Janet Brennan Croft

Leslie A. Donovan

Includes seven classic articles as well as seven new examinations of women in Tolkien's works and life bringing together not only perspectives on Tolkien's most commonly discussed female characters -- aEowyn, Galadriel, and Lauthien -- but also on less studies figures such as Nienna, Yavanna, Shelob, and Arwen.

Women in the Works and Life of J.R.R. Tolkien

Perilous and Fair

Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings

Tolkien on Film

C.W. Sullivan III

Donald E. Palumbo

"Tolkien and Shakespeare: These essays focus on the broad themes and motifs which concerned both authors. They seek to uncover Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien through echoes of the playwright's themes and even word choices, discovering how Tolkien used, revised, updated, "corrected," and otherwise held an ongoing dialogue with Shakespeare's works"--Provided by publisher.

Essays on Shared Themes and Language

Tolkien and Shakespeare

"Lois McMaster Bujold has won a shelf full of awards for both her science fiction and fantasy writing. This collection of fresh essays aims to present a variety of critical perspectives addressing many aspects of her writing. Attention is given to both her Miles Vorkosigan science fiction series and her Chalion and Sharing Knife fantasy series"--Provided by publisher.

Essays on a Modern Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Lois McMaster Bujold

World War I has been called "the poets' war," as it was characterized by a massive outpouring of works of literature during and after the war. Much of this literary harvest, as Paul Fussell brilliantly demonstrated in The Great War and Modern Memory, hinged on an ironic response to the deadly absurdities of World War I. Yet, Fussell also acknowledges that fantasy could be a legitimate literary response to the war, a way of transforming the horrible experiences of the war into something more bearable, applicable, and relevant; into myth and "Escape" in the sense that Tolkien used the term in "On Fairy-stories." This present volume sprang from a desire to examine selected examples of the fantastic response to World War I among British authors. The contents comprise a mix of five classic articles from the pages of Mythlore and twelve new essays. The first half of the book considers the Inklings, the Oxford literary group centered on J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, while the second half deals with other authors.

The Birth of the Modern British Fantastic in World War I

Baptism of Fire

Annika R̈öttinger

"Something has gone crack," Tolkien wrote about the first death among his tight-knit fellowship of friends in 1916, and the impact of the war haunted his writing for the rest of his life. In his work, the Great War serves as a source of imagery, motifs, themes and of personal trauma to be worked out in meaningful symbolic form throughout his life.

New Perspectives on J.R.R. Tolkien in the Great War

"Something Has Gone Crack"

Examines the role of war in Tolkien's life and works

War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien

Alyson R. Buckman

The BBC America series Orphan Black (2013-2017) won acclaim for its compelling writing, resonant themes and innovative special effects. And for the bravura acting of Tatiana Maslany, who plays an ever-growing number of clones drawn into an increasingly dangerous world of cutting-edge science, corporate espionage, military secrets and religious fanaticism. Heir to pioneering shows centered on strong female characters, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, Lost and Xena: Warrior Princess, Orphan Black models the current Golden Age of serial-form storytelling, with themes of identity, bodily autonomy, gender and sexuality playing against corporate greed and its co-opting of science. This collection of new essays analyzes the diverse clone characters and the series, covering topics including motherhood, surveillance culture, mythology, eugenics, and special effects, as well as the science behind cloning.

Critical Essays

Sisterhood, Science and Surveillance in Orphan Black

John Wm. Houghton,

Nancy Martsch

Widely considered one of the leading experts on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Thomas Alan Shippey has informed and enlightened a generation of Tolkien scholars and fans. In this collection, friends and colleagues honor Shippey with 15 essays that reflect their mentor's research interests, methods of literary criticism and attention to Tolkien's shorter works. In a wide-ranging consideration of Tolkien's oeuvre, the contributors explore the influence of 19th and 20th century book illustrations on Tolkien's work; utopia and fantasy in Tolkien's Middle-earth; the Silmarils, the Arkenstone, and the One Ring as thematic vehicles; the pattern of decline in Middle-earth as reflected in the diminishing power of language; Tolkien's interest in medieval genres; the heroism of secondary characters; and numerous other topics. Also included are brief memoirs by Shippey's colleagues and friends in academia and fandom and a bibliography of Shippey's work.

Essays in Honor of Tom Shippey

Tolkien in the New Century

John D. Rateliff

Lois McMaster Bujold has won a shelf full of awards—Hugos, Nebulas, and others—for both her science fiction and fantasy writing. She is one of the most respected names in the field, always delivering polished, thoughtful, and well-crafted writing. She consistently addresses great issues and problems on a human level, where they are faced by quirky, prickly, and very real characters, and her exploration of the theory of reader-response is an important critical contribution. Yet there has been a surprising dearth of serious critical writing about her output—in part because she resists neat and easy classification by genre, politics, or subject matter. This collection of fresh essays aims to correct that situation by presenting critical insights into many aspects of her writing. Attention is given to both her Miles Vorkosigan science fiction series and her Chalion and Sharing Knife fantasy series, as well as the books that fall outside these series.

Janet Brennan Croft

Books

Your next favorite book is out there