Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring follows the adventures of Frodo, Pippin, Merry, and Sam, who set out on a journey to destroy the One Ring. When the party finally leaves the Shire, they encounter many dangers as black riders, and other...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s renowned series The Lord of the Rings, written between 1937 and 1949, falls into the high fantasy genre, but its themes remain relevant to today’s reality. In 2020, as the earth appears to retaliate against human environmental...

Reconciliation with the past is a major theme throughout Tolkien's trilogy, and the gap between the powerful, undying beings of the past and the mortal men of the present and future is starkly evident when the characteristics of the ancient...

The evolution of the tragic heroic archetype in post-roman literature can be traced from one of the most well known of medieval heroes, King Arthur of Camelot, to such fictional creations as Aragorn, from Tolkien's twentieth century masterwork The...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is a testament to the man’s passion for mythology. As was also the case with his zeal for philology, Tolkien utilized elements of mythology to reinvent the past, creating a living, breathing, nearly...

There is little doubt that J.R.R. Tolkien has become, in his short reign within literary fiction, nothing short of legendary. His stories, while only recently presented in blockbuster films, have ensnared and enthralled thousands of readers around...

Temptation is a central theme in J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings. Many characters throughout the novel are tempted to use the power of the Ring to change the world as they see fit. Some seek to use its power for selfish, personal gain, while...

From within the Shire, an unlikely hero arises. Equipped with a golden ring forged from the fires of Mount Doom, assigned an adventerous quest to save Middle Earth, and accompanied by clumsy yet loyal gardener Samwise Gamgee, young hobbit Frodo...

Tolkien's colourful world of Middle Earth has been a place of escapist adventure in the minds of many since its humble beginnings in the mid-1950s. Ever since his novel The Fellowship of the Ring debuted, it has inspired minds with its epic tales...

Despite the wide range of worlds occupied by different fantasy series, a universal theme of the genre is the presence of evil forces working in opposition to a band of heroes. Most often the band of heroes is embarking on a quest to vanquish evil...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings is one of the bestselling books of all time and has captured the imaginations of readers for decades. The story became even more popular when in 2001 director Peter Jackson released his...

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, author J. R. R. Tolkien creates a relationship between Frodo and Sam that people struggle to define in modern parlance because of its depth and complexity. Neither lovers nor merely friends, the essence of Frodo...

The relationship between Gandalf and Saruman in J. R. R. Tolkien’s famous trilogy The Lord of the Rings is not only a depiction of good versus evil, but a depiction of the corruption of magic and power. Gandalf and Saruman are two incredibly...

The genre classifications of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy anthology have always been an interesting discussion topic for both scholars and casual readers alike. Not many compendiums can claim they range in style from children’s book, to modern...

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings, the natural environment plays an important role as a tool for characterization and personification of the natural world. Readers who have studied Tolkien and know of his respect for nature might assume...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson, follows the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit that has embarked on a journey with a fellowship of eight to destroy the One Ring that holds the power to control all of...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, and Homer’s Odyssey are what many consider to be the greatest fantastical stories of their times. While the heroes differ in many ways, their circumstances bear multiple similarities. Both characters...

The famous poet, Rumi, once said “Greed makes man blind and foolish, and makes him an easy prey for death.” The Hobbit has many instances of greed, all of which lead to their inevitable destruction. Almost all characters are guilty of greed here...

A word that features prominently in Tolkien’s first published work about Middle-Earth is “adventure.” The initial spark of the plot is Gandalf’s proposition that Bilbo accompany him on an adventure, and throughout The Hobbit, this is how Bilbo...

The literary world of fantasy was forever altered by the fateful publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s extraordinary children’s novel, entitled The Hobbit, in 1937. Through his unique tapestry of a paternal narrator telling the story in a highly...

Through the knowledge that J.R.R. Tolkien’s widely beloved fantasy novel, The Hobbit, was originally an oral story meant to entertain his own young children, the story, structure, narration, and style of the book can be understood through a...

<i>"Mr. Baggins began as a comic tale among conventional and inconsistent fairy-tale dwarves, and got drawn into the edge of it - so that even Sauron the terrible peeped over the edge."

-J.R.R Tolkien, letter to his publisher (quoted in...

The principal concern of a literature student is to try to infer what the author's intentions are. However, we often include our own perspectives and forget the author altogether. Take a look at The Hobbit. Many people assume Tolkien wanted Bilbo...

Bilbo’s sword, Sting, plays a large role in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien -- a role that almost appears to be incongruous for its size. Through each one of its appearances, Sting’s increased significance as a plot element simultaneously...