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Summary: Symbolism and philosophical foundations of Middle Earth
Review: Fans of Tolkien and Middle Earth who have more than a passing interest in the topic will relish Lord Of The Rings And Philosophy, a collaboratively compiled compendium by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson of seventeen young philosophers who examine the myth, symbolism and philosophical foundations of Middle Earth. Applications to everyday living provide a seasoned assessment of insights on good, evil, freedom and basic issues raised in the course of the Lord of the Rings. The lively tone makes Lord Of The Rings And Philosophy completely accessible to academic scholars and non-specialist general readers alike.
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Summary: A waste like Mordor
Review: Horrible book. This series only superficially mentions philosophy. It is a waste of money. For a better study of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth by Bradley Birzir is much better, though still not teriffic, as there is no great study on Tolkien in print yet.
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Summary: A waste like Mordor
Review: I'll admit that I haven't finished this book, but it's also worth noting that I don't intend to. The essays I've read so far were not very interesting (or, for that matter, very well-written), and I have little hope for the remaining ones. What I had hoped for was a book that would use Tolkien's Trilogy to illustrate philosophical themes. What I got was more like a bunch of writers reviewing the boks in question, and occasionally commenting on some "(not-so) deep meaning". It just got too boring after a while. I tried to stick with it. I really did. But sometimes the only way to preserve your sanity is to quit.
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Summary: Freshman term papers
Review: If I were a junior college lit instructor who gave the assignment, "Write a paper on the philosophical implications of The Lord of the Rings", and received these papers, I'd give most of them solid B's. They're diligently researched, competently written, and show that the authors have grasped the nature of the problems they discuss. But the authors aren't college freshmen, they're professors themselves. They shouldn't look like children next to the scholars in "Tolkien the Medievalist", "Tolkien's Legendarium", or "J.R.R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances", but they do. One expects them to do better than this, and to integrate their two subjects with subtlety instead of undergraduate bland awkwardness. One author who'd not get a B is Scott A. Davison, who completely messes up his summary of Tom Shippey's subtle but clear perspective on the nature of evil in Tolkien, as expressed in his "The Road to Middle-earth" and "J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century", thus unfairly making Shippey out to be an idiot.
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Summary: For Philosophers Only --well mainly
Review: If you don't have any interest in higher thinking, and just want to read something else that deals with the Lord of the Rings or thought that the picture on the cover looked cool. I suggest going over to the Fiction section in Amazon, this book is not for you.
For intellecutally minded people. This book will help getting you to see many different levels in what you read. The first essay takes Nietzsche and introduces UberHobbits...I really appricated seeing more serious types of philosophy being interegrated into the thought provoking literature that has come about in this day and age.
I also suggest the other Popular Culture and Philosophy series, for serious minded people. Having a basic understanding of Philosophy is helpful before picking these up. They do not spell out what the philosophical theories they are applying they are expecting you to know it already.
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Summary: I waited this long for this?
Review: the most disappointing so far in the 'popular culture and philosophy' series, these essays have little to do with either LotR or Philosophy in the traditional sense, instead attempting to cover everything from environmentalism to narrative structure. As a general format, the authors state their intentions to mold Tolkien's world to their own pet ideas and quote profusely while saying little that convinces. One of the essays even admits that the Buddist parallels it's spent the last few pages proposing are clearly "superficial" - why waste the print, then? Another oddity here is a collection of quotes by various noted philosophers that have nothing to do with either the themes in LotR, or, in many cases, the topics the essays address. Extremely discouraging.
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Summary: an interesting mix of viewpoints here
Review: These esssays make no attempt to ask challenging questions or provide stimulating answers.
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Summary: Lord of the Rings Philosophy: A great book for SERIOUS fans
Review: This book is definately a great book for people who have read the books and want a bit more. I recommend this book ONLY to people who have read the books. I got a friend of mine to start reading a bit of a certain chapter and she was completely bewildered. If you know enough to understand what they're talking about then this book is wonderfully enlightening. After reading the chapter about the elves, I felt a kinship with Galadriel that I had not felt before. This book is a great read that gives The Lord of the Rings much more meaning.
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Summary: Lord of the Rings Philosophy: A great book for SERIOUS fans
Review: This book is definately a great book for people who have read the books and want a bit more. I recommend this book ONLY to people who have read the books. I got a friend of mine to start reading a bit of a certain chapter and she was completely bewildered. If you know enough to understand what they're talking about then this book is wonderfully enlightening. After reading the chapter about the elves, I felt a kinship with Galadriel that I had not felt before. This book is a great read that gives The Lord of the Rings much more meaning.
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Summary: Superb
Review: This was an absolutly wonderful book. As a fan of Tolkien and his universe, I was joyfully bemused to find that there was a "Lord of the Rings for smart people", and this book has lived up to its montif.
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