The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien's Arda illustrates how he incorporated and built on aesthetics, ideals, and philosophies that were, during his lifetime, associated with the Romantics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien is a celebration of Romanticism's multiplicity, offering fresh perspectives on Tolkien's relationship with English, Scottish, German, transatlantic, musical and artistic Romanticisms, working in concert to open up our discussions of Tolkien's Romantic Spirit.

 

By embracing this approach, the volume avoids generalisations or vague definitions of Romanticism and the Romantic, paving the way for future scholarship that seeks to understand Tolkien's stylistic and thematic connections with Romanticism.

 

The contributions to this volume by Elliott Greene, Valentina P. Aparicio, Lynn-Forest Hill, Sharin Schroeder, Mariana Rios Maldonado, Verlyn Flieger, Chiara Bertioglo, Annise Rogers, David Smith, Kacie Wills, Christopher Hagen, Adam Neikirk, John R. Holmes, Austin Freeman, Brandon Wernette, Eva Lippold and Nick Groom by no means exhaust the discussion on Tolkien's Romanticism. Rather, they aim to ignite further exploration by embracing Romanticism's ever-growing cast of voices and spirits.