Scan barcode
dr_matthew_lloyd's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays is a curious beast, a collection assembled on account of the shared author, rather than necessarily shared themes. There are shared themes, revealing the prevailing interests of the author, but the essays are mostly rather different.
A key difficulty in the collection is that the lectures were delivered to academic audiences, who might have been presumed to be familiar with the on-going debates and the state of the subject at the time of delivery. As that time span covers a period from roughly a century ago to about seventy years ago, even the most up-to-date of these is long outdated. While I am no philologist, my familiarity with the study of the change in language (and, as an archaeologist, my own understanding of how change happens) makes me recognise elements that are no longer relevant to the study of language. Thus, those essays largely concerned with language - "On Translating Beowulf", "English and Welsh", "A Secret Vice" - are of interest largely to show how Tolkien thought about such things, although i found them often too technical to follow.
The essays concerned with literature, however, still maintain much that is of value. "The Monsters and the Critics" convinced me to reread Beowulf, a poem I don't like, on the enthusiasm with which Tolkien clearly adores it. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" enhanced my enjoyment of that poem, which I do like, and helped me to see further value in the characterisation and behaviour of Sir Gawain. "On Fairy Stories" contains much that is valuable on the writing of fantasy literature, and is, I would argue, essential reading to anyone hoping to follow in Tolkien's footsteps. From these essays, as well as those on language, we see how Tolkien's key interest in English was in beauty - not in understanding a metaphor, allegory, or symbols; but in the rhythm of the poetry, the sound of the words, how the emotions were stirred. Even where I do not agree with him, I appreciated what he had to say. (I principally read this collection because of Ursula K. Le Guin's references to "On Fairy Stories", which I felt deserved more elaboration from the author himself. While I ultimately find I like Le Guin's point-of-view more, these essays do enhance my respect for Tolkien.)
The Valedictory address is a strange thing to read. Many of the themes of the previous essays are elaborated upon, but the surface-level concern is with the organisation on the English degree at the University of Oxford seventy years ago. Unfortunately, I did not pay enough attention to the structure of the English course while I was studying Classics and archaeology, so I do not know if and how things have changed. Certainly this essay is of biographical interest, too. But it is a bizarre feature of an essay collection that will be primarily consumed by fans of The Lord of the Rings who want to go a bit deeper.
While "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is also included in Tolkien's translation of that poem, the other essays I enjoyed are not available elsewhere, as far as I know, and therefore I would say that this collection is valueable, if a little weird.
A key difficulty in the collection is that the lectures were delivered to academic audiences, who might have been presumed to be familiar with the on-going debates and the state of the subject at the time of delivery. As that time span covers a period from roughly a century ago to about seventy years ago, even the most up-to-date of these is long outdated. While I am no philologist, my familiarity with the study of the change in language (and, as an archaeologist, my own understanding of how change happens) makes me recognise elements that are no longer relevant to the study of language. Thus, those essays largely concerned with language - "On Translating Beowulf", "English and Welsh", "A Secret Vice" - are of interest largely to show how Tolkien thought about such things, although i found them often too technical to follow.
The essays concerned with literature, however, still maintain much that is of value. "The Monsters and the Critics" convinced me to reread Beowulf, a poem I don't like, on the enthusiasm with which Tolkien clearly adores it. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" enhanced my enjoyment of that poem, which I do like, and helped me to see further value in the characterisation and behaviour of Sir Gawain. "On Fairy Stories" contains much that is valuable on the writing of fantasy literature, and is, I would argue, essential reading to anyone hoping to follow in Tolkien's footsteps. From these essays, as well as those on language, we see how Tolkien's key interest in English was in beauty - not in understanding a metaphor, allegory, or symbols; but in the rhythm of the poetry, the sound of the words, how the emotions were stirred. Even where I do not agree with him, I appreciated what he had to say. (I principally read this collection because of Ursula K. Le Guin's references to "On Fairy Stories", which I felt deserved more elaboration from the author himself. While I ultimately find I like Le Guin's point-of-view more, these essays do enhance my respect for Tolkien.)
The Valedictory address is a strange thing to read. Many of the themes of the previous essays are elaborated upon, but the surface-level concern is with the organisation on the English degree at the University of Oxford seventy years ago. Unfortunately, I did not pay enough attention to the structure of the English course while I was studying Classics and archaeology, so I do not know if and how things have changed. Certainly this essay is of biographical interest, too. But it is a bizarre feature of an essay collection that will be primarily consumed by fans of The Lord of the Rings who want to go a bit deeper.
While "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is also included in Tolkien's translation of that poem, the other essays I enjoyed are not available elsewhere, as far as I know, and therefore I would say that this collection is valueable, if a little weird.
julicke95's review against another edition
5.0
Took me a long while to finish, but not for lack of interest or enjoyment. At first glance these essays seemed more or less unrelated to each other, but despite their different subject matters, they share some key ideas. The main one I took from them is Tolkien's belief, which I wholeheartedly share, that stories should be enjoyed for their own sake and not only studied for the sake of history. Someone who reads Beowulf for example only for the sake of identifying the bits of true history or story elements that can be traced through time is engaged in a noble pursuit, but is also missing the point of the story. To reiterate a metaphor Tolkien uses, that person is like someone who encounters a new building made from old material and who takes it apart to see where the stones came from. He says something more or less similar about languages as well, namely that language can be enjoyed and loved for its own sake and not just for the sake of study. Though some of the more strictly philological bits in the later essays were of little interest to me to the extent that I could even understand it, the overall message was well received.
And now I haven't even yet mentioned the brilliance of 'On Fairy Stories' as a defence of fantasy. I underlined so many parts of that essay, I might as well not have bothered. Here's just two quotes:
"When we can take green from grass, blue from heaven, and red from blood, we have already an enchanter's power - upon one plane; and the desire to wield that power in the world external to our mind awakes. It does not follow that we shall use that power well upon any plane. We may put a deadly green upon a man's face and produce a horror; we may make the rare and terrible blue moon to shine; or we may cause woods to spring with silver leaves and rams to wear fleeces of gold, and put hot fire into the belly of the cold worm. But in all such 'fantasy', as it is called, a new form is made; Faërie begins; Man becomes a sub-creator."
"Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker."
Amen to that!
And now I haven't even yet mentioned the brilliance of 'On Fairy Stories' as a defence of fantasy. I underlined so many parts of that essay, I might as well not have bothered. Here's just two quotes:
"When we can take green from grass, blue from heaven, and red from blood, we have already an enchanter's power - upon one plane; and the desire to wield that power in the world external to our mind awakes. It does not follow that we shall use that power well upon any plane. We may put a deadly green upon a man's face and produce a horror; we may make the rare and terrible blue moon to shine; or we may cause woods to spring with silver leaves and rams to wear fleeces of gold, and put hot fire into the belly of the cold worm. But in all such 'fantasy', as it is called, a new form is made; Faërie begins; Man becomes a sub-creator."
"Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker."
Amen to that!
jeremy's review against another edition
4.0
I read the essay on Sir Gawain, which I enjoyed. His reading seems essentially correct and helps make sense of some of the strangeness of Gawain's situation. I was struck by how much of his argument began with the author. It seemed necessary to prove that the author was capable of such a thing or that he was clever enough to intend it.
mariesreads's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really glad this is for book club, because I need to talk about these essays! I feel like a lot of it went totally over my head in a way that conversation with smarter friends will help with.
eeellex's review against another edition
3.0
talks about the monsters barely and doesn’t even talk about Grendel’s mother????