Tolkien and Shakespeare - (Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy) by Janet Brennan Croft & Donald E Palumbo & C W Sullivan

About the Book

Tolkien and Shakespeare: one a prolific popular dramatist and poet of the Elizabethan era, the other a twentieth-century scholar of Old English and author of a considerably smaller body of work. Though unquestionably very different writers, the two have more in common than one might expect.
These essays focus on the broad themes and motifs which concerned both authors. They seek to uncover Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien through echoes of the playwright's themes and even word choices, discovering how Tolkien used, revised, updated, "corrected," and otherwise held an ongoing dialogue with Shakespeare's works.
The depiction of Elves and the world of Faerie, and how humans interact with them, are some of the most obvious points of comparison and difference for the two writers. Both Tolkien and Shakespeare deeply explored the uses and abuses of power with princes, politics, war, and the lessons of history. Magic and prophecy were also of great concern to both authors, and the works of both are full of encounters with the Other: masks and disguises, mirrors that hide and reveal, or seeing stones that show only part of the truth.

Book Synopsis

Tolkien and Shakespeare: one a prolific popular dramatist and poet of the Elizabethan era, the other a twentieth-century scholar of Old English and author of a considerably smaller body of work. Though unquestionably very different writers, the two have more in common than one might expect.

These essays focus on the broad themes and motifs which concerned both authors. They seek to uncover Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien through echoes of the playwright's themes and even word choices, discovering how Tolkien used, revised, updated, "corrected," and otherwise held an ongoing dialogue with Shakespeare's works.

The depiction of Elves and the world of Faerie, and how humans interact with them, are some of the most obvious points of comparison and difference for the two writers. Both Tolkien and Shakespeare deeply explored the uses and abuses of power with princes, politics, war, and the lessons of history. Magic and prophecy were also of great concern to both authors, and the works of both are full of encounters with the Other: masks and disguises, mirrors that hide and reveal, or seeing stones that show only part of the truth.

Review Quotes

"some worthwhile contributions here"-Library Journal; "recommend[ed]"-Mythlore; "this collection is well worth the time of scholars of Tolkien and Shakespeare alike. Both sides will find insights into their own author...Croft has done an admirable job of assembling a strong collection of essays that should persuade many to rethink basic assumptions about Tolkien's relationship to Shakespeare"-Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts; "of interest to children's literature scholars"-Children's Literature Association Quarterly; "I enjoyed-and found my thinking stimulated by-this book...will look forward to new work from its authors, including its editor"-Tolkien Studies; "scholars of English literature explore how the Elizabethan playwright and poet influenced the 20th-century scholar of Old English and writer of fantasy in terms of themes, motifs and word choices"-Reference & Research Book News.

About the Author

Janet Brennan Croft is liaison to the school of communication and information and librarian for disability services and copyright at Rutgers University Libraries in North Brunswick, New Jersey. She has written on the Peter Jackson films, J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold, and other authors, and is editor or co-editor of five collections of literary essays and edits the refereed scholarly journal Mythlore.