Tolkien's Glee - by John R Holmes (Paperback)

About the Book

"Lovers of Tolkien's works know well his penchant for including song lyrics and verse in his prose. This book offers a thorough reading of every piece of verse in the two best-known works of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The study of these songs begins with the assumption that they were intended to delight through sound, and so a great deal of the analysis focuses on the "music" of the songs, the sounds of the individual words, and the metrical patterns, and how they contribute to Tolkien's story and his themes. Though some of the discussion gets technical, all specialized terms are defined in a glossary, and introduced side-by-side with clear, understandable explanations without oversimplification. The book discusses influences on Tolkien's verse from classical, Old and Middle English, and modern English, though "source study" is expressly avoided."-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Lovers of Tolkien's works know well his penchant for including song lyrics and verse in his prose. This book offers a thorough reading of every piece of verse in the two best-known works of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, beginning with the assumption that they were intended to delight through sound.

The thoughtful analysis focuses on the "music" of the songs, the sounds of the individual words, and the metrical patterns, and how they contribute to Tolkien's story and his themes. All specialized terms are defined in a glossary, and introduced side-by-side with clear, understandable explanations without oversimplification. The book discusses influences on Tolkien's verse from classical works, Old and Middle English, and modern English, though "source study" is expressly avoided.

Review Quotes

"A full-throated celebration of the verse and songs in Tolkien's two best-known works... for those who enjoy Tolkien's poetry or at least are open to learning more about his verse, Holmes succeeds to a large degree... strikes a balance between technical rigor and readability... scholarly background is evident throughout... Holmes is well-qualified... Holmes invited readers to slow down and pay attention... Holmes connects sound, culture, narrative moment and theme... brings sustained attention to an often-neglected dimension of Tolkien's writing... a well-crafted and detailed study of a part of Tolkien's writing that deserves close attention... clearly a labor of love, animated by Holme's long experience with and deep knowledge of both Tolkien's work and the history and structure of verse writing... I recommend it highly."--Journal of Tolkien Research

"It is rare for a book to be at once scholarly and entertaining, but John Holmes's Tolkien's Glee accomplishes the feat with wit and erudition in equal measure. Readers will find surprising nuggets of information paired with rollicking enjoyment."--Verlyn Flieger, founding co-editor of Tolkien Studies, professor emerita, University of Maryland

"This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the background and histories of the songs and lyrics interspersed throughout Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Dr. Holmes is a well-known Tolkien scholar and expert on the construction and presentation of historical verse, lyrics, and metrical song. His writing style is very approachable and witty, making this book both readable and enjoyable for Tolkien enthusiasts at all levels."--Dr. Bradford Lee Eden, editor, Journal of Tolkien Research and medieval musicologist

About the Author

John R. Holmes has been teaching Medieval literature at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio since 1985 and has written two dozen articles on J.R.R. Tolkien.