time that are covered and referred to in the books. Stanton's book is extremely useful for all of these concerns, is very readable, and is also organized in a very clear way. If you want to go back and read only about, say, the Ents, you can easily do so. Stanton taught LOTR and Tolkien for 25 years in classes at the Univ. of Vermont, and it shows. He also makes a point of thanking his many students, who over the years have given him additional insights into this great work of literature. Great reading, and very very helpful. It's going on my shelf next to my LOTR set.

A good place to start exploring Middle Earth.

I just reread "Lord of the Rings" (having not read it since high school) and picked up Stanton's book as the first criticism in advance of seeing the film. As a starting point, it's a very good guide to the initial critical arguments surrounding LOR. It's a fine an affectionate summary of all the work done to date and it really provided some good insights, at least to my mind, about how to read the books as a whole. After you read Stanton, you can use his thoughtful bibliography to go further in Tolkien criticism. I'm now on to the work of Jane Chance, but Stanton's book was a solid bedrock from which to go forth.