	TOLKIEN REVIEWS OF SOURCES
	Students' Critical Reviews of Sources for further Study of J. R. R. TOLKIEN & The Lord of the Rings
	English 104 - Introduction to Literature: Fiction, Fall 2002 Cora Agatucci, Humanities Dept., Central Oregon Community College

Models for citing electronic & other types of sources - See Tolkien Bibliographies:
1. Print Sources by & about Tolkien | 2. Web Sources & Online Articles
3. Sources Recommended by ENG 104 Students
Fall 2002 ENG 104 Critical Review of Sources assignment
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng104/criticalreview.htm
Evaluation: Critical Review of Sources ~ Fall 2002
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng104/criticalrevieweval.htm
Tolkien Seminars ~ Fall 2002
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng104/Tolkienseminars.htm

Chuck Barker
Eng 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

My topic of choice is J.R.R. Tolkien. I used the Internet to find all of my sources.

My source was URL: http:// www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/relipper/tolkien/rootpage.html. There is so much usable information on this page it is unreal.

This information page gives you so much different things to choose from to view and interact with things about Tolkien. Like: it has mirrors, Individual pages, other www pages, Articles, chat rooms conferences, family trees, fonts, games, graphics, linguistics, lists, mailing lists, music, news groups, online texts, parodies, periodicals, societies, and miscellaneous sites.

This site has so many strengths it’s unbelievable. You can just see how many different things that this web site offers. Whatever question that you might have there is at least one spot where you could find the answer for your question. I saw now significant weakness in this web site. Overall everyone should check this site out.

My topic of choice is the Archives of T.R.R. Tolkien. I used the Internet to locate this website.
The URL: http://www.Nytimes.com/specials/advertising/movies/tolkien/Index.html . This website is especially good for information just on Tolkien himself.

This website introduces many new things to the reader. It has a huge collection of articles from the New York Times Archives. Within these archives there are also many book reviews and also different interviews with Tolkien himself.

This site has a bunch of useful information on Tolkien as a writer and about himself. The interviews are very interesting to read and to learn more about him as a person. The book reviews were a little boring for me just because I might have had a little different view that the reviewer had. This was the only drawback that I had for this website.

My topic of choice is the movie The Lord of the Rings. I used the internet to locate this information. The URL: http://www.us.Imdb.com/Title?0120737. This website was packed full of great information on the movie.

This website has a complete film crew and cast section. There is also a cross-reference on filmographies, plot summaries, a photo gallery, trailers, film locations, awards, and also film reviews. There is a bonus on this website; it has hyperlinks to lists of external reviews, news articles and much much more.

This web site is full of visuals and awesome learning tools. It would most likely answer any question that you might have ever had about the movie or of what someone had to say about it. You could spend a lot of time searching through this site too find out all the info that you would ever need for a report or an essay. The only drawback to this website would be the film reviews. They didn’t give the responses that I wanted to hear, but overall it was a very good website.

Carrie Emrich
Eng 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

Day, David. TOLKIEN'S RING. [City]: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994.
        Day's book deals primarily with background myths and histories that influenced Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS. In a very well written and beautifully illustrated (by Allen Lee) volume, Day attempts to take the reader on a historical journey through the ring quests of ages. The book is a veritable detective work examining Tolkien's sources of inspiration for his own modern mythology.
        Day takes us through the similarities linking THE LORD OF THE RINGS with ancient Norse, Oriental, German, Greek and Roman mythologies; Arthurian and Carolingian legends; Celtic and Saxon oral traditions; and even the Bible. Day also emphasizes the concept of alchemy and the ring-tales associated with the alchemist as being integral to Tolkien's story.
        This is a fascinating insight into Tolkien's world. I recommend it highly for any and all that are interested in learning more about Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Wynn-Fonstad, Karen. THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE EARTH. [City]: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
        This amazing tool for visualization is a must for any Tolkien fiend. Cartographer Karen Wynn-Fonstad (and self-professed Tolkien "fiend"), through Tolkien's descriptions of his middle earth, builds to-scale representation of places visited in THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
        For some who may have trouble picturing the layout and coherence of Middle Earth, this book will be extremely helpful. Fully illustrated and paired with the authors comments and a paragraph or two on which of Tolkien's works the map originated in. She also adds amusing sidenotes, such as how to
convert Tolkien's unique Middle Earth measurement system to metric scale.
        I highly recommend this book to students who have trouble "getting into" THE LORD OF THE RINGS. This work is an invaluable study tool to accompany LOTR.

Tolkien, J.R.R. THE QUENTA SILMARILLION. [City]: Houghton Mifflin, 1983.
        The Silmarillion is Tolkien's entire cosmology behind THE LORD OF THE RINGS. A bible, if you will. Starting literally "at the beginning," Eru [God] creates the Valar [angels] and later the races Edhel [Elves] and Adan [Men]. The origin of the Dark Lord Sauron is also addressed, as is the creating of dwarves, orcs and the like.
        A rather difficult volume to read (as it is written in a style even more elevated than LORD OF THE RINGS), I find it an immensely gratifying read as it lends the weight of seemingly documented history to Tolkein's created world. The main body of THE QUENTA SILMARILLION deals with the creation, evolution, wars and ends of the elves. Those who are drawn to the elves in LORD OF THE RINGS may enjoy this work.
        This book also deals mainly with the Silmarils ["Silmarillion" is Qwenya, an elven language. It literally means, "of the Silmarils" - Jewels of unequalled power and beauty created by an elf, Feanor. Melkor [the
super-evil predecessor of Sauron] steals the silmarils and thus turns Elf against God, Elf against Elf, and ultimately Elf against Man.
        I would not recommend this book to those who do not like Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Eddie Funtanellas
ENG 104 Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 Oct. 2002

Introduction:

            After participating in Seminar 1, I still had some unanswered questions. The answers I sought were obtained through various LOR guru’s websites and essays. It was only here that I would find these answers because they were questions that extended beyond the novel. At first, I was going to find my own sources, but after checking Cora’s extensive amount of links. I found exactly what I was looking for, so I stayed with her list.

            My first fascination that later developed into some questions was the character Tom Bombadil. I could not fully grasp his dealings with evil; they seemed too profound for the way the novel had been going. Which lead me to another question, which were the vast amounts of singing in the book. In my research I found that the songs Tom sings in LOR are variants of another song in another Tolkien creation. I was interested in this because why would Tolkien spend so much time writing about a character that some people think is out of place. Anyhow, I spent most of my time with the Tom Bombadil subject because of his mysterious presence and unreal problem solving abilities.

            In an Essay by Gene Hargrove he makes the point that Tom is an Enigma. An enigma is a mystery, a puzzle, something that seems to be discordant, unrelated, out of place, but it isn’t. He makes the point that Tolkien would not invent this character and leave it with no answer, although Tolkien does not give the answer outright he makes several hints towards it. This subject could go on for twenty pages, but I now have a firmer understanding of why and what Tom Bombadil is or was. This project showed me that you can read a novel and be content or you can research the hell out of matters that you do not comprehend. Then you can find a completely different meaning from your previous cognitions.

Hargrove, Gene. Who is Tom Bombadil?    9 October 2002<

http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html

            This site consists of a six-page essay written by Gene Hargrove about the mysterious Tom Bombadil. He gives helpful insights such as the origin and why Tolkien invented this character. Although the opinions expressed in this site are of his own, he does make several transitions from showing the common opinion to his own using different degrees of evidence. I felt that this site was a very helpful insight into Tolkien’s cognitions about the character Tom Bombadil. Even if you did not agree with Gene there are plenty of facts here pulled from outside sources that one can indulge in. The only weakness I found was that he made some referrals to concepts about the book that I could not fully grasp because I have not read the whole novel. This site is highly recommended if you want to know who, what, when, why and how about Tom Bombadil. He also offers many links to different sites, so happy Tom hunting.

Hargrove, Gene.   About the Songs and Poems in LOR. 9 October 2002<

www.cep.unt.edu/songs/tolkien.html

   This Website contains all the songs and poems of the novel Lord of the Rings that are more than two lines long. It is nice in the sense that you do not have go back and in the book and find an individual poem or song because they are listed on this site in the order that they are received in the book. Each poem or song has a detailed paragraph(s) that explained in great detail the origin and meaning. I found this site to be very helpful when trying to decipher a poem or song. Especially, when it came to the first song Tom Bombadil sings. I wish I new about this sight while I was reading The Fellowship of the Ring, it would have answered many questions that I had about these songs. I highly recommend this site to anyone looking to further answer questions about the songs and poems in LOR.

Fisher, Mark.   The Encyclopedia of Arda. 9 October 2002<

http:// www.glyphweb.com/arda/

            This site had the most extensive amount of information on more common subjects such as beings and places of the Tolkien’s creation. Not to mention the site itself is very user friendly and a delight to look at. For instance, I looked up the Orc race. There were several different kinds of species of Orcs and it even gave quotes that pertained to the origin of the race. This site definitely lives up to an encyclopedia title. Although, the claims it is still under construction and will never be fully done, one can find information on beings that you did not even think were that meaningful. I highly recommend this site to anyone looking to further strengthen their knowledge about any being or place in any of Tolkien’s works.

Sara Gerard
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote stories. We call them epics, novels, and works of art. He uses vivid imagery to jump-start our imaginations and bring us to worlds we could only dream about. His works and words have produced numerous articles, books, and societies filled with places and creatures that could only exist in mythology. I have found many resources on Tolkien and begun to ask a few questions.

Who was he? We know that he was the man who wrote The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and other novels, but what was his background? Also, what did he do for the readers? Luckily, I have found some sources that answered my questions. Our library has books about Tolkien. Unfortunately, I could not get a copy of any of them. However, the library has many articles online that were easily accessible. The internet was another source that had many useful web pages, websites, and articles about Tolkien and his works. I learned about his life and that he worked on the Oxford English Dictionary, defining words from "waggle to warlock". I found that he claimed readers young and old.

Annotated Bibliography

“From Middle Earth to Middle English”. Report/Newsmagazine. (2002): 4. Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. COCC Library, Bend, OR. 6 Oct 2002. <http://www.ebsco.com>
[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
"From Middle English to Middle-Earth." Report/Newsmagazine (Alberta ed.) 8 July 2002: 4 (1p). Rpt. EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite, 2002; Article No. 6893894.

This article talks about the professor J.R.R. Tolkien and what he did during his time as a professor at Oxford. It also talks about his work on the Oxford English Dictionary and how the word “hobbit” was added to it. This is a short article, so it does not have much information, but it is an interesting bit on the man who wrote the famous Lord Of The Rings.

Mithrilian of Lothrorien. “The Chronology of the Life of J.R.R. Tolkien.”
URL: http://www.kulichki.com/tolkien/eng/enghron.html

[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
The Fellowship of Arda-na-Kulichkah. “The Chronology of the Life of J.R.R. Tolkien.” Arda-na-Kulichkah: The Island of Tolkien Fans. Chertovy Kulichi, Inc. [Russia], 1996-2002. [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://www.kulichki.com/tolkien/eng/enghron.html

This website gives a great history of the creator of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It has the years when each of his books began in writing and when each was published. Also included are the years when his parents died, and where he and his brother moved during his upbringing. This is a good source for specific information about Tolkien’s life. However, it lacks the specific dates for many events.

“The Barrow-Downs”. <http://www.barrowdowns.com>.
[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
The Barrow Downs. The Barrow Downs Store [No Date]. [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://www.barrowdowns.com/Welcome.asp

This is a place for everything Tolkien. It has the books, the encyclopedia, chronology, and many other interesting things including madlibs and games. It has contests, a readers section, and links to other Tolkien sites. This is an interesting site for Tolkien fans to see, and a good one to waste some time at. The problem is there is no good way to cite this page, as it has no author and no specific name.

Josh Goodall
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

Critical Reviews

            In the Annotated Bibliography that is my compilation of critical reviews, I attempted to find articles that were interesting and worth reading. I wanted to sift through articles that merely talked about the books, or delved too deeply into the minor intricacies of Tolkien’s world. I found an interesting article about other’s analysis of Tolkien’s work and a good piece on the character Tom Bombadil (whom I find one of the most interesting and clever characters in the trilogy). Also, I picked out a site that merely quoted some memorable sayings from the books. I felt that the quotes painted a good picture of the theme and style of the books, and was enjoyable to read.

            Through the reading and searching for sources, I found that many people take Tolkien a bit too seriously for my tastes. Many sites and books plowed headfirst into the deep, mysterious details of Tolkien’s creations. They seemed to imply that they actually felt Tolkien’s world existed, and that they themselves lived in that world. However, I also found many that appreciated the books for their great literary merit (which is more of what I am like). They looked at some of the more gray areas of the books (I found this especially in the Tom Bombadil article, but I could withstand it since I am fascinated by Tom.), but mostly stayed in the realm of reality, looking at the books through a reader’s eye, rather than a believer in the reality of this “world”. I found my sources off the web, and at the library. However, I was unable to track down any real good sources in book form.

            At the End of the Quest, Victory. Book review by W. H. Auden of the New York Times, January 22, 1956. Accessed October 5, 2002. URL: http://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/22/books/tolkien-king.html

In this article, Auden touches on a few different topics. One: the reaction to the book at the time (which we must realize is 1956, and maybe not as relevant today); two: how Tolkien manages to avoid the classic style of medieval quests; and three: how Tolkien incorporates the battle of Good vs. Evil without presenting an obvious, or unbelievable solution.    The article is very well written, and appeals to a philosopher, or others who enjoy contemplating the morality of a story. The author compares other books similar in plot and setting to Tolkien’s, and then explains how they are all different, and what sets The Lord of the Rings apart from the other stories. It may get a little bit wordy for some who are less interested in this type of discussion, but for those who enjoy contemplating the unanswerable questions, this article will leave you wanting more.

Who is Tom Bombadil? An essay by Gene Hargrove, earlier published in Mythlore, no. 47 (August 1986). Accessed October 5, 2002. URL: http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html.

Although this article is very long (possibly longer than the section of the book Tom is in), it is very insightful. The essay covers the many aspects of Tom’s character, ranging from his immunity to the One Ring to his carefree attitude. It dives deep into the depths of the book, even beyond into the gray realm of “behind the scenes”. There are many different ideas presented pertaining to Tom’s origin, character, and power. The essay is quite intuitive, but may also get a bit long for those who are not very interested in Tom Bombadil. However, for anyone who loves The Lord of the Rings, there is much to analyze and reflect upon in this essay.

            The Road Goes Ever and On. Part of the Coldal Web Pages. Last updated October 3, 2002. Accessed October 5, 2002. URL: http://www.coldal.org/quotes.htm.

            The website is a compilation of quotes and sayings from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It includes sound bytes and pictures relevant to the trilogy as well. The quotes are not in any particular order, and seem there merely to provide us with little tidbits to carry with us throughout our day, or even through life. This site has much to offer in the ways of satisfying the appetite of a quote lover, or someone who desires a brief, light chance to reminisce upon the wit and wisdom of The Lord of the Rings.

            I would like to include another article in my report; however, I was unable to find another source that appealed to me in the time given. I would like to add another source when I receive my paper back for revision.

Christalyn Grantier
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

Long before I even had heard of Lord of the Rings, I loved C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia for the story and the Christian themes that were involved. When I discovered that Tolkien and Lewis were good friends, I became interested in how Tolkien’s faith may have been reflected in his books. I found that, if there was any influence of Christianity, it was not nearly as obvious as in Lewis’s works. Did the faith of the author have an impact on the epic he wrote? If so, are there specific passages or messages from the text that support this idea?

I began at the English 104 website. I skimmed the bibliographies and found sources that might be related to the topic I was in search of. I then copied the relevant information into a Word document for easier accessibility. I also explored the linked web sites from the writing home page. Next, I looked up the full text articles that I chose from the website on the COCC library database, specifically Ebsco Academic elite. I also explored the COCC library’s catalog and the Deschutes County Library catalog. I also did some searches on the EBSCOHost database and the search engine Yahoo using keywords like “Tolkien,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Christianity.” I read articles online, on the EBSCOHost database, and on microfiche in the library. With these sources, I not only discovered specific passages that could be viewed as “Christian”, but also the general mindset of Tolkien as he wrote the myth. I learned Tolkien believed that because humans are created in the image of God, we have the desire and ability to create stories, just as God has created His story, the history of the world. Tolkien stressed the importance of a “happy ending”, or “eucatastrophe” after a period of sorrow. He believed this to be important because of the greatness of God’s story. This story is the redemption of man by Jesus’ death of the cross. Tolkien states “The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces the essence of fairy-stories… among the marvels is the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe. But this story has entered History and the primary world.” (Williams, www.christians.org). The author of Lord of the Rings believed the stories written by humans, although fractured, contain elements of truth because we come from the God that is ultimate truth. Some specific elements of truth in these books are: sacrifice, battles of good versus evil, and the ring as a symbol for Christ’s cross- a burden He carried for the redemption of the world (Grace 34). The characters, although similar to the characters of past mythology that fascinated Tolkien, have Christian attributes. “There is a nobility, humility and sense of purpose about them unknown to pagan literature” (Byfield 2).

Annotated Bibliography

Byfield, Link. “The Greatest Book of the Century Was Built on the Thought ‘and in one Lord, Jesus Christ….’” Alberta Report/ Newsmagazine 24 Feb. 1997: 2. EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite, 2002; Article No. 9703253234.

This short article begins by proclaiming that, according the British bookstore customers, Lord of the Rings is the best book of the twentieth century. He goes on to support this theory by arguing with Ms. Greer, another author who has never liked Tolkien’s work. Byfield shows how Tolkien drew his material from past times, but added a more modern view, a Christian view. He points out that Ms. Greer does not like the work because it is Christian. The only drawback is the somewhat rude manner in which the author refers to Ms. Greer. This was done in poor taste, even if he disagreed with her opinions. This, resource, although short in length, gives a unique theory as to the continuing popularity of the Lord of the Rings.

Grace, Kevin Michael. “Praising God in Myth.” Report / Newsmagazine (Alberta ed.): 7 Jan. 2002: 34 (4pp). Rpt. EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite, 2002: Article No. 5813863

This article specifically recounts the discussion Tolkien had with C.S. Lewis, which directly relates to Tolkien’s argument for the value of myth, which was a religious-based argument. It also gives some insight into Tolkien’s faith in general that is not directly related to themes present in Lord of the Rings. Some historical information on the life of Tolkien and other beliefs that influenced his writings are included. This article has a lot of information to sift through, but it is worth the search.

Williams, Donald T. “Is Man a Myth?” Christians .org 5 Oct. 2002 <http://www.christians.org/manmyth/man04.html>

The subsection of this article is called “J. R. R. Tolkien: Humanity and Faerie.” The author’s statement is largely constructed around quotes from Tolkien himself as the author of Lord of the Rings explained his theory on the origin of man’s abilities to create stories and defended the value of myth. He claims that as we are created in the image of a Creator, we to have the ability to create. These creations have great value because they reflect back to the ultimate Creator, God. The specific example of a “Happy Ending” is given and compared between Tolkien’s and many others stories and the true story of God’s “happy ending”, the coming and redemption of Christ. The quotes themselves give great insight into the mind of Tolkien and this article addresses the topic of his religious beliefs very directly. Because it is obviously written by a Christian author in a Christian publication, this article is biased toward the Christian viewpoint.

Wood, Ralph C. “Traveling the One Road: The Lord of the Rings as a `pre-Christian' Classic.” Christian Century 110 (1993): 208- 211.

Instead of briefly stating that Christian themes are found throughout the book, this work gives many specific examples from the book where Christian messages and themes are found, although acknowledging the work is not obviously Christian. It analyzes these sections of the book and then discusses the Christian topic related to each. The author compares magic and machinery, how both are used to speed up life. It is shown that the noble and wise, Gandalf and Galadriel, are the most tempted. It compares Saruman as a type of Judas, who was impatient for victory. The fellowship of the ring is compared to the church, which has crossed boundaries of different groups of people. Christian mercy is seen in Bilbo’s pity of Gollum. This article retells portions of the story and quotes others, making it easy to follow the argument of the author and glean valuable insight into the story from a certain (Christian) point of view.

Kristie Gravatt
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

INTRODUCTION:

The topic of my research for this annotated bibliography is a comparison of the Lord of the Rings book to the film. I have only read the first book of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I have mixed feelings about seeing the movie. I so love my own perception of Middle Earth and it’s inhabitants. I am looking online for feedback on this topic. I have found endless bounds of information. A few websites stood out for me because 1)they had comparisons of book to film; 2)they were simple to navigate; 3) they had a very "Tolkien" feel to them. I learned a lot about Tolkien from this project and was astonished by the amount of "Tolkomania" going on in the world. I found many notes from college classes just like this one. The most valuable thing I learned from this project was that I should finish the book(s), then see the movie, and keep the two perceptions separate in my mind. They are both O.K. Understanding the making of the movie brings a lot to that perception.

WEBSITES:

The Tolkien Archives: A Guide to the World of J.R.R. Tolkien. An on-line archival collection from the New York Times Company. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company.
URL: http://nytimes.com/specials/advertising/movies/tolkien/index.html
[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
The Tolkien Archives: A Guide to the World of J. R. R. Tolkien. New York Times Online, 2002. [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/specials/advertising/movies/tolkien/index.html

This website covers everything that I could think of in relation to J.R.R. Tolkien. This site contains innumerable links to everything from Tolkien biographies and bibliographies to book reviews, discussion groups, slide shows, interviews, quizzes and games. There are also reviews on the movie and some information as to the making of the movie. This is a good site for information and links to more information on Tolkien and his work and especially good for reading Tolkien related book reviews.

The Encyclopedia of Arda. An interactive encyclopedia into the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Sponsored by Discus Online. Copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2002. URL: www.glyphweb.com
[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
Fisher, Mark. The Encyclopedia of Arda: An Interactive Guide to the Works of J. R. R. Tolkien. 1997-2000. [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/

This is an award winning website. It contains a bibliography, which is a good source for more research. The site also contains maps and illustrations and has an alphabetical listing of over 5,000 Tolkien/LOTR topics from which you can choose to study. There is also a movie-goers guide that points out the differences between the book and the movie. The only drawback of this site is that it is fairly new and lacks illustrations; some of the links are still under construction.

There and Back Again. Community Member of TheOneRing.Net. Copyright 2001 Shire Media.
URL: www.thereandbackagain.net
[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
Govar, Daniel [aka: saulone]. There and Back Again. XI Group, 2002. [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://www.thereandbackagain.net
URL: http://thereandbackagain.xigroup.com/book.html

This is my favorite website to go to before and after reading in the Lord of the Rings book. This site is magical and mystical. The words seem to quiver and float on the pages. When you click on a link for any of the people or realms of the story, the text comes up on the blank open pages of an old magical wizards book There is another magical book and on the pages appear a calendar, in what is probably Hobbit script. The months have names from another language, and when you click on a date, it gives you the news for that date. There is also a movie link for information about the movie and differences between the movie and the book. This site is great to get you in the mood to read more Tolkien, but is a site more for beginners in research on Tolkien/LOTR. Not a lot of literary content.

Geoffrey Gruetzmacher
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
October 9, 2002

            There are so many websites on the internet that concern Tolkien his works and his characters. The choices were nearly endless. I chose three websites that interested me the most.
            I first chose a very interesting essay about the influences war had on Tolkien’s writings. This intrigued me because I was in the military, and because it is amazing how an author’s life experiences are reflected in his or her writings. I don’t think WWII had a huge affect on Tolkien’s work, The Lord of the Rings, but I do think his experiences in WWI had a huge impact. I see this in his descriptions of the bad or evil things in his book and the loss of members in the Fellowship of the Ring.
            Secondly I chose an essay on Frodo’s choice to depart Middle Earth. I think this is interesting because being on a journey and trying to complete a task can be very daunting. Frodo deserves this break and should take it.
            Lastly I chose an article on Tom Bombadil, the most interesting character in the book as of yet. He is an enigma and no one knows who or what he is. He is as old as the dirt but full of energy.

Brian M. Kessler: Tolkien and the Wars, 7 December 1998. Brian Kessler’s Home Page. Accessed 8 October 2002.
URL: http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/naked/132/tolktoc.html

            This website is a compilation of the differences in opinion many people have concerning the influence of war on J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. I like this website a great deal. It documents sources’ opinions as well as the reasoning behind their opinions. The website is also laid out extremely well. I was also very impressed with the bibliographies many entries. The most interesting component of Brian’s essay was the coloration of different people’s quotes. The addition of color to the words makes this website very easy to read and use in research.

Karyn Milos: Too Deeply Hurt, 1998. The Writings of Karyn Milos. Accessed 8 October 2002.
URL: http://home.mn.rr.com/karynmilos/essays/toodeeplyhurt.html

            This is a great article explaining the reasons Frodo left Middle Earth at the end of the Lord of the Rings. I like it because it takes into account the peril Frodo went through to complete his mission. I don’t blame Frodo for wanting to leave and get away from it all. Karyn’s bibliography is extensive, including three publications from Tolkien himself. She can’t go wrong quoting the master of Middle Earth. I also like her layout of this page the dark blue background and the yellow stars make it appealing to my eyes. This article was also published in The Tolkien Society’s journal, issue 36.

Eugene C. Hargrove: Who is Tom Bombadil?, 2 September 1996. University of North Texas. Accessed 8 October 2002.
URL: http://www.phil.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html

            This website is my favorite. Who doesn’t like Tom Bombadil? He is a carefree soul who lives in the forest. Something like the people who live in Central Oregon. The only thing I do not like about this website is the background color makes it very hard to read. The website does have a link to a white background essay, but is disconnected. Fanatics of Tom Bombadil will love the extensive links it has to other information concerning this unique creature.

Kyle Heinze
Eng 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

Middle Earth is a Gold Mine

            J. R. R. Tolkien wouldn’t have believed it if you’d told him. Before it’s initial publication in the mid 1950’s, the author of the epic, The Lord of the Rings, was quoted as saying, “I sincerely doubt it (the novel) will be able to make any money for the publisher, let alone the author,” as well as, “I now wonder whether anyone, beyond my friends, would read anything so long.”

            Now in the year 2002, Tolkien’s doubtful words about his masterpiece seem nearly laughable; equivalent to Decca Records not signing the Beatles because “guitar bands are going out of style.”   A walk through an American mall would be enough to convince anyone of Tolkien’s misjudgment. The Lord of the Rings has not only made scores of money for the publisher and the author (or his heirs), but also for New Line Cinema (the studio that has filmed and is currently releasing the new, book-based movies directed by Peter Jackson with a $270 million dollar budget), video game producers, clothing companies, poster designers, and the makers of pretty much anything else that can have the words “One Ring to rule them all” emblazoned across it and sold. In fact, with the recent release of The Fellowship of the Ring and the upcoming releases of The Two Towers and The Return of the King in theaters everywhere, you can’t throw a cat these days and not hit a piece of Middle Earth merchandise.

            In a recent, very simple Internet search delving into the commercial aspect of Lord of the Rings (hereafter referred to as LOTR) as generated by the release of the new movies, I uncovered three great web sites that do a great job of showing how far the impact of Elves and Dwarves and Hobbits and Wizards has gone in the American economy.

Lord of the Rings. The Official Lord of the Rings Movie website. New Line Cinema Productions Inc, The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under lisence to New Line Productions 2002. Accessed 8 October 2002.
URL: http://www.lordoftherings.net

Basically, New Line Cinema’s official LOTR movie website is one big money making movie promotion. Its main features seem to be the sale of the recently released LOTR: the Fellowship of the Ring DVD, its soundtrack, and also the recent LOTR video games available on nearly all of the modern gaming systems. It also serves heavily as an ongoing promotion for LOTR: The Two Towers, offering news updates and screenshots: just enough to arouse any fan’s appetite without satisfying it.   Aside from those main functions, this site features downloadable movie trailers, screensavers, and desktops bearing the LOTR logo. Fans can also read interviews with director Peter Jackson concerning The Two Towers, and read along as Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo, describes what it’s like to be a Hobbit.

Official Lord of the Rings Online Store. New Line Cinema Studio Store. New Line Cinema, 2001. Accessed 8 October 2002.
URL: http://www.lotrshop.com

I do not believe that you have witnessed true entrepreneurship until you have visited this website. The official LOTR online shop offers everything having to do with Middle Earth. When I say “everything,” what I mean is that this site will sell you Halloween costumes, DVDs and videos, mugs, glassware, posters, prints, clothing, clothing accessories, water globes, picture frames, books, maps, calendars, stationary goods, toys, and games (including a customized LOTR chess set). The crowning glory of this entire commercial endeavor is, I believe, the fact that at this site you can purchase the One Ring. Yes, Isuldur’s Bane (the Ring of Power) comes complete with ancient Elvish writing around the outside (“One Ring to rule them all”) and a certificate of authenticity. It is even forged from 14 karat gold, making this the quintessential gift to any LOTR fanatic.

Hopper, Timothy. Lord of the Rings Action Figure Storybook. Fool of a Took: A Lord of the Rings Information Depot, 2001. Accessed October 2002.
URL: http://www.foolofatook.com

            I included the fan-operated website Foolofatook.com (“Fool of a Took” is what Gandalf calls Perigrin Took in a moment of anger) because, although it is not a direct effort by anybody to sell anything, it’s contents go a long way to show how popular much of this new LOTR merchandise has become with old Tolkien fans. I say that because of the following: Timothy Hopper, owner of Foolofatook.com, has taken the time and energy out of his life to not only purchase every LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring action figure, but to recreate the movie Fellowship of the Ring using those action figures in a long series of still shots, organized in a chapter-by-chapter story-book method. In short this page shows anyone who views it exactly what kind of a dedicated LOTR fan-base there really is out there. With this kind of backing, the future movies and merchandise should have no problem making money.

Eric Ozrelic
Eng 104, Prof. Cora Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
10/7/2002

In deciding my topic I spent a good deal of time going over what I knew about Tolkien, his books, the various renditions of his book that have been made into movies, and I found that of things in the Tolkien universe, I knew very little about the man himself. I thought it would be interesting for myself, and others if I found some good resources for bibliographical information about him. Along the way I also hoped to learn more about him and how events in his life may have shaped how his books turned out. Why was he so driven to invent an entire world, all the way down to different languages and cultures? Who was he writing these works for, and how did he feel society accepted them?

Due to time restraints I had to limit my resources to purely those located on the World Wide Web. I would have liked to have done some research at the library downtown, or at COCC but I simply didn’t have the time. However I don’t think that this limited my search in any way. The resources I found on the web were very satisfying and provided a wealth of detail about my topic. It’s really quite amazing what can be found on the web with a little research.

Going over Tolkien’s life from various points of view from different sources, one thing was made abundantly clear; Tolkien had a pretty tough life, more so during his earlier years. Between having your mom die at the age of 12, living in a foster home and orphanage, then going off to war and getting trench fever; I’m amazed that he was able to have the drive to accomplish what he’s done. Even though all these things happened to him, he fell in love and was married, became a fixture at Oxford University, and wrote (after quite some time) the books we know today.

And finally without further a due, my critical review of sources:

Who Was Tolkien? A brief biography of his life and works from The Tolkien Society website. Accessed 7 September 2002 URL: http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/bio_frame.html

This web site includes a wealth of resources on Tolkien and his works. The link listed shows a brief biography of his life and works. This is a good source if you want a quick and dirty overview of Tolkien’s life. The site is well organized and allows for the reader to visit many parts of the site, and links outside of the site very easily. They list a short, but concise overview of his life. If you want more in-depth information views on any part of his life you had best look elsewhere. They conveniently provide links and information to more in-depth sources however. There are no pictures, sound bites, or any sort of media.

After reviewing the materials, I found myself wandering to other parts of the site where I stumbled on to an off-topic, but very interesting piece on Tom Bombadil. The author of this FAQ on the site gives a brief overview of Tom, which I have cited here:

Who was Tom Bombadil? A brief overview of Tom, and some resources to find out more information from The Tolkien Society website. Accessed 7 September 2002 URL: http://www.tolkiensociety.org/faq01.html#bombadil

Here’s a very interesting excerpt from the article: “Tom isn't affected by the ring, but it seems that the reason for this is because he has no desire, even in the depth of his heart, for the power that the ring offers. Maybe Tom is just "more hobbit-like than the Hobbits". Perhaps, if he were left with it long enough, and put into danger, even Tom might begin to feel its pull. But it has also been suggested that Tom's relationship with the world is like that of Adam, the first Man in Judeo-Christian theology, who lived as master of other created things, but in harmony with them, not in domination. Tom never bosses anything around unless it is getting someone else into trouble (and they ask for help). It may be that he is so far beyond temptation because, even if he felt the pull of the ring, he might have an inner reason to reject it that is deeper than we can understand.”

Tolkien’s Warwickshire: An illustrated Biography of JRR Tolkien. A visually oriented biography of Tolkien, along with other interesting facts and pictures. Accessed 7 September 2002 URL: http://home.freeuk.com/webbuk2/tolkien-biography.htm

This site contains a wealth of pictures in relation to Tolkien and his books. It includes information on all major aspects of Tolkien’s life, and goes in depth on some aspects more then others like detailing all the locations (pictures included) that Tolkien has lived. It includes a ‘significant dates’ section at the bottom for quick reference, and also includes several links to other sites including the ‘middle earth web ring’ that this site is a part of. There is a bit of non-biographical information listed on this site which detracted from the flow of the biography.

I was really impressed by the amount of pictures and images on this web site. It really gives you a feeling for how Tolkien got some of his ideas for his books, and also where he liked to live. The countryside in several of the places he’s lived look very similar to where I imagine a Hobbit might live.

A picture of a hobbit home



There’s also some very interesting photos of what the Barrow Downs might have looked like in real life. This site does NOT go really in-depth on Tolkien’s life, probably less than the previous site.

A picture of the Warwickshire’s Barrow Downs

RedBookofWestmarch. J.R.R. Tolkien biography: Tolkien bratt morgan bloemfontein christophy. A year-by-year breakdown of Tolkien’s life. Accessed 7 September 2002 URL: http://www.geocities.com/redbookofwestmarch/bio.htm

[Biography: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (* 03-01-1892 / † 02-09-1973). RedBookofWestmarch, 2001-2002.]

Provides a year-by-year breakdown of Tolkien’s life including all major, and some minor events. Includes some small but relevant images. Only covers information up to his death in 1973, carries very little post-mortem information. Provides few links to relevant information, and only uses 2 bibliographical sources.

This site isn’t the best when it comes to links, media, or views on why Tolkien did certain things; however I did like it because it gave a straightforward, no frills view of his life from start to finish. This would be excellent for someone who wants to make a test based on what happened in Tolkien’s life. However dryly it may be presented, it was a good way to find factual information on Tolkien.

Jennifer Stewart
ENG 104 – Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

CRITICAL REVIEW OF SOURCES

The outside sources I have selected for my Critical Review focus on J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, both film and novel. I was interested in learning more about Tolkien, the history of The Lord of the Rings, and the interpretations others have of the novel. I have chosen to review one book, one magazine article and one newspaper article. I obtained all of my outside sources from the Deschutes County Library. I found the magazine article through a search of the Biography Resource Center database and the newspaper article through a newspaper database. All of my sources are current and were produced less than one year ago. Upon completing this project I have gained a better understanding of the characters, insight into how others interpret the novel, the religious similarity and the way the novel has mirrored the world for so many generations.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Dudek, Duane. “Epic Fantasy Echoes Today’s Clash between Good and Evil.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 17December2001.

The parallelism between the current war on terrorism and The Lord of the Rings are the beginning focus of this article. Dudek suggests that The Lord of the Rings is a metaphorical expression of good versus evil and that many people have been able to relate to the book. This article also gives insight into the hard work and dedication given by all of those involved in the production of the film. It explains how the film cam to be and Peter Jackson’s role as director. The Tolkien illustrator was used to create the Middle-Earth environments. An Elvish language guide was developed to ensure the actors had correct pronunciations of the language. The entire trilogy was filmed in New Zealand during an 18-month shoot. Two of the main actors in the film provide their interpretations of the novel and it’s relation to the world today. Ian McKellan, who plays Gandalf in the film, refers to The Lord of the Rings as his “bible” and he even carried a copy of the novel in the pocket of his costume on the set. A disadvantage to this article is the claim it makes that The Lord of the Rings was “greatly influenced by the horrors of World War II,” and as we discussed in class this was not the case. I do feel this is a valuable source for those interested in learning more about the making of the film and those involved in the process. It also allows one to see the relationship between the novel and the world today with it’s depiction of good versus evil.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Miller, John J. “The Truth Beyond Memory. (J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings).” National Review 31December2001: 43.

The author of this article proposes that The Fellowship of the Ring film is a “welcome diversion” from the happening of the last year. On the contrary he claims that the novel envelops the reader and sheds light on the “most fundamental concerns of this world: the nature of evil, the lure of power, and the duty of courage.” Miller recognizes Tolkien for his accomplishments other than his novels. Miller has obviously conducted thorough research on Tolkien and seems to understand him and the drive that helped produce The Lord of the Rings. The author also concentrates on the religious components that exist in the novel, furnishing convincing examples. Although Miller agrees that The Lord of the Rings is “wonderful and well-written,” he claims that the full value can only be obtained when one can recognize “what lies behind the book.” The author of this article appears to be very knowledgeable and his perception of the novel is supported by quotes and facts. This is a beneficial source that increases the interest in discovering the underlying concepts in the novel.

BOOK

Stanton, Michael N. Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards. New York: Palgrave, 2001.

Michael Stanton has been an English Literature Professor at the University of Vermont since 1971. Stanton’s stated intention for his book is “to make clear what reader’s of Tolkien’s tale would want made clear for their greater enjoyment.” He provides a glimpse into who Tolkien was and what elements were involved in the creation of The Lord of the Rings. In Part I there is a chapter devoted to each book of The Lord of the Rings. These chapters provide a detailed summary with in-depth descriptions of the characters, settings and themes. Part II focuses on the several types of races in The Lord of the Rings. Stanton explains the history, characteristics, and terminology associated with each race. A strength of this source is the creditability of the author who has taught and studied Tolkien for over twenty five years. The explanations of the moral themes presented in The Lord of the Rings are very helpful. This is an excellent source; it is very detailed and answers many of the questions that may arise while reading The Lord of the Rings.

Ruzha Todorova
ENG 104 – Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

Noel, Ruth S. The Languages of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980.
         The Languages of Tolkien’s Middle Earth is the book on all of Tolkien's invented languages, spoken by hobbits, elves, dwarves, and men of Middle-earth. It consists of a dictionary of fourteen languages, an English-Elvish glossary, all the runes and alphabets, and material on Tolkien, the linguist. This is a very informative book about the languages Tolkien created. Ruth S. Noel has compiled a lot of knowledge for the serious reader who is interested in learning syntax, grammar, and vocabulary in an easy to understand format. She translates key lines and passages, and also provides hypothetical roots for some of the words. The book is very well thought out, allowing the reader to put words together and translate writing from English into Quenya and Sindarin. This book of knowledge of the languages of Middle Earth is like a tale in itself. It includes dwarvish, hobbitish, and even elvish. It shows you how to speak and write them as well as provides countless dictionaries. As the book explains, the languages of Middle Earth are consistent, reasoned, coherent and follow the laws and principles of academic philology. In fact the speech of the Rohirrim is a variant on old English, and the Dwarvish runes, at least in part, are traditional Icelandic runes. The Elvish languages are the most completely original. They seem to be just as difficult to learn as any other real life language. It will require a dedicated reader to examine and understand all the details and essentials of Elvish speech. This is an excellent book for those who want to go much more in depth in the world of J. R. R. Tolkien. The languages are very remarkable and captivating. The more you read, the more fascinated you are.

Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977.
         Humphrey Carpenter was given unrestricted access to all Tolkien's papers, and interviewed his friends and family. From these sources he follows the long process of creation that produced The Lord Of The Rings. He also offers a lot of information about the life and work of the twentieth century's most cherished author. Carpenter does a wonderful job of detailing Tolkien's obscure yet often quite pedestrian life, from his birth in South Africa, through the early death of his parents, his life at Oxford and his attempts to struggle with unexpected fame in his latter years. Carpenter is really informative in showing us some of the sources of Tolkien's inspiration – his sincere Catholicism, his love of the English countryside, and especially his deep fascination with words and languages. Within all this, the world of Middle Earth seems to appear as a necessary world for all these languages that Tolkien created. The book contains several photographs of Tolkien, which helps us picture the man behind the myth. Carpenter informs us about Tolkien’s life, but he does not provide any interpretation or evaluation of his works. This might be disappointing for some readers since there are many questions about the great books that they want answered. This book is a good starting point in understanding Tolkien's personal history, but readers wanting more insights into Tolkien's writing will need to find additional sources. I enjoyed all the information on Tolkien’s life, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the man J. R. R. Tolkien.

Shippey, Tom A. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.
         According to Tom Shippey, a recognized medievalist and scholar of fantasy, Tolkien's popularity and critical appeal owe much to his deep fascination with linguistics and philology. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century is a captivating study of Tolkien’s works, and it focuses in particular on three of them – The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. The essence of the book consists of three chapters that examine The Lord of the Rings as a linguistic and cultural map, and as a response to the meaning of myth. Shippey presents a unique argument to explain the nature of evil and gives readers a convincing insight into the complicated development of the many aspects of Tolkien’s story. Other chapters of the book examine The Hobbit, explaining the hobbits' outdated relationship to the heroic world of Middle-earth, and show how important The Silmarillion is to Tolkien's standards. Shippey provides a wonderful exploration of Tolkien's themes, especially the nature of evil, power, religion, allegory, style and genre. By the end, he has convincingly established that even though many others try to imitate Tolkien, he remains unique and continues to fascinate the reader. Shippey offers a distinctive and informative reading of the books that introduced the imaginary world of Middle-earth. This book is extremely enjoyable, but it is not a light reading. This is a book for those who are interested especially in etymology and literary criticism on Tolkien’s works.

Sheena Van Landuyt
ENG 104 – Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

CRITICAL REVIEW OF SOURCES: LORD OF THE RINGS

            Lord of the Rings is a fascinating book that captures imagination and deep thought. For that reason I decided to only look for sources that were in depth regarding the areas of interest to me in Lord of the Rings. My sources cover many aspects of the book that are extremely important. Covered in my sources are selected information about J. R. R. Tolkien himself, the areas covered in the book by maps and information and of course a book that helps to break down what is happening within the pages. These sources combined would give any reader the information needed to enjoy and understand Lord of the Rings better.

Fonstad, Karen W. The Atlas of Middle Earth. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991.

            This book by Karen Fonstad is almost like a road atlas. If one needed to find their way from Bree to Mountain Doom this would be the reference to use. This particular reference has wonderful maps and layouts for the reader to observe. Every picture is in color and includes a key; many of the pictures include important aspects of the area, for example, climate and populations. There is also what is referred to as a “pathway table” which includes the dates in which the fellowship started, hours traveled, total mileage, miles per hour traveled, comments, such as evening march and the campsite at which they stayed. Within the atlas there is a map showing the pathways taken by the fellowship as well as alternative routes that were not ventured. The layout helps to show where landforms are in relation to one another. This book also is extremely unique due to the fact that it not only shows the layout of the land but also the layout of towns and buildings. There is a complete picture of the Prancing Pony at Bree including where the stables were and where the inn was in relation.

            This book is an excellent source. I was tempted to buy it for myself. It is terribly interesting to see the layout of buildings and landforms and then be able to compare their vision to the one formed already as each reader reads the book. The maps are critically brilliant and help explain both history and mythology involved in Lord of the Ring. I would use this as a source for many research assignments on a similar topic because it has good information, nice illustrations as well as maps.

Shippey, Tom. Author of the Century. Great Britain: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000.

This reference by Tom Shippey is a sort of tribute to J. R. R. Tolkien and his writing. This book went almost from chapter to chapter explaining points and the book and why those points were significant. It also used allegory and application making it very easy to understand parts of the book that could have been confusing. Author of the Century also goes into detail about the mythic dimensions and about mapping out the plot. Included is what is referred to as positive forces, those forces that drive Frodo and make him successful, such as luck and courage. This book could almost be bias because the author is fond of Tolkien’s work, however there is criticism of the book in the back to counter any bias included within the pages.

            This is another source that I found very interesting. The way that each plot was laid out and explained made it so easy to read and understand. Also the interpretations made the book so interesting to see how two readers interpret the same passage completely different. I thought the author’s voice was very clear in this book and it was an extremely good idea to include other author criticism of Tolkien’s work. I thought this book was profoundly helpful and insightful I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing more about Lord of the Ring.

Grotta, Daniel. Architect of Middle Earth. Pennsylvania: Running Press, 1992.

            This reference was a little different than any of the other references I chose to use in my paper. This source went into great detail about the author J. R. R. Tolkien. Some of the chapter titles included Young Lad, Exhibitioner, Soldier, Scholar, Professor, Mythmaker and Author. In each of these chapters the author went into vast detail about each one of these aspects of Tolkien’s life. It explained his point of view and how he incorporated some his own life experience into his books. It also helped to explain how hard a critic he was on himself and what a major role imagination played in this life as well as his work.

            I found this reference very interesting. It helped to put a face with the name. Tolkien became a person who had a remarkably intriguing life. The book helps to empathize his fascination with imagination and how that played a reoccurring role throughout his books. I thought this book was intensely interesting because it went form Tolkien as a young boy through the different stages of his life including being a soldier and professor, this helped to make him more than simply a writer. That aspect of the book also assisted in understand his writing a little better also, especially since it went into great detail about every aspect of his life.

Nicki Zink
Eng 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

Critical Review of Sources & Seminar #2

   I decided to do research on the history of J. R. R. Tolkien in his personal and professional life. I chose to locate sources for research on the Internet. I found some great web sites that contain anything from biographies to pictures of the author. I have learned that some take much time and effort in finding information to post on their web site and some need to do a little more research to come up with anything valuable.

The Tolkien Network. Copyright 2000. Accessed 8 October 2002

http://www.planet-tolkien.com

   Planet-tolkien.com (cleverly subtitled “One Site To Rule Them All”) is an easy-to-use site that not only offers plentiful information on Tolkien’s works but also on the history of the man himself. In a World Wide Web full of the phrase, “Want to know more? Buy this!” it was refreshing to come across some useful information.

   In my entire search, this site had the best biography of J. R. R. Tolkien. My goal, obviously, is to learn more about the history of the famous author, and on most web sites it was necessary to buy a book in order to get any information. I was glad to have finally come across some actual history. The site gives a background to Tolkien’s personal life, from his wife and kids to the clubs he belonged to. There are some great pictures of Tolkien to browse and even some poems to check out. It also included an entire works list by Tolkien. This site is very valuable when researching the background of Tolkien.

J. R. R. Tolkien Interview January 1971. Interviewer Dennis Gerrolt. BBC Radio 4 Programme, 1971. Accessed 8 October 2002

URL: village.vossnet.co.uk/h/hpttrsn/jrrt_int.htm

   This was an interview of J. R. R. Tolkien conducted in 1971 by Dennis Gerrolt. It is possible to download the actual sound interview, although the written version immediately follows this option. Gerrolt starts out by asking questions about his works, mostly about the Hobbits. He moves on to ask about a bit of Tolkien’s personal life, them moves right back into his literary works (what they mean or represent).

   I enjoyed reading this interview for the pure fact that it was coming from Tolkien himself. There was no third party to interpret the thoughts, actions, or works of the author. What I could gather from the interview is that even though Tolkien is often viewed as a genius of some sort, he is actually a very simple man. At times, he even seems to joke around.

   I liked the site itself in that it was set apart from many other sites by one thing: No advertisements for merchandise or anything of the like to the movie.

The J. R. R. Tolkien Information Page.   Eric Lippert, University of Waterloo, 1996. Accessed 7 October 2002.
URL: http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/relipper/tolkien/rootpage.html

This is a website still in the making consisting of “all things Tolkien.” This site was conceived by Eric Lippert, a graduate at University of Waterloo in 1996. Eric’s goal, as he states on his homepage, is “to provide one-stop-shopping for all of the Tolkien information available on the Internet.” This site is extremely useful when researching information on J. R. R. Tolkien. It provides links not only to WWW pages and Articles, but also to many individual’s pages.

This website was easy to use because all of the links are available on the homepage, so searching is very minimal. As I tried to search through the Individual’s pages, most would come up “Page not found.” It was usually because the pages did not exist anymore, so I wondered how often the site is updated. This was the biggest drawback of the site. This web site would be useful in my research because it contains links to many things on the web about Tolkien. This would be the first place I’d go to when doing research on Tolkien.

Anonymous 1
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

            While searching the Internet for a list of possible reviews regarding The Fellowship of the Ring, one is literally overwhelmed with information. So in that regards picking three suitable reviews on the topic were a bit audacious. Considering this, I picked three separate reviews. Each of these reviews was based on a different aspect of Fellowship.

            My first review is about the Author J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings. The second, a film review from the original theatrical release of the movie. Finally a third review which takes a look at the novel itself. By looking at these reviews perhaps we can better understand why there is such a great degree of hype with the release of this theatrical interpretation of The Lord of the Rings.

Review Source #1)
WEBSITE: http://gollum.usask.ca/tolkien/era2.html
(The Tolkien Timeline)
The Timeline of J.R.R Tolkien
Copyright 1995-2002 Darryl Friesen

[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
Friesen, Darryl. The Tolkien Timeline. 1995-2002. [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://gollum.usask.ca/tolkien/

This website proved to be very simple and extremely informative at the same time. It details Tolkien’s life, and when he began/finished writing his various novels that were published. The website is constructed in a very simple graphical chronology stating which year which event happened. I feel this is extremely useful to someone who would need to find information quickly regarding Tolkien, without a great amount of time to spend looking for it (College Students anyone?).

Review Source #2)
A film review of Peter Jackson’s theatrical interpretation of Lord of The Rings
WEBSITE: http://tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=42295
TV Guides official website

[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
McDonagh, Maitland. "Ring of Fire." Rev. of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, dir. Peter Jackson, 2001. TV Guide Online: Movie Reviews: CineBooks Database. TV Guide Magazine Group, Inc., 2002.   [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=42295

This particular website is a very well renowned and critically acclaimed for giving both detailed and accurate reviews of films. It also takes a very non-biased approach to evaluating The Lord of the Rings. This particular reviewer points out what he both liked and disliked in the movie. Particularly how Peter Jackson does a wonderful job of drawing in the audience to understanding the movie well. Still the reviewer also points out that some aspects may be a bit hard to follow for those new to the fantasy/mythology side of filmmaking.

Photo Credits: New Line Cinema
Copyright © 2002 TV Guide Magazine Group, Inc

Review Source #3)
WEBSITE: http://www.mouthshut.com/readreview/6122-1.html
© 2000-2002 MouthShut.com, Inc

[Cora's Revision of bibliographical entry:]
Angus [web pseud.] "All the Rings Together." Rev. of The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien. Mouthshut.com [Bombay, India], 2000-2002.   [Accessed] 10 Oct. 2002.
URL: http://www.mouthshut.com/readreview/6122-1.html

            This review was really excellent in my mind for it addressed something that many avid readers share about translating a book to the “big screen”. How much is truly lost when we are forced to take away from our imagination? By forcing a fixed image into the minds eye are we destroying our creative spirit? The reviewer briefly touches up on this, and then goes to explain why he liked the novel Fellowship of the Ring. A very interesting read which I recommend to all fans of both the movie and book alike.

            So, in conclusion I hope these reviews help to elaborate your understanding of the Lord of the Rings to any extent you feel necessary. All the links provided can be easily cut and paste into a web browser.

Anonymous 2
ENG 104 Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

The web sites I found explained about the novel Fellowship of the Rings, the movie and about Christopher Tolkien. Most of them first told about J.R.R. Tolkien’s life in a bibliographical form and then had various other links to go to like novels, characters, awards, clubs and such things like that. I found these sites easily in my research due to Tolkien’s wide popularity and also due to Peter Jackson’s movie, which brought a lot of attention to Tolkien and his works. I visited Yahoo, Dogpile, Google and AOL to look up Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien, all of the search engines brought-up similar or identical links and there were more links than I had imagined. How I decided which search engines to explore was by the descriptions that they gave next to the link. If they sounded interesting then I looked around a little bit and decided if the site interested me or not.

Before I started my research I didn’t realize that J.R.R. Tolkien’s son, Christopher, was an author as well and a very good one at that. It was interesting to see that he also published books about Middle Earth and about his father’s teachings. One interesting site linked me to all of the songs from the novel and you could click on whichever one you wanted to read or print-off. By reading about the various species/races of characters in the novel I was able to better understand who the characters were and if they were good or evil because sometimes I got confused while reading between one character and the next. I was pleased to do some research because it made the novel more understandable by learning about the author’s background and inspirations. I like to know what I am reading and what kind of person it was who put these words on the paper, I think that Tolkien was a good person and a brilliant man, especially for his generation.

“Tolkien’s Son Denies Rift.” BBC News. 7 October 2001. 5 October 2002 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/film/1697884.stm>.

Christopher Tolkien did not like the fact that Peter Jackson filmed his father’s novel because he feels that it does not justify the complexity of the novel. He doesn’t hate the movie, but he is uncertain about their ability to translate J.R.R.’s works.

This news article is very helpful to see the families’ side of the movie making process. It shows that the success of the movie effects many different people and not all those effects are positive. The drawback is that it is short and to the point so you can’t really get any insight except for what it comes out and tells you. I would recommend reading it to clear up any misconceptions you may have about Christopher’s feelings about Jackson’s movie.

This page is credible because it is copyrighted and can’t be reproduced under any circumstances. It is world news and the editor claims any and all responsibility for the articles that his 100 plus employees write. I found this information in the FAQ section because I was concerned with where the information came from. I am confident that it is reliable and if I have any concerns I can e-mail the editor directly. This site is good because everything is archived from the inception of the company, therefore anything you read from them will always be there to go back and find later.

“Peter Jackson: King of the Rings.” BBC News. 7 December 2001. 5 October 2002 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/entertainment/2002/oscars_2002/1697355.stm>.

This article states that the filming of the movie Fellowship of the Rings was in New Zealand because there was more money available for the filming than in the U.S. All the special effects were done at Jackson’s studio in Wellington and saved them tons of money. It gives a background about Peter Jackson and his significant other Fran Walsh and their production of several small movies previously.

This article was interesting because it told of Jackson’s background as a director and his past experience. I didn’t know before hand that the movie was filmed in New Zealand and that they made lots of money on the film due to the lower cost of filming by doing a lot himself.

This site is from the same location as the previously listed bibliography and my reasons still stand firm that the site is credible due to it’s editor’s promise, the copyright, archives and because it gathers news and information from around the world.

Lippert, Eric. The JRR Tolkien Information Page. 1997. 7 Oct., 2002 <http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/relipper/tolkien/rootpage.html>.

This page is an informative site as the title demonstrates. There are links to newsgroups, chat rooms, games, graphics and related links to Tolkien. There is also family tree information and various languages that are published for non-English speaking people.

This site was wonderfully informative and it provided information for anyone who was interested in Tolkien and his works. I had never seen games about the novel before or the family tree of the characters like Hobbits, Elves and such.

The only drawback to this site was that one person wrote the whole site and gathered his information from others and himself so you don’t know if it is credible or not. I don’t question the credibility too much because there are other official web links that you can click on during his writings to back-up what he is saying and publishing. There is also a personal goal statement at the introduction of the site which ensures its readers that the site is factual and well written.

Rutherford, Wendy. The Grey Havens. 1996-2002. October 5, 2002 <http://tolkien.cro.net/>.

This was my favorite source to research because it had links to all aspects of the novel. Here are a few: middle earth, balrogs, dwarves, elves, hobbits, humans, orcs, else, songs and tales, rings, Tolkien, pictures, etc. You can view pictures of Tolkien and of Peter Jackson’s movie or ask questions about the novel. All of the links provide brief descriptions of their subject and who the author is.

This link is wonderful at explaining the plot, setting and characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel and I would recommend it to all Tolkien fans, especially the newcomers. The only drawback I can think of is that the descriptions are brief and for the experienced Tolkien fans it would be too simple and not in-depth enough.

As far as credibility goes I wasn’t sure who Cirdan was or whom the web site was affiliated with until I looked around and found that it is associated with Amazon.com. It was updated recently so I know that it is well kept and current. Amazon.com is a very reputable site for purchasing books and I thought that this added to the credibility of this site. There are other authors listed at the bottom of each page that are credited with helping with the production of this site.

Tolkien Enterprises. 1998. 7 October 2002 <http://www.tolkien-ent.com/new/>.

This site also further develops the characters, places and background of Tolkien and his novel. The home page describes their credibility and where they get their information so you can check it out as well. It is produces by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. because there are games that you can download about the movie on this web site.

This site was my least favorite to search because it has little information and is small in comparison to the other sites I found due to its focus on games.

Anonymous 3
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
21 November 2002

J.R.R. Tolkien, born in 1892, was the noted author of the epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings, the first part of which is our current study, The Fellowship of the Ring. I was most interested in these three topics for my research because they give the most insight into Tolkien's life and his work. I found all of my sources on the Internet through Yahoo using the keyword "J.R.R. Tolkien" . I found that there were more sites on the life of Tolkien and his books, than on the movie The Lord of the Rings. This was interesting to me because I thought that the movie was more widely known and loved than the book. Through my sources I found out more about Tolkien as a person than I had known and it helped me to understand and relate more to the Fellowship of the Ring. These sites also helped me get different outlooks on the books that Tolkien has written and also on the movie adaptation. For example, the sites that included reviews of Tolkien’s work caused me to be more curious about his other works. I am now interested in reading more of his books beyond Fellowship of the Ring.

The Tolkien Society. England 2000. Accessed 8 October, 2002. URL: http://www.tolkiensociety.org.

This website is dedicated to further learning about J.R.R. Tolkien and his work. There are many links off of the main page that explore Tolkien, movie adaptations, frequently asked questions, and his books. Also, this site acts as an online store, selling books, cards, music, and movies. The Tolkien Society offers a membership where members receive six bulletins and one magazine per year. I would recommend this source for those who are looking for in-depth information on J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a good site for those looking for a biography and bibliography on Tolkien, since those are linked off of the main page. Most of the information about his books and the movie adaptation are not linked from the home page, which might be considered a drawback.

The Tolkien Forum. Accessed 8 October, 2002. URL: http://www.thetolkienforum.com.

This website is a free member-based site, although it is not required to be a member to access. It offers discussions on a number of different topics including "The works of J.R.R. Tolkien", "General Discussions", and "New Line Cinemas ‘LOTR’ Trilogy." Members may post their questions or comments about a specific topic, and get replies from other members of the site. If you are not a member you may only read others questions, comments, or opinions, and not respond to them. This is a very good source for someone to get a different outlook on a Tolkien book. Members may get their questions answered and get different outlooks about a specific topic. The only drawback to this site is that you must become a member and agree to the terms to post and respond to comments.

Featured: J.R.R. Tolkien. With news and reviews from the archives of the New York Times. Accessed 8 October, 2002. URL: http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/02/11/specials/tolkien.html.

This website offers reviews from a vast number of people regarding the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien. It gives readers different perspectives on Tolkien’s work and its impact. Also included on this website are articles specifically about J.R.R. Tolkien’s life and a poem written by him. I would recommend this site to anyone who would like to learn more about Tolkien’s personal life and the critical reviews of his books.

Anonymous 4
ENG 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
21 November 2002

            While reviewing articles on Cora Agatucci’s online reserved articles, I came upon three that I thought had interesting and valuable topics to discuss in this paper. The first one, by Hugh T. Keenan, discusses the aspects of the theme life versus death by comparisons on Frodo’s character to how the ring symbolizes evil. The second one I chose, Randel Helms “Frodo Anti-Faust: The Lord of the Rings as Contemporary Mythology”, explains how Lord of the Rings is not a Faustian myth. Finally, the last article gave me insight to answer the question “What other books and short stories did Tolkien create? As discussed, I have gain a lot of “outside” knowledge about J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings and his other literary works. The articles are found in condensed form on Cora Agatucci’s online-reserved articles, Http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng104/tolkien3.htm.

Review of Source #1

Bloom, Harold, ed. J R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Modern Critical Interpretations Series. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000.

Keenan, Hugh T. “The Appeal of the Lord of the Rings: A Struggle for Life.” {Originally published in Tolkein and the Critics: Essays on J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Ed. Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo. Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1968.} Rpt. In Bloom 3-15. Rpt. Cora’s Online Reserved Articles, http://cagatucci.classes/eng104/tolkien3.htm.

            Keegan’s main topic in this selection is the idea of a pre-existing theme of life versus death. Following are sub-topics and unfolded examples and explanations for his main topic.

            Frodo is said by Keegan to be a hero and to preserve life because of the journey and sacrifice Keenan takes in accomplishing goal of peace. “Frodo has the rabbit-like and child-like nature of a country hobbit….But as his journey’s toward Mordor; he loses some of his vitality”.   Frodo becomes more aware of his duty to save life itself around him and loses more of his emotional state.

            The ring is so tempting because of its power to “rule and achieve his chief desire”. The ring promises that it will grant one power to dominate and both Gandalf and Galadriel are both tempted by the Ring’s promises. Hugh suggests that this is in fact a Freudian theory applied; aggressiveness and desire for power and to rule is a Freudian death instinct.

            There is no evidence of a real nurturing environment in the Lord of the Rings and lacks mother to child attention. It is not until spring, as the novel time- span suggests, that women are child bearing. The season beginning in the novel is in autumn, Frodo’s difficult journey begins there, and the very worst happens in the winter, it is not until spring that Frodo and Sam are home again in the Shire.

            The ring represents a tool and mechanism man-made and Tolkein suggests this to be very suspicious. Trees are important to the Hobbits and regarded as a symbol of naturalness and fertility. The lake symbolizes a more evil synthetic thing.

            There are more themes in the novel but I can agree with the author in that Nurture versus nature, life versus death is the main theme. I never considered that life is symbolized by thing such as trees and death is symbolized by synthetic things….maybe only some such as the ring. Others are more helpful in Frodo’s quests such as the clothing on his back etc.

Review of Source #2

Helms, Randel. “Frodo Anti-Faust: The Lord or the Rings as Contemporary Mythology.” (Originally published in Tolkein’s World, by Randel Helms. 1974.) Rpt. In Bloom 37-49. Rpt. In Bloom 3-15. Rpt. Cora’s Online Reserved Articles, http://cagatucci.classes/eng104/tolkien3.htm.

The topics discussed in this source are that myth contains no real knowledge. Another is that Tolkein did not use his writing as a way to cope or symbolize World War I and the events in his life.

Tolkein proved, to Helms, that he has made a “supremely valuable contribution to the imaginative health of us all” in creating what is “the anti-Faustian myth” (p.4). Frodo symbolizes this anti-Faust hero and Sauron symbolizes the middle-earthly version of Satan. Helms also points out that even if “man wins this war, there will always be wars to fight.”

            The author definitely gave an abundant thought into the idea that The Lord of the Rings is anti-Faust meaning that the characters in the novel are fighting for a future good and peace all over. I have to agree with this because it Frodo is sacrificing his life for the freedom of all.

Source Review #3

Yates, Jessica. “J.R.R. Tolkien: Overview.” In Twentieth-Century Children’s Writers. 4^th ed. Ed. Laura Standly Berger, 1995. Rpt. Gate Literature Resource Center [Online Database]. The Gale Group, 2002. Rpt. Cora’s Online Reserved Articles, http://cagatucci.classes/eng104/tolkien3.htm.

            During World War I, Tolkien wrote The Silmarillion, the love story of a beautiful Elf-woman and a mortal man. It remained unpublished until 1977. Then the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings along with many children stories were produced for example, Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootton Major, and Mr. Bliss just to name a few.

            The Hobbit was described by Yates to be an “a comic and tragic tale, rich in magical adventure. It entails the trials that Bilbo, the hobbit undergoes and how he discovers “courage and maturity.”

            The Lord of the Rings is about Frodo, Bilbo’s nephew, and how he was forced with a terrible burden from a powerful and highly sought out ring. He is destined to destroy the ring that was given to him by Bilbo, by traveling in a journey across many foreign and dangerous lands. Moral choices are perceives but not necessarily made by all the characters.

            Unlike Tolkein’s earlier fictional stories, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a target at an adult audience rather than a children audience. The Lord of the Rings was published with many inconsistencies and The Silmarillion was still unpublished until almost the end of his career. The first five volumes of the History of Middle-earth associate with The Simarillion, which was the beginning of Lost Tales in 1917.

Yates considers that the growth and publicity in more recent year has developed a “Tolkien Cult” The Lord of the Rings has been the focus in more recent years and will be in years to come.

This article is a very good example of how Tolkien’s works came about; however, it lacked interest to me compared to the other two sources reviewed. I rather enjoyed the points of view that the authors made of the other two sources as valuable information because of the examples they used from the book and to justify their responses. This particular is very informative but very matter of fact and not valuable for me to understand the context Tolkien’s real achievements and that the work is itself. Not when and where they were published or how they were produced.

Anonymous 5
Eng 104, Prof. C. Agatucci
Critical Review of Sources
9 October 2002

INTRODUCTION

            Lord of the Rings is a novel that has caused much interest since its release. People read it or see the movie and wonder things like who is this person Tolkein, is his story supposed to be some sort of allegory, are they’re more to his fictional creatures than meets the eye, and what was his inspiration for this novel? In the web sites I have compiled for this project are the answers to these questions and many more. The search for these web sites was an exuaghsted one. I first “surfed” through many commercial search engines and was overwhelmed and excited with how much was available on this subject. After much more thorough observation of most sites I discovered the search would be harder than I thought. Many sites were filled with just cheap ads and pointless redundant information. However, a choice two were finally weeded out and a third selected from Agatucci’s archives. My biggest lesson from this project was learning to differentiate between irrelevant commercial sites and valid helpful ones. The following sites have helpful knowledgeable information about either Tolkein, Lord of the Rings and its characters, or both.

National Geographic: Beyond the Movie. National Geographic Society, 2001. Accessed October 7, 2002. URL: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

            This web site by National Geographic is a great introduction site to those whom aren’t too familiar with Tolkein and his works. The site briefly discusses his history and goes further in-depth to discuss things like myth, storytelling, and Tolkein’s love for languages and culture. The site leaves you with a good understanding of Tolkein’s background and where some of his inspirations for Lord of the Rings may have come. The downfall to this site is the fact that the movie is advertised to buy which seems to take away from the quality of the site. However, with great photos, information, and easy navigation I would recommend this site to the “less-informed”, like me.

Tolkein FAQ. Neils Olof Bouvin, 1994-1997. Accessed October 7, 2002. URL: http://www.daimi.aau.dk/~bouvin/tolkeinfaq.html

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

            For those looking for less pictures and more in-depth information this site is great. When the site is first accessed there is a large main menu to choose from. From Tolkein to Dwarves and Hobbits to translated works its all there. This main menu made the site easy to “surf” and therefore captures ones attention even longer. The most impressive thing about this web site was the extensive info on Tolkein himself. Things like where he was born, died, and what he did in his lifetime was included. The thorough information given about Tolkein’s creatures was very amusing as well. Things like “did elves have pointed ears?” and “did dwarf women have beards?” makes Tolkein’s vision more clear. For those who want more factual information this site is great.

The Road Goes Ever On and On. An On-line Collection of Quotes From Colin Dalziel. Accessed October 7, 2002. URL: http//www.coldal.org/quotes.htm

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

            For those wanting to “escape” into Tolkein’s world this site is just for that. The whole site is just full of great quotes from Lord of the Rings. Taking a look at these quotes away from the context of the book helps you to see the creativity in Tolkein’s word choice. On the site certain quotes are taken from the literature that describe some of Tolkein’s imaginary creatures. These descriptions away from their surrounding text help to make a better understanding of what the creature’s role in the novel is. For even more of an escape there is great sound clips the site to let you listen to the quotes you are reading. There is also a huge map of middle earth for an even better understanding of the literature. This site is great for those not looking to analyze and determine underlying meanings and allegories for Lord of the Rings. This site is for those who want to escape into the magic and fantasy of it all.

J. R. R. Tolkien & The Fellowship of the Ring,
being the first part of The Lord of the Rings (Novel & Film)
Tolkien Bibliography 1. Print Sources by & about Tolkien | 2. Web Sources & Online Articles
3. Sources Recommended by ENG 104 Students
Tolkien Fellowship Study Guides: 1. Prologue & Book One | 2. Book Two
Peter Jackson's Film Adaptation: Web Sources, Film Reviews & Related Articles
Fall 2002 Reviews of Sources: ENG 104 Students' Critical Reviews of Sources
for further study of Tolkien & The Lord of the Rings
Fall 2002 Critical Review of Sources assignment | Evaluation: Critical Review of Sources
ENG 104 Home

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I was really impressed by the amount of pictures and images on this web site. It really gives you a feeling for how Tolkien got some of his ideas for his books, and also where he liked to live. The countryside in several of the places he’s lived look very similar to where I imagine a Hobbit might live.
	A picture of a hobbit home

There’s also some very interesting photos of what the Barrow Downs might have looked like in real life. This site does NOT go really in-depth on Tolkien’s life, probably less than the previous site.
	A picture of the Warwickshire’s Barrow Downs

Fisher, Mark. The Encyclopedia of Arda. 9 October 2002<

http:// www.glyphweb.com/arda/

Critical Reviews

CRITICAL REVIEW OF SOURCES: LORD OF THE RINGS

Critical Review of Sources & Seminar #2

The J. R. R. Tolkien Information Page. Eric Lippert, University of Waterloo, 1996. Accessed 7 October 2002. URL: http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/relipper/tolkien/rootpage.html

Review of Source #1

Review of Source #2

INTRODUCTION

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

The J. R. R. Tolkien Information Page. Eric Lippert, University of Waterloo, 1996. Accessed 7 October 2002.
URL: http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/relipper/tolkien/rootpage.html