Tolkien's Medievalism in Ruins
The Function of Relics and Ruins in Middle-earth
Tolkien's Medievalism in Ruins The Function of Relics and Ruins in Middle-earth
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Description
The structural and symbolic purposes of ruins in literary texts have a long history, yet few scholars explore their importance within J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.
From the ruins of Erebor and the relics of Gondolin appearing in The Hobbit to the various images of Amon Sûl, Moria, and Osgiliath in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien constructs a distinct mood-one that captures characters' awareness of the glories of the past and a desire to emulate them. The scholars who do engage Tolkien's relics and ruins tend to limit the scope to Tolkien's debt to the Middle Ages. While such scholarship begins important conversations, the full story of Tolkien's relics and ruins is left untold. Tolkien's Medievalism in Ruins takes corrective action and expands this historical and critical literary scope. This collection seeks to promote a more comprehensive approach to Tolkien's legendarium.
Table of Contents
About the Contributors
Introduction
Nick Katsiadas and Carl Sell
Part One: Ruins in Tolkien's Literary Criticism
Chapter 1
'to look out upon the sea': Tolkien's Allegory of the Ruined Tower in Beowulf: The Monsters
and the Critics
Mark Doerksen
Chapter 2
Tolkien's Tower by the Sea: Ruins and the Danger of the Nostalgic Gaze
Angela Fulk
Part Two: Relics and Ruins in Arda
Chapter 3
Ruins of Past Tongues: Tolkien's Timeless Philology
K. J. Waldron
Chapter 4
'What do you Elf eyes see?' Perceiving Ruin in Middle-earth
Joseph Burton
Chapter 5
Ruins as Landscape Runes
Nancy Ciccone
Chapter 6
Ruin, Fire, Wealth, and Wergild in Tolkien's Dwarven Civilizations
Victoria Smurthwaite
Chapter 7
'Too greedily and too deep': Decadence as Ruin of Empire in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Sandra Leonard
Chapter 8
Romantic Nostalgia in Tolkien's Relics and Ruins: Longing for Aman, Gondolin, and Númenor
in The Lost Road
Nick Katsiadas
Chapter 9
The Blade of the King: Tolkien, Arthur, and the Remnants of Kingship
Carl Sell
Part Three: Relics and Ruins in Tolkien Adaptations
Chapter 10
'What Are These Towers of Silver?' Ruins as Relics in the Middle-earth Game Series
J. Seth Lee
Chapter 11
'You Wield Aiglos, spear of Gil-galad': Relics as Signposts in The Two Towers MUD
J. Emerson Lowell
Chapter 12
Marching through Mordor: Ruins and Landscape in Summoning's Minas Morgul
Dean Swinford
Product details
| Published | Oct 02 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 272 |
| ISBN | 9781978762138 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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