Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits

Dr. Dimitra Fimi, an associate lecturer at Cardiff University in the UK - where she teaches classes on JRR Tolkien and fantasy literature - has announced the publication of her new book, Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits.

The book explores the way Tolkien's writings on Middle-earth - his legendarium - evolved throughout his lifetime due to changes in his life and changes in the cultural identity of England during the tumultuous first half of the 20th century.

At a list price of $85.00 the book is rather pricey, so ask your local library if they can locate a copy.

Dr. Fimi's essays and reviews on Tolkien have appeared in a number of publications, namely:

• Tolkien Studies 3Tolkien Studies 4
• Tolkien Studies 5
• Folklore magazine.

From her presentation at the book's launch:

My book is a new analysis of Tolkien's mythology, looking at his creative vision from the perspective of cultural history. My main research question was how Tolkien's fiction fits with the cultural and historical milieu of the period he was writing. I wanted to examine Tolkien's work not as a peculiar and idiosyncratic one-off in 20th-century fiction, but as an integral part of it.

Details of the book, as well as a free sample chapter, are available at the publisher's website.

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