Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power

Jane Chance

University Press of Kentucky, 2001 - Literary Criticism - 162 pages

" With New Line Cinema's production of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the popularity of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien is unparalleled. Tolkien's books continue to be bestsellers decades after their original publication. An epic in league with those of Spenser and Malory, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, begun during Hitler's rise to power, celebrates the insignificant individual as hero in the modern world. Jane Chance's critical appraisal of Tolkien's heroic masterwork is the first to explore its "mythology of power"--that is, how power, politics, and language interact. Chance looks beyond the fantastic, self-contained world of Middle-earth to the twentieth-century parallels presented in the trilogy.

What people are saying

Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power

User Review  - John Pappas - Goodreads

Damn. I read this in 1992-3 and loved it at the time but find that the political symbolism described would have caused the eye of sauron to blink.

Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power

User Review  - Chris - Goodreads

My problem with this book is that while Chance has some very good points (like power structure), she tends to leave out details that can undermine her points (for instance, in her description of Biblo ...

Contents

• Introduction A Voice for the Dispossessed: 1
• Queer Hobbits The Problem of Difference in the Shire: 26
• The Political Hobbit The Fellowship of the Ring: 38
• Knowledge Language and Power The Two Towers: 59
• Power and the Community The Return of the King: 95
• Conclusion Heroic Narrative and the Power of Structure: 128
• Notes: 139
• Recommended Works by and about Tolkien: 145
• About the Author: 153
• Index: 155

About the author

Jane Chance is Professor of English at Rice University. Alfred K. Siewers is Assistant Professor of English Literature at Bucknell University.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power
• Author: Jane Chance
• Edition: 2, revised
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky, 2001
• ISBN: 0813190177, 9780813190174
• Length: 162 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Literary Criticism / Science Fiction & Fantasy