Tolkien's Art

This literary study examines the scholarly and mythological roots of the author's beloved stories, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

J.R.R. Tolkien captured the imaginations of generations with his expansive fantasy worlds and tales of high adventure. But Tolkien was also an accomplished scholar whose deep knowledge of mythology and language provided a wellspring of inspiration for his fiction. In this enlightening study, Tolkien specialist Jane Chance uncovers the many sources the author used in composing his works.


Inspired by works like Beowulf and Gawain and the Green Knight, Tolkien relied on both pagan epic and Christian legend to create a distinctly English mythology. Chance traces this project through his major works as well as his minor stories and critical essays. This revised and expanded edition also examines the paradigm of the critic as monster featured in many of Tolkien's writings.