The Hobbit and History
You’ll find the answers and more in this book, which explores the magic and creativity behind J.R.R. Tolkien’s bestselling story from a historical perspective. Tolkien was a professor of medieval languages and literature at Oxford University, and he drew on his scholarship—and the homely comforts common in his own day—to build the world of The Hobbit.
The Hobbit and History uncovers the parallels between the Middle Ages and the intricate culture of Middle-earth that Tolkien created in The Hobbit, showing how historical cultures provided the models for Tolkien’s characters, foods, riddles, and battle tactics. The book explores how European myths and legends inspired Tolkien’s wizards, dragons, and the monsters he created. Seeing Middle-earth and its peoples against these historical backdrops shines new light on the richness of Tolkien’s world, which is rooted in knowledge of European cultures as deep as the archive that Gandalf explores in Minas Tirith.
Filled with fascinating facts and reproductions of Tolkien’s original artwork of Smaug and other aspects of Middle-earth, The Hobbit and History is the missing piece for every book and movie fan and anyone who thought their J.R.R. Tolkien collection was complete.
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Book details
- Edited by
- Nancy R. Reagin, Janice Liedl
- Imprint
- Trade Paper Press, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Pages
- 288
- Formats
- Paperback
- Series
- Wiley Pop Culture and History Series
- Subjects
- Performing Arts › Film
- Topics
- J.R.R. Tolkien · Middle-earth · medieval history · literary criticism · popular culture · fantasy and history · mythology
- ISBN-13
- 9781118167649
About the authors
NANCY R. REAGIN is a Distinguished Professor of European history and gender studies at Pace University, where she has taught since 1990. Her recent books include The Hobbit and History, Star Wars and History and Star Trek and History.
Reagin holds a Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University and has published four scholarly books in German gender history.
JANICE LIEDL is a Full Professor of History at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Her recent books include The Hobbit and History, Star Wars and History and Love and Death in the Renaissance.
Liedl holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in history from the University of Toronto and a B.A. in European history from Purdue University. Her research spans early modern English history and popular culture.