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{{short description|Scholarly work by Michael D. C. Drout}}
{{Infobox Book
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
| name = J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment
{{Infobox book
| title_orig =
| name = J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment
| translator =
| image = ] | image = J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia.jpg
| caption =
| image_caption = ''Cover of the first edition (no dust jacket)''
| author = ], editor | editor = ]
| illustrator = | country = United States
| cover_artist = | language = English
| country = ]
| language = ]
| series =
| subject = ] | subject = ]
| genre = ], ]s
| publisher = ] | publisher = ]
| release_date = 2006 | release_date = 2006
| english_release_date =
| media_type = Hardcover | media_type = Hardcover
| pages = 720 | pages = 720
| isbn = 978-0415969420 | isbn = 978-0415969420
| preceded_by = | dewey = 828/.91209 22
| congress = PR6039.O32 Z664 2007
| followed_by =
| oclc = 71004244
}} }}
The '''''J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia''''', subtitled ''Scholarship and Critical Assessment'', edited by ], was published by ] in 2006 (ISBN 978-0415969420). A team of 127 ] on 720 pages covers topics of Tolkien's fiction, his academic works, his intellectual and spiritual influences, and his ]. Co-editors were ] and ] (both Drout's co-editors also of '']''), Marjorie Burns and ]. The '''''J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment''''', edited by ], was published by ] in 2006. A team of 127 ] on 720 pages cover topics of Tolkien's fiction, his academic works, his intellectual and spiritual influences, and his ]. Co-editors were ], ] (both Drout's co-editors also of '']''), ] and ].<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007">{{Cite journal |last=Wickham-Crowley |first=Kelley M. |date=2007 |title=J.R R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (review)|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/content/crossref/journals/tolkien_studies/v004/4.1wickham-crowley.html |journal=] |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=266–278 |doi=10.1353/tks.2007.0033 |s2cid=146657926 |issn=1547-3163}}</ref><ref name="Carr 2011">{{Cite journal |last=Carr |first=Tracy |date=4 August 2011 |title=Sources: J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment |url=https://journals.ala.org/index.php/rusq/article/view/3058 |journal=Reference & User Services Quarterly |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=291–292 |doi=10.5860/rusq.47n3.291 |issn=1094-9054 |doi-access=free}}</ref>


The development of the encyclopedia was interrupted by ]'s takeover of Routledge. All the images and redirection entries (like "]: ''see'' ]") were dropped, making the work less accessible than it could have been. Further, the editing process was severely curtailed, leaving many imperfections in the text. Reviewers noted the uneven handling of topics: some essays were excellent, while others were sketchy.
==History==


== Contents ==
Michael Drout worked on the project from 2003 to 2006. He reports in his blog (http://wormtalk.blogspot.com) that the editing process was less than harmonious, with Francis & Taylor closing the encyclopedia division of ] in 2005, cancelling several projects. The Tolkien project avoided this fate, but was affected by the restructuring. Drout states that contributors were not shown the final version of their articles before going to print, and that the illustrations he intended to include were dropped without consulting him. Drout also criticises that no ] (cross-references) were included, stating that as a result "what appear to be bizarre decisions were not so originally".<ref>See Drout's blog comments on this subject , retrieved 26 August 2007</ref>


]'s aim for this project, as stated in the book's introduction, was to make it appealing to a wide group of readers.<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007"/> The volume has over 125 contributors from a wide variety of countries.<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007"/> Entries discuss their concepts' connections with various of ]'s works, as well as related literary criticism and theory.<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007"/>
==Entries==
<blockquote>
];
'']'';
];
];
];
Allegory;
Alliteration;
Alliterative Revival;
Alliterative Verse by Tolkien;
Alphabets, Invented;
America in the 1960s: Reception of Tolkien;
'']'';
];
Angels;
Animals in Tolkien's Works;
];
];
];
];
Arms and Armor;
Art and Illustrations by Tolkien;
Arthurian Literature;
Arthurian Romance;
Artistic Movements;
Artists' and Illustrators' Influence on Tolkien;
];
Asceticism;
Astronomy and Cosmology, Middle-earth;
]: Influence of Tolkien;
], Saint, First Archbishop of Canterbury;
];
Authorship;
];
];
Barrie, J.M.;
'']'';
];
Bennett, Jack Arthur Walter;
];
'']'';
'']'';
'']'': Tolkien's Scholarship;
''Beowulf'': Translations by Tolkien;
];
Bible;
];
Biology of Middle-earth;
Bliss, Alan;
], Oxford;
'']'';
'']'';
];
Bournemouth;
Boyens, Philippa;
''Brut'' by Layamon;
];
];
];
Calendars;
Capitalism;
Carolingians;
Catholicism, Roman;
Cave, The;
Caves and Mines;
Cecil, Lord David;
Charms;
''Chaucer as Philologist: The Reeve's Tale'';
Childhood of Tolkien;
Children's Literature and Tolkien;
Christ;
'']'': "Advent Lyrics";
Christian Readings of Tolkien;
Christianity;
Church of England;
Class in Tolkien's Works;
Coghill, Nevill Henry Kendal Aylmer;
Collecting;
Colors;
Comedy;
Communism;
Criticism of Tolkien, Twentieth Century;
Cruces in Medieval Literature;
];
Dagnall, Susan;
Danes: Contributions to English Culture;
Danish Language;
];
D'Ardenne, S.R.T.O;
Darkness;
Death;
];
''Denham Tracts, The'';
Denmark: Reception of Tolkien;
];
Descent;
Despair (Wanhope);
'']'';
Devils;
Doors and Gates;
Doubles;
Dragons;
Dramatizations: Stage and Spoken;
Dreams;
Druids;
Dundas-Grant, Jim;
Dutch Language;
];
Dyson, Hugo;
];
Earth;
East, The;
Easterlings;
Education;
Egypt: Relationship to Numenoreans;
];
Elements;
];
];
Elf-Shot;
];
];
Elves: Kindreds and Migrations;
Elves: Reincarnation;
Elvish Compositions and Grammars;
Enchantment;
England, 20th Century;
'']'';
];
Environmentalism and Eco-Criticism;
Environmentalist Readings of Tolkien;
];
];
Epic Poetry;
];
Esperanto;
''Essays Presented to Charles Williams'';
];
];
Eucharist;
Exile;
Existentialism;
''Exodus'', Edition of;
];
];
Fairyology, Victorian;
Fall of Man;
Family Background;
Family Trees;
Fan Art;
Fan Fiction;
];
];
'']'';
Farmer Giles;
'']'';
Father Christmas;
];
Feminist Readings of Tolkien;
Fictionality;
Film Scripts, Unused;
Finland: Literary Sources;
Finland: Reception of Tolkien;
'']'';
Finnish Language;
];
] and ];
Folklore;
Food;
Fortune and Fate;
''Fourteenth-Century Romance, A'';
Frame Narratives;
France and French Culture;
France: Reception of Tolkien;
Francis Thompson: Article for Exeter College Essay Club;
Free Will;
French Language;
];
];
Gaming;
];
];
Gaze;
Geach, E.F.A.: "Romance";
Gender in Tolkien's Works;
Genesis;
German Folktale: Deutsche Mythologie;
German, Modern;
German Race Laws;
Germany;
Germany: Reception of Tolkien;
Gibbon, Edward: ''Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'';
Gilson, Robert Quilter;
];
];
];
];
];
];
];
Gordon, Ida;
Gothic Language;
Goths;
Grammar;
];
Greece: Reception of Tolkien;
Greek Gods;
];
];
] (Wormtongue);
Grove, Jennie;
]t;
Guthlac: Poem;
Haigh, Walter E.;
Havard, Humphrey;
Health and Medicine;
Heathenism and Paganism;
Heaven;
Hell;
Heroes and Heroism;
Hierarchy;
'']'': Overview;
History, Anglo-Saxon;
'']'';
];
]s;
''Holy Maiden Hood'' by J. Furnival: Review by Tolkien;
];
];
Homosexuality;
Howard, Robert E. Humor;
Hungary: Reception of Tolkien;
Huns;
''I-Lam na-Ngoldathon: The Grammar and Lexicon of the Gnomish Tongue'';
Immortality;
Incarnation;
Industrialization;
];
Ireland;
Italian Language;
Italy: Reception of Tolkien;
'' 'iþþlen' in ]'';
];
Japan: Reception of Tolkien;
Jewels;
Jones, Gwyn;
Jordanes: '']'';
];
Judaism;
'']'';
Jungian Theory;
Justice and Injustice;
];
];
Kingship;
Knowledge;
];
];
Kor;
Langland, William;
Language, Theories of;
Languages: Early Introduction and Interest;
];
Latin Language;
Latin Literature;
Law;
'']'';
Leechbook and Herbarium;
Leeds;
''Leeds University Verse'' 1914-24;
];
];
'']'';
];
Lewis, Warren Hamilton;
Library, Personal;
Light;
Literary Context, Twentieth Century;
Literary Influences, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century;
Literature, Twentieth Century: Influence of;
Lombardic Language;
] (Erebor);
'']'';
''Lord of the Rings'': Success of;
'']'';
];
];
];
Lyric Poetry;
];
Magic, Middle-earth;
];
];
Manuscripts by Tolkien;
Manuscripts, Medieval;
Maps;
];
Marxist Readings of Tolkien;
Mathew, Fr. Anthony Gervase;
McCallum, Ronald Buchanan;
];
Memory;
];
Merchandising;
Mercy;
];
''Middle English 'Losenger': A Sketch of an Etymological and Semantic Inquiry'';
''Middle English Vocabulary, A '';
];
];
];
];
];
];
Monsters, Middle-earth;
];
];
];
'']'';
];
];
Mountains;
'']'';
''MS Bodley 34: A Re-Collation of a Collation'';
Music in Middle-earth;
'Mythology for England';
Mythology, Celtic;
Mythology, Germanic;
'']'';
Nature;
Nazi Party;
Neave, Jane;
Netherlands: Reception of Tolkien;
''New Glossary of the Dialect of the Huddersfield District, A'';
''Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings'';
Norman Conquest;
North Polar Bear;
Northern Courage;
Norway: Reception of Tolkien;
Norwegian Language;
Obituary for Henry Bradley;
Old English;
Old English '']'', Edited by Tolkien;
Old French Literature;
Old High German;
Old High German Literature;
];
Old Mercian;
Old Norse Language;
Old Norse Literature;
Old Norse Translations;
'']'';
'']'';
];
Oral Tradition;
Orality;
'']'';
''Owl and Nightingale, The'';
Oxford;
]i;
Paradise;
Parodies;
'']'': Edition by E.V. Gordon;
Penance;
'']'';
Phial;
Philately;
Philo-Semitism;
Pilgrimage;
];
Plants;
];
] in Other Languages;
Poems by Tolkien: ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'';
Poems by Tolkien: ''The History of Middle-earth'';
Poems by Tolkien: ''The Hobbit'';
Poems by Tolkien: ''The Lord of the Rings'';
Poems by Tolkien: Uncollected;
Poland: Reception of Tolkien;
Politics;
Popular Music;
Possessiveness;
Power in Tolkien's Works;
Prehistory: "Cavemen";
Pride;
Prophecy;
Prose Style;
Pseudonym: Bagpuize, K.;
Publications, Posthumous;
Publishing History;
''Qenyaqetsa: The Quenya Phonology and Lexicon Quest Narrative'';
Race and Ethnicity in Tolkien's Works;
Race in Tolkien Films;
Racism, Charges of;
Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.;
Ransome, Arthur;
Redemption;
''Report on the Excavation of the Prehistoric, Roman and Post-Roman Site in Lydney Park, Gloucestershire'';
Resurrection;
'']'';
Reynolds, R.W.;
Rhetoric;
Riddles;
Riddles: Sources;
Ring-Giving;
Rings;
Rings of Power;
];
''Road Goes Ever On, The'';
];
Roman History;
Romances: Middle English and French;
'']'';
];
Russia: Reception of Tolkien;
Russian Language;
Sacrifice;
];
];
];
Saints;
];
Saracens and Moors;
];
] and ];
];
'']'';
];
Sayers, Dorothy;
Scholars of Medieval Literature, Influence of;
'']'';
''Seafarer'': Ida Gordon Edition;
'']'';
Sexuality in Tolkien's Works;
];
''];
];
];
'']'';
]s;
Sin;
''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo'': Edited by Christopher Tolkien;
'']'': Edition with E.V. Gordon Smith, Geoffrey Bache;
'']'';
Smith of Wootton Major (Character);
'']'';
''Some Contributions to Middle English Lexicography'';
Song Contests;
South, The;
Spain: Reception of Tolkien;
Spanish Language;
];
''Spring Harvest, A'': G. Bache Smith, ed. J.R.R. Tolkien;
Subject Theory and Semiotics;
Suffield Family;
Suicide;
Sweden: Reception of Tolkien;
Swedish Language;
Symbolism in Tolkien's Works;
];
];
] (Tea Club and Barrovian Society);
Technological Subcultures: Reception of Tolkien;
Technology in Middle-earth;
Television: U.S. Coverage;
];
Textual History: Errors and Emendations;
Textuality;
];
Theological and Moral Approaches in Tolkien's Works;
Theology in The Lord of the Rings;
];
];
Time;
Time Travel;
];
'']'';
'']'': Humphrey Carpenter;
Tolkien Scholarship: An Overview;
Tolkien Scholarship: First Decades: 1954-1980;
Tolkien Scholarship: Institutions;
Tolkien Scholarship: Since 1980;
];
Tolkien, Baillie;
];
Tolkien, Faith;
Tolkien, Hilary;
Tolkien, John;
Tolkien, Mabel;
Tolkien, Michael;
Tolkien, Priscilla;
];
];
Tour in the Alps, 1911;
Towers;
Treason;
'']'';
'']'';
];
Trees;
Trench Fever;
];
Turville-Petre, Joan;
];
Tyranny;
];
'']'';
];
];
];
];
];
Viking Raids;
Violence;
];
Wain, John;
'']'';
War;
'']'';
'']'';
];
Weapons, Named;
Welsh Language;
];
];
];
Wiseman, Christopher;
];
];
Women in Tolkien's Works;
World War I;
World War II;
Wyke-Smith, E.A. and '']'';
]
</blockquote>


] covered by the essays include ] for ], stage, and television; ]; characters; critical history; ]; ] real and invented; biography; ]; literature; ], ], objects, and places of ]; ]; scholarship by Tolkien; ]; ]; ] and philosophical concepts; contemporary history and culture; and Tolkien's literary works.
==Contributors==
Contributors are (in alphabetical order):
<blockquote>
Nils Ivar Agøy, Telemark University College;
Julaire Andelin, Salt Lake City, Utah;
], Marcellus, Michigan;
Don N. Anger, Brock University;
Robert G. Anger, The Presbyterian Church in Canada;
Roberto Arduini, Rome, Italy;
Helen Armstrong, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom;
Cecilia Barella, Editor, J. R. R. Tolkien, a Webliography;
Jane Beal, Wheaton College;
Raffaella Benvenuto, Rome, Italy;
Bradley J. Birzer, Hillsdale College;
Alexandra Bolintineanu, University of Toronto;
David Bratman, San Jose, California;
Clair Buck, Norton, Massachusetts;
Marcel R. Bülles, University of Cologne;
Anthony S. Burdge, Chairman, Heren Istarion, New York's Tolkien Society;
Jessica Burke, Co-Chair, Heren Istarion, New York's Tolkien Society;
Marjorie Burns, Portland State University;
Alice Marie Campbell,
Altadena, California;
Christine Chism,
Rutgers University;
Joe R. Christopher,
Tarleton State University;
Hal Colebatch,
Nedlands, Western Australia;
Michael Coren,
Toronto, Canada;
Janet Brennan Croft,
University of Oklahoma;
Patrick Curry,
Bath Spa University;
Penelope Davie,
Queensland University of Technology;
Alex Davis,
Independent Scholar;
Ivan Derzhanski,
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences;
Merlin DeTardo,
Cleveland, Ohio;
Michael Devaux,
Livarot, France;
Matthew Dickerson,
Middlebury College;
Leslie A. Donovan,
University of New Mexico;
Sarah Downey,
University of Toronto;
],
Wheaton College;
Kathleen E. Dubs,
Pázmány Péter Catholic University;
Jo-Anna Dueck,
Burlington, Ontario, Canada;
Colin Duriez,
Cumbria, United Kingdom;
Robert Eaglestone,
University of London;
Dustin Eaton,
Grand Rapids, Michigan;
Bradford Lee Eden,
Las Vegas, Nevada;
Jonathan Evans,
University of Georgia;
Matthew Fensome,
Columbus, Ohio;
Cath Filmer-Davis,
Flosswyr Press;
Dimitra Fimi,
Cardiff University;
Jason Fisher,
Dallas, Texas;
],
University of Maryland;
Thomas Fornet-Ponse,
University of Bonn;
Mike Foster,
Metamora, Illinois;
Martin K. Foys,
Hood College;
Michele T. Fry,
Oxford, United Kingdom;
Christopher Garbowski,
Maria Curie-Sklodowska University;
John Garth,
London, United Kingdom;
David Gay,
Indiana University;
Gene Hargrove,
University of North Texas;
Jenniffer G. Hargroves,
Conifer, Colorado;
Amelia Harper,
Nashville, North Carolina;
Christina M. Heckman,
Augusta State University;
Kanerva Heikkinen,
University of Helsinki;
Katherine Hesser,
Harvard College Fund;
John R. Holmes,
Franciscan University;
Thomas Honegger,
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena;
Simon Horobin,
Glasgow, Scotland;
],
Crofton, Maryland;
John Wm Houghton,
Canterbury School;
Rod Jellema,
Washington, D.C.;
Rachel B. Kapelle,
Brandeis University;
Yvette L. Kisor,
Ramapo College;
Scott Kleinman,
California State University, Northridge;
Gisela Kreglinger,
University of St. Andrews;
Barry Langford,
University of London;
Reno E. Lauro,
University of St. Andrews;
Andrew Charles Lazo,
Rice University;
Kristi Lee,
Harrisonburg, Virginia;
Carol A. Leibiger,
University of South Dakota;
Miryam Librán Moreno,
Caceres, Spain;
Jared Lobdell,
Eastern University;
John F.G. Magoun,
Chappaqua, New York;
Olga Markova,
Russian Academy of Sciences;
James I. McNelis, III,
Wilmington College;
Marcin Morawski,
Warsaw, Poland;
Gergely Nagy,
University of Szeged;
Dale J. Nelson,
Mayville State University;
R. Scott Nokes,
Troy University;
David D. Oberhelman,
Oklahoma State University;
Victor L. Parker,
University of Canterbury, New Zealand;
Joseph Pearce,
Ave Maria College;
Michael W. Perry,
Seattle, Washington;
Anne C. Petty,
Crawfordville, Florida;
Carl Phelpstead,
Cardiff University;
Joseph Piela,
Blakely, Pennsylvania;
Kathryn Powell,
University of Manchester;
Aline Ripley,
Mount Saint Vincent University;
Brian Rosebury,
University of Central Lancashire;
Geoffrey Russom,
Brown University;
Friedhelm Schneidewind,
Hemsbach, Germany;
Chester N. Scoville,
University of Toronto;
Gerald Seaman,
Lawrence University;
Eduardo Segura,
Universidad Católica San Antonio;
William Senior,
Broward Community College;
],
St. Louis University;
Alfred K. Siewers,
Bucknell University;
Anna Skyggebjerg,
The Danish University of Education;
William Smith,
Weatherford College;
Arden R. Smith,
Albany, California;
Anna Smol,
Mount Saint Vincent University;
L. Lara Sookoo,
Toronto, Canada;
Lisa L. Spangenberg,
University of California, Los Angeles;
Michael N. Stanton,
University of Vermont;
Beregond, Anders Stenstrom,
Uppsala, Sweden;
Sandra Ballif Straubhaar,
University of Texas at Austin;
Amy H. Sturgis,
Belmont University;
L. J. Swain,
University of Illinois at Chicago;
Jeff Sypeck,
University of Maryland;
Paul Edmund Thomas,
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP;
Daniel Timmons,
University of Toronto;
Patricia Tubbs,
Massena, New York;
Allan Turner,
University of Greifswald;
Christopher Vaccaro,
University of Vermont;
René van Rossenburg,
University of Leiden;
John Walsh,
Hult Library, Boston College;
Christina Ganong Walton,
Rocklin, California;
Richard C. West,
University of Wisconsin;
Elizabeth A. Whittingham,
SUNY College at Brockport;
Shana Worthen,
University of Toronto;
Hilary Wynne,
University of Toronto;
Stephen Yandell,
Xavier University;
Arne Zettersten,
University of Copenhagen.
</blockquote>


==Reviews== == Reviews ==
*Kelley M. Wickham-Crowley, '']'' 4 (2007) 266-278


Kelley Wickham-Crowley, reviewing the work, noted that the quality of the entries was very uneven, and that while some entries were written by experts and were highly interesting and informative, others were much less so; in his words, "the quality of entries can run the gamut from masterful to pedestrian". He wrote that "For characters in particular, entries that rehearse attributes and deeds suffer in comparison to more sophisticated analysis where we learn something or are graced with a perceptive insight or new direction of enquiry". Further, Wickham-Crowley suggested that a number of entries should have been merged. For example, some entries, like those on "]" and "]", repeat most of their corresponding content with few changes and should have likely ended up combined. Similarly, topics like "Environmentalism and Eco-Criticism" and "Environmentalist Readings of Tolkien" or "Comedy" and "Humor" may also not have warranted separate sections. Inclusion of some topics was rather surprising and arbitrary to Wickham-Crowley, for example the entries on "]" or "]" (the latter focusing on theology instead of civil, or in-universe examples). In the end, Wickham-Crowley concluded, the level of contributors, and their contributions, varied significantly.<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007"/>
==See also==
*'']''
*'']''


Wickham-Crowley attributed the failings of the work to insufficient ], noting that it was "badly served" by ]'s acquisition of ], which, during the ensuing restructuring of its acquisitions, discontinued the Routledge encyclopedia division while this work was in production. This effectively led to the ''Tolkien Encyclopedia''{{'}}s publication being unfinished, a view endorsed by its chief editor, Michael D. C. Drout. The final volume is missing not only about a hundred planned illustrations—there are none in the printed work—but several entries were not properly ], and many errors were not corrected.<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007"/> Wickham-Crowley noted that while some entries were excellent, the work sports a "multitude of errors in word omission, grammar, spelling, spacing, word division, and bibliographic format embarrassing mistakes." In the end, Wickham-Crowley concluded that the project was ambitious, but execution was marred by the work's flaws.<ref name="Wickham-Crowley 2007"/>
==Notes==

As the encyclopedia's editor, Drout notes the "imperfections" on his website, describing the process of constructing it as "weird", and stating that when Taylor & Francis bought out Routledge, they cancelled many projects and closed the encyclopedia division. His project was luckily nearing completion so it was allowed to proceed. All the same, Drout writes, the proofs were "a hideous mess";<ref name="Drout 2006 website"/> he marked up all the corrections he could, but became seriously ill (with pneumonia) and was unable to check the corrected text. He was "shocked" to find that the proofed articles were not sent to the article authors for them to approve. He thought "inexplicable" the decision to drop all the illustrations which Drout had gathered, and he was similarly bemused by the decision to cut all the redirection entries, like "]: ''see'' Monsters" which contribute to making the encyclopedia useful and navigable, breaking a promise made to him.<ref name="Drout 2006 website">{{cite web |last=Drout |first=Michael <!--established Tolkien scholar, and editor of the encyclopedia--> |author-link=Michael D. C. Drout |title=J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia |url=http://wormtalk.blogspot.com/2006/11/j.html |website=Wormtalk and Slugspeak |access-date=21 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514141109/http://wormtalk.blogspot.com/2006/11/j.html |archive-date=14 May 2007 |date=2 November 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Likewise, Jennifer Goodfellow in her review noted that the entries vary significantly, with some offering only a short summary of a topic, while others are much more in-depth. She noted that the organization of entries is not optimal, but concluded that the work was "an excellent resource for serious scholars of English literature as well as those with a general interest in Tolkien".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goodfellow |first=Jennifer |date=15 February 2008 |title=J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09504120810855011/full/html |journal=Reference Reviews |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=35 |doi=10.1108/09504120810855011 |issn=0950-4125}}</ref>

] noted the editing issues, adding that the result was highly uneven: there were many "tiny" entries, but all of ] was covered in a single "very long" section by ], which Bratman found so much better that he wished the whole work had been done that way.<ref name="Bratman 2006">{{cite web |last1=Bratman |first1=David |author1-link=David Bratman |title=First impressions of the Drout Encyclopedia |url=http://users.bestweb.net/~jfgm/EncyclopediaDiary/EncyclopediaReviews.htm |publisher=Mythsoc |access-date=21 June 2024 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927183536/http://users.bestweb.net/~jfgm/EncyclopediaDiary/EncyclopediaReviews.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> ], writing in the ''Times Literary Supplement''<!--22 Dec 2006-->, states that the encyclopedia "seethes with insight and opinion", benefiting from contributions by the major Tolkien scholars including Tom Shippey and ], while Drout's expertise in medievalism is visible in the many articles on that theme.<ref name="Bratman 2006"/>

Tracy Carr in her short review of the work noted that it was intended more for ]s than ], as it aimed to engage more with real-world theories than describe the world Tolkien created. She concluded that the volume was "a suitable starting place" for "budding scholars" of Tolkien.<ref name="Carr 2011"/>

== See also ==

* '']''
* '']''

==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
*http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/tolkien/index.html
*
*


* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927183536/http://users.bestweb.net/~jfgm/EncyclopediaDiary/EncyclopediaReviews.htm |date=27 September 2007 }}, with comments by a number of authors and editors on the difficulties with the press/publishing process

{{Middle-earth}}
{{J. R. R. Tolkien}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, The}}
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Latest revision as of 04:22, 22 September 2024

Scholarly work by Michael D. C. Drout

J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment
EditorMichael D. C. Drout
LanguageEnglish
SubjectJ. R. R. Tolkien
PublisherRoutledge
Publication date2006
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeHardcover
Pages720
ISBN978-0415969420
OCLC71004244
Dewey Decimal828/.91209 22
LC ClassPR6039.O32 Z664 2007

The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment, edited by Michael D. C. Drout, was published by Routledge in 2006. A team of 127 Tolkien scholars on 720 pages cover topics of Tolkien's fiction, his academic works, his intellectual and spiritual influences, and his biography. Co-editors were Douglas A. Anderson, Verlyn Flieger (both Drout's co-editors also of Tolkien Studies), Marjorie Burns and Tom Shippey.

The development of the encyclopedia was interrupted by Taylor & Francis's takeover of Routledge. All the images and redirection entries (like "Balrog: see Monsters") were dropped, making the work less accessible than it could have been. Further, the editing process was severely curtailed, leaving many imperfections in the text. Reviewers noted the uneven handling of topics: some essays were excellent, while others were sketchy.

Contents

Michael D. C. Drout's aim for this project, as stated in the book's introduction, was to make it appealing to a wide group of readers. The volume has over 125 contributors from a wide variety of countries. Entries discuss their concepts' connections with various of J. R. R. Tolkien's works, as well as related literary criticism and theory.

Themes covered by the essays include adaptations for cinema, stage, and television; art and illustrations; characters; critical history; influence; languages real and invented; biography; literary sources; literature; monsters, peoples, objects, and places of Middle-earth; reception; scholarship by Tolkien; stylistic elements; Tolkien's themes; theological and philosophical concepts; contemporary history and culture; and Tolkien's literary works.

Reviews

Kelley Wickham-Crowley, reviewing the work, noted that the quality of the entries was very uneven, and that while some entries were written by experts and were highly interesting and informative, others were much less so; in his words, "the quality of entries can run the gamut from masterful to pedestrian". He wrote that "For characters in particular, entries that rehearse attributes and deeds suffer in comparison to more sophisticated analysis where we learn something or are graced with a perceptive insight or new direction of enquiry". Further, Wickham-Crowley suggested that a number of entries should have been merged. For example, some entries, like those on "Hobbits" and "Shire", repeat most of their corresponding content with few changes and should have likely ended up combined. Similarly, topics like "Environmentalism and Eco-Criticism" and "Environmentalist Readings of Tolkien" or "Comedy" and "Humor" may also not have warranted separate sections. Inclusion of some topics was rather surprising and arbitrary to Wickham-Crowley, for example the entries on "Thomas Aquinas" or "Law" (the latter focusing on theology instead of civil, or in-universe examples). In the end, Wickham-Crowley concluded, the level of contributors, and their contributions, varied significantly.

Wickham-Crowley attributed the failings of the work to insufficient copy editing, noting that it was "badly served" by Taylor & Francis's acquisition of Routledge, which, during the ensuing restructuring of its acquisitions, discontinued the Routledge encyclopedia division while this work was in production. This effectively led to the Tolkien Encyclopedia's publication being unfinished, a view endorsed by its chief editor, Michael D. C. Drout. The final volume is missing not only about a hundred planned illustrations—there are none in the printed work—but several entries were not properly proofed, and many errors were not corrected. Wickham-Crowley noted that while some entries were excellent, the work sports a "multitude of errors in word omission, grammar, spelling, spacing, word division, and bibliographic format embarrassing mistakes." In the end, Wickham-Crowley concluded that the project was ambitious, but execution was marred by the work's flaws.

As the encyclopedia's editor, Drout notes the "imperfections" on his website, describing the process of constructing it as "weird", and stating that when Taylor & Francis bought out Routledge, they cancelled many projects and closed the encyclopedia division. His project was luckily nearing completion so it was allowed to proceed. All the same, Drout writes, the proofs were "a hideous mess"; he marked up all the corrections he could, but became seriously ill (with pneumonia) and was unable to check the corrected text. He was "shocked" to find that the proofed articles were not sent to the article authors for them to approve. He thought "inexplicable" the decision to drop all the illustrations which Drout had gathered, and he was similarly bemused by the decision to cut all the redirection entries, like "Balrog: see Monsters" which contribute to making the encyclopedia useful and navigable, breaking a promise made to him.

Likewise, Jennifer Goodfellow in her review noted that the entries vary significantly, with some offering only a short summary of a topic, while others are much more in-depth. She noted that the organization of entries is not optimal, but concluded that the work was "an excellent resource for serious scholars of English literature as well as those with a general interest in Tolkien".

David Bratman noted the editing issues, adding that the result was highly uneven: there were many "tiny" entries, but all of Elvish linguistics was covered in a single "very long" section by Carl Hostetter, which Bratman found so much better that he wished the whole work had been done that way. John Garth, writing in the Times Literary Supplement, states that the encyclopedia "seethes with insight and opinion", benefiting from contributions by the major Tolkien scholars including Tom Shippey and Verlyn Flieger, while Drout's expertise in medievalism is visible in the many articles on that theme.

Tracy Carr in her short review of the work noted that it was intended more for Tolkien scholars than fans, as it aimed to engage more with real-world theories than describe the world Tolkien created. She concluded that the volume was "a suitable starting place" for "budding scholars" of Tolkien.

See also

References

  1. ^ Wickham-Crowley, Kelley M. (2007). "J.R R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (review)". Tolkien Studies. 4 (1): 266–278. doi:10.1353/tks.2007.0033. ISSN 1547-3163. S2CID 146657926.
  2. ^ Carr, Tracy (4 August 2011). "Sources: J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment". Reference & User Services Quarterly. 47 (3): 291–292. doi:10.5860/rusq.47n3.291. ISSN 1094-9054.
  3. ^ Drout, Michael (2 November 2006). "J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia". Wormtalk and Slugspeak. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  4. Goodfellow, Jennifer (15 February 2008). "J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment". Reference Reviews. 22 (2): 35. doi:10.1108/09504120810855011. ISSN 0950-4125.
  5. ^ Bratman, David. "First impressions of the Drout Encyclopedia". Mythsoc. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2024.

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