J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century

Book by Tom Shippey

J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century

First edition

Author| Tom Shippey
Language| English
Subject| Biography, Literary criticism
Publisher| HarperCollins

Publication date

| 2001
Media type| Paperback and Hardcover
Pages| 384
ISBN| 978-0-618-12764-1

J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century is a 2001 book of literary criticism written by Tom Shippey. It is about the work of the philologist and fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien. In it, Shippey argues for the relevance of Tolkien today and attempts to firmly establish Tolkien's literary merits, based on analysis of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Tolkien's shorter works.

The book was well received by scholars, who however pointed out that it covered similar ground to his 1983 book The Road to Middle-earth, for a more general audience. Reviews in both The Independent and The Observer praised the book, stating that it made a low-key but effective case for Tolkien's quality, and noting that it undercut the British literary establishment's hostility to Tolkien. The book won the 2001 World Fantasy Award and the 2001 Mythopoeic Award.

## Book[edit]

### Synopsis[edit]

Shippey begins with a chapter-length "Foreword", introducing the fantasy genre, Tolkien's life, and the "Author of the Century" claim. He notes Tolkien's high ratings in the polls, and his effective creation of a new genre. The book examines in turn The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Tolkien's shorter works.[S 1]

On The Hobbit, Shippey tells how Tolkien came to start to write; its connection to his First World War experience; the possible origins of the word hobbit, and its parallels with "rabbit"; Bilbo's riddle-contest with Gollum; its links with Old English and Norse literature; and the Ring.[S 2]

Shippey analyses the place of Christianity in The Lord of the Rings.[S 3] Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross, Church of St. John Nepomucen, Brenna

The Lord of the Rings is analysed in three central chapters. These show how subtly it is constructed, based especially on maps and languages,[S 4] and the conception of evil that it embodies, a tension between the Boethian view (the absence of good) and the Manichean (a powerful force opposing good).[S 3] Finally it examines the question of allegory (something Tolkien denied) versus applicability, and the mythic dimension of the work, with its deep - not instantly obvious - connection to Christianity, indeed to Roman Catholicism, to ancient myth, and to modern life, most evident in the chapter The Scouring of the Shire.[S 5]

The chapter on The Silmarillion is subtitled "the work of his heart". Shippey explains the book's long gestation from Tolkien's 'Story of Kullervo' in 1913. He describes Tolkien's purpose and approach in seeking to create a mythology for England.[S 6]

On the shorter works, Shippey concedes that many would have been forgotten, but for the popularity of his Middle-earth books. The works include both prose and poetry; he considers Leaf by Niggle and Smith of Wootton Major to be autobiographical allegories, full of allusions to Tolkien's own life.[S 7]

The book concludes with an "Afterword" (a whole chapter) repudiating the "intense critical hostility" by the literary establishment in the 20th century. Shippey notes that no "modern writer of fantasy has managed to escape the mark of Tolkien".[S 8]

### Publication history[edit]

The book was first published in hardback in 2000 by HarperCollins in London and Houghton Mifflin in Boston. Both publishers brought out paperback editions in 2001. A Spanish edition was published by Minotauro in Barcelona in 2003. A Polish edition was produced by Zysk i S-ka Wydawnictwo in Poznań in 2004, and a French edition was published by Bragelonne in Paris in 2016.[1]

## Reception[edit]

### Scholarly[edit]

The scholars Michael Drout and Hilary Wynne, in a review in Envoi of Tolkien criticism from 1982 to 2000, write that too much of it has repeatedly covered the same ground, while remaining unaware of earlier research. They name Shippey and Author of the Century as "the single best thing ever written on Tolkien", and state that he could reasonably see himself as above other critics, but did not. They note that the similarity of his background to Tolkien's gave him "an enormous advantage", and that while he was sometimes polemical, he always remained reasonable and measured, and never "bash[ed] Tolkien fandom" or talked down to readers.[2]

The scholar of literature Charles W. Nelson, reviewing the work in Extrapolation, writes that Shippey asserts that Tolkien was "first and foremost a linguist, then a mythologist, and finally a writer of fantasy", and that he supports this by citing multiple examples of Tolkien's language- and myth-based creation from both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.[3]

The historian Bradley J. Birzer, reviewing the book in Catholic Social Science Review, writes that the "British literati" were dismissive of Tolkien, and that reviewers like Andrew Rissik seemed to have "reeled back in shock" in a "knee-jerk" reaction to Shippey's book. Birzer states that Shippey is an expert in medieval literature, and that his view of Tolkien "carries considerable weight". He describes the book as containing similar information as Shippey's scholarly 1983 book The Road to Middle-Earth, but aimed at a well-educated general audience.[4]

The scholar Valerie Estelle Frankel, reviewing a festschrift collection of essays in honour of Shippey, wrote that his books The Road to Middle-earth and Author of the Century lay "at the top of Tolkien scholars' favorite works".[5]

The Tolkien scholar David Bratman wrote in Mythprint that while the book covers much of the same ground as The Road to Middle-earth, the text has been "semi-rewritten and semi-expanded", making some new points. He finds Shippey at his most brilliant and entertaining when discussing the Ring's evil and its addictive nature.[6]

### Popular[edit]

Martin Morse Wooster, for The American Enterprise, wrote that "Shippey is a crisp, forceful, and intelligent writer who has produced a highly readable appreciation of Tolkien's life and art."[7] The Tolkien scholar Patrick Curry, in The Independent, wrote that Shippey succeeds brilliantly in rebutting Tolkien's critics and demonstrating that Tolkien's Middle-earth writings are "based on deep learning and a set of values that represent challenge to [the literati's] authority".[8] The author and medieval scholar Charles Moseley, in The Observer, wrote that Shippey's choice of title is a "sly echo" of the author and public intellectual Germaine Greer's critical remark that "It has been my nightmare that Tolkien would turn out to be the most influential writer of the century". He called the book witty and combative, but also illuminating "especially on The Silmarillion".[9] Publishers Weekly called the book "a wonderfully readable study aimed at not just the Tolkien fan but any literate person curious about this fantasy author's extraordinary popularity". It described the work as building an "impressive, low-key case" for Tolkien's merit, and called the account "as learned as it is free of academic jargon".[10]

The book won the 2001 World Fantasy Award and the 2001 Mythopoeic Award, and was nominated for the 2002 Hugo Award, the 2001 Locus Award.[11]

## See also[edit]

* The Road to Middle-earth, an earlier book by Shippey about Tolkien, revised and extended in later editions

## References[edit]

### Primary[edit]

1. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. vii–xxxv
2. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 1–49
3. ^ a b Shippey 2001, pp. 112–160
4. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 50–111
5. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 161–225
6. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 226–263
7. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 264–304
8. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 305–328

### Secondary[edit]

1. ^ "'J. R. R. Tolkien : Author of the Century'". WorldCat. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
2. ^ Drout, Michael D. C.; Wynne, Hilary S. Z. (2000). "Tom Shippey's 'J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century' and a Look Back at Tolkien Criticism since 1982". Envoi. 9 (2): 101–134. ISSN 0897-4888.
3. ^ Nelson, Charles W. (2003). "Tom Shippey. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 347 pp. $26.00". Extrapolation. 44 (2): 261.
4. ^ Birzer, Bradley J. (2002). "Shippey, T.A. 'J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century'. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 347 pp. $26.00 hardcover.'". Catholic Social Science Review. 7: 225–227. doi:10.5840/cssr2002721.
5. ^ Frankel, Valerie Estelle (2016). "Tolkien in the New Century: Essays in Honor of Tom Shippey ed. by John Wm. Houghton, et al". Tolkien Studies. Project Muse. 13 (1): 205–209. doi:10.1353/tks.2016.0015. ISSN 1547-3163. S2CID 171207171.
6. ^ Bratman, David (February 2001). "Reviews: J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century". Mythprint. 38 (2).
7. ^ Wooster, Martin Morse (2002). "J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. (BookTalk: the master of middle-earth)". The American Enterprise. 13 (1): 54.
8. ^ Curry, Patrick (8 September 2000). "Lord of the Ratings - and with very good reason". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
9. ^ Moseley, Charles (7 October 2000). "A Creature of Hobbit". The Observer. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
10. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century". Publishers Weekly. 7 May 2001. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
11. ^ "Thomas A. Shippey". SFADB. Retrieved 20 January 2022.

## Sources[edit]

* Shippey, Tom (2001). J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0261-10401-3.

* v
* t
* e

Middle-earth

* J. R. R. Tolkien
* Bibliography
* Canon
* Legendarium
* Outline

Works|

* The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
* Beren and Lúthien
* Bilbo's Last Song
* The Children of Húrin
* The Fall of Gondolin
* The Fall of Númenor
* The Hobbit
* The Lord of the Rings
* The Fellowship of the Ring
* "The Shadow of the Past"
* "The Council of Elrond"
* The Two Towers
* The Return of the King
* "The Scouring of the Shire"
* "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"
* The Silmarillion
* "Ainulindalë"
* Round World version
* Unfinished Tales
* The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien

History of
composition|

* John D. Rateliff
* The History of The Hobbit
* Christopher Tolkien
* The History of Middle-earth
* 1–2 The Book of Lost Tales
* Ælfwine
* 3 The Lays of Beleriand
* 4 The Shaping of Middle-earth
* 5 The Lost Road and Other Writings
* 6–9 The History of The Lord of the Rings
* The Notion Club Papers
* 10 Morgoth's Ring
* 11 The War of the Jewels
* 12 The Peoples of Middle-earth
* Carl F. Hostetter
* The Nature of Middle-earth

Fictional
universe|

| Peoples,
Monsters|

* Ainur
* Maiar
* Balrogs
* Wizards
* Valar
* Dragons
* Dwarves
* Eagles
* Elves
* Half-elven
* Noldor
* Sundering
* Ents
* Hobbits
* Men
* Beornings
* Drúedain
* Dúnedain
* Orcs
* Trolls

|

Characters|

* First and Second Ages
* Celebrimbor
* Eärendil and Elwing
* Elendil
* Fëanor
* Fingolfin
* Finwë and Míriel
* Gil-galad
* Húrin
* Isildur
* Lúthien and Beren
* Melian
* Morgoth
* Thingol
* Tuor and Idril
* Túrin Turambar
* Ungoliant
* Third Age
* Elrond
* Galadriel
* Gandalf
* Glorfindel
* Goldberry
* Gollum
* Saruman
* Sauron
* Tom Bombadil

Places|

* First and Second Ages
* Beleriand
* Númenor
* Valinor
* Third Age
* Bree
* Esgaroth
* Gondor
* Harad
* Isengard
* Lonely Mountain
* Lothlórien
* Mirkwood
* Mordor
* Moria
* Rivendell
* Rohan
* The Shire
* Bag End

Objects|

* Mithril
* Palantír
* Red Book of Westmarch
* Rings of Power
* One Ring
* Silmarils
* Two Trees of Valinor
* List of weapons and armour

Analysis|

| Elements|

* Artwork
* Family trees
* Heraldry
* Languages
* Adûnaic
* Black Speech
* Khuzdul
* Quenya
* Sindarin
* Maps
* Poetry
* Scripts
* Cirth
* Sarati
* Tengwar

|

Themes|

* Anachronism
* Ancestry as guide to character
* Architecture
* Christianity
* Cosmology
* Death and immortality
* Decline and fall
* Economy
* England
* Environmentalism
* First World War
* Forests
* Frame stories
* Heroism
* Luck and fate
* Magic
* Mental illness
* Modernism
* Moral dilemma
* Music
* Naming of weapons
* Northern courage
* Paganism
* Plants
* Psychological journeys
* Quests
* Sound and language
* Time
* Trees

Literary|

* Tolkien's impact on fantasy
* Influences
* Beowulf
* Celtic
* Classical world
* Finnish language and literature
* Medieval
* Modern
* Norse
* Philology
* Shakespeare
* Prose style
* Ambiguity

Geographic|

* The Atlas of Middle-earth
* Journeys of Frodo
* A Map of Middle-earth

Adaptations,
legacy|

| Artists|

* Pauline Baynes
* Cor Blok
* Anke Eißmann
* Brothers Hildebrandt
* Jenny Dolfen
* Mary Fairburn
* Donato Giancola
* John Howe
* Tove Jansson
* Alexander Korotich
* Alan Lee
* Tom Loback
* Margrethe II of Denmark
* Ted Nasmith

|

Composers|

* Bo Hansson
* Johan de Meij
* Symphony No. 1 The Lord of the Rings
* Howard Shore
* Music of The Lord of the Rings film series
* Music of The Hobbit film series
* Bear McCreary
* Music of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power television series
* Blind Guardian
* Nightfall in Middle-Earth

Settings|

* Donald Swann
* The Road Goes Ever On
* Poems and Songs of Middle Earth
* The Tolkien Ensemble
* An Evening in Rivendell
* A Night in Rivendell
* At Dawn in Rivendell
* Leaving Rivendell

Other media|

* Middle-earth Enterprises
* Film
* Video games
* Tolkien Calendars
* Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien
* Things named after Tolkien and his works

Literary
criticism|

* The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
* A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien
* Master of Middle-Earth
* Picturing Tolkien
* J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
* The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide
* The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia
* The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion
* Perilous Realms
* The Road to Middle-Earth
* Splintered Light
* Tolkien's Art: 'A Mythology for England'
* Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings
* A Tolkien Compass
* Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth
* Tolkien's Legendarium
* Tolkien and the Great War
* The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien
* The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary

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